Is Catholic News Service in Open Rebellion?
June 13, 2009
Washington DC, USA (MetroCatholic) Catholic News Service (CNS) – an agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – is the world’s largest Catholic news organization of its kind. It was created in 1920 in order to serve as a reliable voice for communicating the Church’s message to a global audience, and today CNS generates news items and editorial pieces that are reprinted in more than 200 Catholic publications worldwide.
A success story? Not exactly.
In a piece published on the popular web portal Catholic Exchange, [full Story available here: http://catholicexchange.com/2009/06/11/119389/ ] author and columnist Louie Verrecchio outlines “CNS’ failure to consistently apply reliably Catholic editorial standards” throughout the tenure of Editor-in-Chief and Director Anthony Spence who joined CNS in 2004.
Earlier this year, Verrecchio notes, the situation at CNS “had become so problematic that Archbishop Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura at the Vatican, was moved to take the extraordinarily bold step of criticizing CNS from Rome, saying, ‘The bishops need to look at our Catholic News Service; they need to review their coverage of [the Church’s moral and social teachings] and give some new direction.’”
Among the problems Verrecchio documents is CNS’ syndication and distribution of columns written by Douglas Kmiec, the Catholic Pepperdine Law professor who campaigned for Barack Obama and recently applauded a proposal by NIH to fund embryonic stem cell research in his CNS column.
“How can anyone explain why Catholic News Service – an organ of the USCCB – would grant Kmiec’s opinions a de facto Imprimatur by syndicating his columns for distribution to Catholic publications all over the world,” Verrecchio asks?
“Reasonable observers cannot help but conclude that Tony Spence has made a conscious decision to throw down the gauntlet and is now daring the USCCB to hold him and CNS to accountability.”
After numerous attempts over a two week period prior to publication to solicit a response from Archbishop George Neiderauer, whose committee has oversight of CNS, Director of Media Relations for the USCCB, Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, ultimately stated that she had been unable to get in touch with the Archbishop. Anthony Spence has also, to this date, declined to respond.
“How will the USCCB respond to the challenge of CNS’ apparently unbridled hubris,” Verrecchio asks? “Stay tuned.”
“As responsible media consumers,” Verrecchio tells readers, “we must force publications like our local diocesan newspaper, and news outlets like CNS, to earn their keep by offering real value in the marketplace of authentic Catholic content.”
“Catholics, many of whom would never knowingly choose to underwrite Douglas Kmiec’s syndicated columns or the other kinds of questionable content CNS produces. They deserve to know exactly what kinds of activities their hard earned money is going to support,” Verrecchio said.
Louie Verrecchio founded Salve Regina Publications, Inc., based in Hampstead, MD, USA, specifically for the purpose of promoting and distributing the Harvesting the Fruit of Vatican II faith formation series. Bearing an Imprimatur, the conciliar document study guide that he authored has been enthusiastically endorsed by Cardinal George Pell, Fr. Peter F. Ryan, S.J., S.T.D., Fr. Peter Stravinskas, S.T.D., Ph.D., Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, and others, and it has been in use by parish based faith formation groups and individuals worldwide since 2004.
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WOW! This just goes to show the need for Catholic news outlets run by lay apostolates that adhere to ALL the teachings of the Church.
I for one am tired of seeing CNS articles in my diocesan newspaper that border on or are out-right heresy. I am glad to see that there is a move to address and hopefully stop it.
I for one will drop any newspaper that goes against the church teaching. Look at the so called catcholic politicians, and the anti catholic laws they vote for, so it’s the same with news papers. You are either for God or against him.
Catholic News Service is hostile to Traditional Catholicism. When enough good bishops are finally in place, it should be drastically trimmed and re-potted!
Just observe what been printed these last couple of months in some in some of the most respected catholic news services in on the planet!!!!
So why be surprised.
I look for solid catholic information service……………..The spring opening of our United states bishops conference will be quite interesting. Hopefully the majority of our shepherds will finally be shepherds and not politicians who are in fear of losing their diocesan tax shelter.
