Sunday, Dec 22 2024 Donate
A service of EWTN News

Good ‘wake-up call’ in dealing with anonymous sources, says Catholic journalist

The controversy about the Pope’s words in reaction to Mel Gibson’s film is “a wake-up call about the dangers of reliance on anonymous sources, a fact of reporting life in the Vatican,” said Catholic journalist John Allen.

In his weekly column “Word from Rome”, Allen said the “he said, she said” saga in the press over the Pope’s comments makes reporters “look like naïfs who have been spun every which way, or worse yet, like willing partners in someone's dishonesty.”

Allen said officials at the Vatican “rarely speak on the record,” so Vatican reporters are constantly dealing with unnamed sources. “This incident,” wrote Allen, “undoubtedly has raised the bar on caution for all of us.”

But those who come out looking the worst in the whole affair is the Vatican, Allen said.

“Even if officials were acting for the noblest of motives, they have stretched the meaning of words, on and off the record, to their breaking point,” wrote Allen. “Aside from the obvious moralism that it’s wrong to deceive, such confusion can only enhance perceptions that the aging John Paul II is incapable of controlling his own staff, that ‘no one is in charge’ and the Church is adrift. These impressions are not healthy in a time when the Church’s public image, especially in the United States, has already taken a beating on other grounds.”

“No one can have ironclad certainty about what the pope said,” wrote Allen.

Allen added that his original source for his breaking story continues to insist that the Pope did, in fact, make that remark. “On the other hand,” said Allen, “there is no [official] confirmation of the remark.”

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. When you subscribe to the CNA UPDATE, we'll send you a daily email with links to the news you need and, occasionally, breaking news.

As part of this free service you may receive occasional offers from us at EWTN News and EWTN. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Click here

Our mission is the truth. Join us!

Your monthly donation will help our team continue reporting the truth, with fairness, integrity, and fidelity to Jesus Christ and his Church.

Donate to CNA