For months, EWTN viewers have been told Pope Francis' synod represents a "hostile takeover" of the Catholic Church, or is a "moment of crisis." The influence of such statements has been profound, media experts told NCR.
Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Archbishop Schnurr, call your office; comparing Trumpism to the Reformation, and the Affordable Care Act to Build Back Better; VP Kamala Harris' home run.
Some of the biggest stars of one of the nation's biggest networks, Fox, were proven to be dishonest about one of the biggest stories of the year and to have violated the first principle of journalistic ethics: Do not become part of the story. And the Catholic Church's largest media outlet is in bed with that network.
Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: At National Review, Ashley McGuire defends EWTN; Politico looks at Democrats' post-election blame game; throughout the U.S., school board members face threats.
Several of the more conservative U.S. Catholic bishops, some of them among Pope Francis' most persistent critics, took to social media Oct. 29 to express their disapproval of his meeting with President Biden at the Vatican.
Michael Sean Winters: In calling Sen. Joe Donnelly — U.S. President Joe Biden's pick for Vatican ambassador — a "rogue Catholic," Bill Donohue, head of the Catholic League, once again mistakes Republican credentials for Catholic ones.
The Rockville Centre Diocese's decision to remove Passionist Fr. Edward Beck from his posting at St. Therese of Lisieux Church in Montauk has led his religious order to end its association with the parish.
Thomas Reese: Let's be honest. We are all cafeteria Catholics. The real question is how we avoid a food fight in the cafeteria. Disagreements should lead to conversations, not shouting.
Michael Sean Winters: Raymond Arroyo's weekly "The World Over" began airing on EWTN in September 1996. It served to extend the kind of conservative Catholic conversations found on the network's "Mother Angelica Live" into the realm of politics. Now network leadership should think seriously about its role in the church.