Don’t expect any help cleaning up CNS from the Bishops. The USCCB VP, Bishop Kicanas, is the publisher of the New Vision diocesan newspaper in Tucson. He has published at least 8 articles in the past year or so that were positive on Hillary Clinton and Pres Obama. You had to read real hard in a couple of the articles to find out that Obama’s “administration” (note not Obama) had a little problem with church teaching on abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Kicanas published one article where people he had met with claimed that Poles, Hungarians and Germans were racist and hate filled with NO rebuttal to them by the Bishop. In his Oct 2008 issue, on Respect Life Sunday, he published a letter to the editor that promoted ABORTION and also contained a veiled racist comment about people of color. Again there was no rebuttal to that letter from the Bishop, but another letter published in the same edition (against a Marriage Amendment in Az) had a rebuttal. Remember that a lot of Bishops follow the teaching of the late Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago who said that we need to have input from all sources to learn what the truth is. Of course I’m not sure that traditional/orthodox Catholics need apply!
The National Catholic Reporter (read: National Catholic Distorter) is another rag labelled “Catholic” and loaded with heresy. The enemies within the Church are much more concerning to me than all those external ones combined.
Bishops bear the responsibility of informing Christ’s flock of the truths or Catholic teaching. When Bishops do not give us Jesus’ teaching as given by Our Lord through the One, Holy Apolstolic Catholic Church He gave us… then they disobey Our Lord; and do more than just a disservice to us Catholic believers. Bishops who do not hold Catholic news information resources to the test of Jesus’ words and teaching are violating their ordination of being Apostolic ministers of Jesus Christ. I would fear with absolute trembling to be one of these Bishops who allow disinformation to be spread among Jesus’ flock when this Bishop stands before the judgment seat of Our Lord.
Jesus told us: The sheep will go with the sheep and the goats with the goats.
Its time that the Vatican cleans house. There are too many Clergy (Bishops and Archbishops) in American preaching heresy. There are too many catholic publications leading people astray. There are too many Catholic politicians that need to be excommunicated. I would much rather have to drive 2 hrs to Mass than have what is happening today. Its time the faithful stand up, and with the help of the Vatican, cast out those who preach against the teachings of the church and Pope!!!
I recently returned from a trip to Molokai, Hawaii; to visit the shrine of Blessed Damien of Molokai only to learn that the largest and fastest growing church on their small and remote island is the Church of Latter Day Saints. Mormons are strict and adhere to conservative and traditional family values and do not try to “keep up” with modern movements. Catholic churches that are strict and adhere to the Vatican, Catechism and uphold or model conservative and traditional family values are thriving, strong churches. Yet those who claim to be “progressive” or liberal are falling apart. There is no cohesiveness among the parishoners. The more we move back to traditional Catholicism the stronger we become and more we attract to our faith!
How troubling! Catholics are falling deeper and deeper into secularism, materialism and Americanist nationalist philosphy. But what do those who are supposed to bring the true message of the Vatican and the Catholic Church to Americans that have fallen to the practices mentioned above discuss and worry about? Politics!! Politics!!! Politics!!! Obama, Democrats, liberals and whoever else!
The Obama’s, Democrats, liberalism and whoever and whatever will always be there! But our Bishops like Burke want us to concentrate only the evils of the world, that will ALWAYS BE HERE just as they were during the time of Christ. At the same time that Catholics must become closer to Jesus in the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother Mary found in their Church, it’s such a pity to be involved in political matters!
Remember His Words” “But when the Son of man comes, will He find any (Faith)?” Or will he only find politics?
“Louie Verrecchio founded Salve Regina Publications, Inc…specifically for the purpose of promoting and distributing the Harvesting the Fruit of Vatican II faith formation series…”
As far as I’m concerned, this sorry state of affairs IS part of the “fruit of Vatican II”. Moral relativism, false “ecumenism”, secularism running rampant throughout the Church, and spineless “Bishops” who are afraid of their own shadows unwilling to actually promote and defend the Faith handed down from the Apostles. Pathetic. Orthodoxy, anyone?
It is so discouraging to constantly read about the uncatholic catholic magazines, schools, colleges, churches. I have been watching EWTN for the past 10 years and am so glad to have found it. It was on many years before I discovered it for which I am sorry. Although it has changed somewhat since Mother Angelica, who founded the channel, became ill, it still is the most catholic media I know of.
Glad to see this problem being openly challenged by someone other than the “sick and tired” laity. There are so few diocesan newspapers who are truly worthy of reading – it is time to get rid of most of them!
I have been having the same concerns regarding the official Vatican news outlet and their whitewash of Pres. Obama. It would not take a rocket scientist to get a more accurate picture of his passionate love affair with the culture of death. It is inexcusable for a “reputable” organ such as L’Observatory Romano to publish such misleading and “positive” analysis of Obama’s pro-life commitment. I do not care WHAT he SAYS, just watch he DOES! No wonder Catholics no longer influence the pagan world!
The attacks on Christianity continue, eh? How long til Islam is ruling? And will you stand by and watch it happen?
I have been having the same problem with the Vatican news service and the recent “feel good” analysis of the pro-life direction of Pres. Obama. Catholics should remember “talk is cheap” – keep focused on what a person DOES! We depend on the information we receive from the Vatican, and this is terribly disappointing!
Why don’t YOU just “moderate” my comments to say whatever you want, and forget that I expressed a legitimate concern.
I have given up on the USCCB to do anything substantial in defending the Holy Roman Catholic Church. When you have movie critics approving movies such as Brokeback Mountain, The Golden Compass and other clearly anti-Catholic movies; when you have weak-kneed bishops too afraid of losing what power and glory they garner from so-called Catholic politicians such as Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry who spit in their face when they have the blind audacity to approach the Holy Communion; when you have Catholic universities and institutions inviting the pro-abortion speakers and awarding them honorary degrees; when you have rebellious theologians such as Richard McBrien, Douglas Kmiec and others who are allowed to continue in their positions of leading young minds astray with their erroneous teaching; the list goes on and on, what can Catholics who wish to be faithful to the Gospel., the Magisterium, Tradition and our Holy Father expect? I, for one, no longer give any money to any of these people nor help the USCCB in any of their fundraising efforts. I give my money to those who teach us how to really follow Christ through their courageous stance on the issues that are truly bringing a division between those who want to be American Catholics and those who want to be Roman Catholic. God is separating the sheep from the goats. God help us all!
The Texas Catholic (diocese of Dallas paper) has needed a massive overhaul for decades. It still does.
Johnine, what in the world are you talking about concerning “moderating”?
Cardinal O’Malley in Boston is a coward. He has sold out the Catholic faith to make a buck. This is not the first time that the archdiocese of Boston has helped people find the right abortion clinic for them. Don’t expect him ever to do the right thing. Whenever he is confronted with a problem, the Catholic Faith is the first thing to be thrown overboard. When he took over the Boston Archdiocese it was a cesspool of scum and villainy and scandal. He has done nothing but speed up its demise.
This why we dropped our subscription to the Arlington Catholic Herald, which is nothing more than extension of CNS. The Herald seems to relish in throwing out occassional articles they know are not in line with Catholic teachings only to see what type of response they’ll get; and boy to they get it.
Yes, but why is Bishop Burke the only one who speaks up about anything. How many Bishops are there in America?
All I can say is “‘Thank God for Archbishop Burke”. Pray for him and for more Bishops to be lke him. Listen to him. Is it any wonder why the Pope brought him to Rome?
“US Catholic” magazine published by the Claretians is another liberal-minded publication that claims to be Catholic. One of the editors for Claretian Publications just criticized our pastor for warning his parishioners about the anti-Catholic tone of the movie, “Angels & Demons” in the parish bulletin.
I have often been confused by articles I have read from CNS published both online and picked up by my archdiocesan newspaper. I am usually pretty clear on Catholic teaching and was thinking it was just me, but now I see I had reason to be confused. American Catholics seem to be confused enough without being fed misleading news stories from a trusted source. This is causing me to be wary and to ask, “Who can I trust?” It makes me feel my house is built on sand, and that is not a feeling I like.
The serious problem is that (as commentator Fenton reflects as to Arlington) for most diocesan newspapers CNS becomes their main source of “Catholic news.”
This means, in effect, that CNS is, indirectly, the national Catholic newspaper with a total subscription list of about 7 or 8 million readers. Against this are the small (but orthodox) quality magazines and even the National Catholic Register which in total would enjoy but a fraction of the readership of the CNS-as-extended-by-diocesan papers.
CNS could be a valuable teaching and evangelizing tool. The apparent independence which it has been abusing for years ought to be ended. Perhaps a few bishops from the USCCB sea of mediocrities will speak up.
Guess what else? I decided that if my church is going to deny me my devotional rights as a Catholic……by discouraging the rosary, divine mercy chaplet and adoration…..then they don’t need my money. And yes……that is being done in many, many Catholic Churches. Take a stand and tell them to take their hand out of your wallet if these devotions are shunned in your parish . The next generation is depending on us to take a stand.
JBNS, while the Rosary, Chaplet, and Adoration are all great ways to deepen one’s Faith, please reconsider your decision to withhold tithes to your parish.
You are able to pray the Rosary and the Chaplet on your own. You can even organize group prayer in your home or elsewhere. Of course Adoration is not as easy, but you will probably find some place else in your locality that offers this.
The Eucharist is central to our Faith. We are suffering from a lack of priests and funding already. Decisions to make a parish “pay” for these reasons may ultimately result in additional closings. This would be even worse than your current delima. It could be catastrophic for some in your parish who are not able to attend Mass elsewhere, thus possibly being denied the Eucharist. How tragic that would be.
Please continue your efforts through other diplomatic means. Just my 2 cents.
God bless.
why do fake , phony, catholics turn to a nice episcopal church where they will be welcomed and take their heresy with them. please take the time to read my catholic novel Sons of Thunder and give it to your teenager and fallen away family and friends. robert epperly
Archbishop Niederauer has yet to take a strong stand on Pelosi’s anti-Catholic abortion position based on what I can find on the Internet. Why would anyone think that he would take a position on anything CNS prints?. It is interesting to observe how little coverage Archbishop Raymond Burke (the most outspoken prelate in the Roman Catholic Church today) receives whenever he speaks to the failings of many to uphold the truths upon which the Church was founded. It is also interesting to note that he was moved to Rome from St. Louis after his staunch defense of Church teachings while in Wisonsin and Missouri before the last presidental election.
That’s right: let’s have censorship in the Catholic press. The mention of Raymond Burke’s name is enough to make me discount the worthiness of this move altogether.
This was very refreshing reading, having had it forwarded to me by a Roman Catholic colleague. The reason is that for several years, as he knows, I have been appalled by what we were being asked to assimilate by an organization called “Catholic” News Service. CNS, in reality, is not Catholic but rather, a secular left news service dealing with issues within and of interest to the Roman Catholic Church. While the Boston Pilot has published a few of my Letters to the Editor directly contesting specific points in releases from CNS, the publisher of the oldest Catholic paper in the nation, has been unresponsive and totally unapproachable for a discussion of that which is evident in the organization itself. The fawning release covering the results of the Nov. 4th national elections prompted me to carefully spell out some specifics of what should be transparent to the publisher, Cardinal Sean O’Malley of the Archdioces of Boston. The result was a 3-page letter, carefully crafted to cite the specific reasons why action should be taken to finally correct the status quo, so we might start receiving national and world news through a Roman Catholic prism and reflective of the Magisterium. This was in Nov. of ‘08, and I am still waiting for an answer – or even an acknowledgement. The letter was sent to the chancery by registered mail. Recently, I have faxed copies to individuals seeking to review the contents and am willing to fax it to anyone requesting it . It was typewritten and is not available in electronic format. This problem is very serious and revealing much more about what is still left unhealed in this once-proud Archdiocese and in our nation. The cadre responsible for tolerating the actions of the predator priests here in Boston is still in place and are demonstrating that they do have a broader agenda. It will not only take prayers, but also an alert laity willing to speak out both here and throughout the country. Thank you for your coverage of the issue. RTNEARY@Verizon.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrOEs4XmFZk
Above is a link to a powerful new pro-life video that exposes just one of the most bazaar medical clinics in our country and a link to just some of the displays and pictures this abortion mill has recently used to attack African Americans, people with HIV, Christians, and God. We also have other pictures we haven’t got on the web yet.
This particular abortion clinic specializes in mocking God as it ends the lives of His children.
If you have anyone who would be interested in learning more about this story we can email you a lot of pictures with explanations.
This killing center is the strangest place you will ever see – and they have killed 50,000 children in the process.
Please share this story with others and may God bless you,