In Good Company Don’t Be Misled

Mar 16, 2010

Two big stories in the news this week have been woefully misreported.

Health insurance reform. The bishops of the United States vigorously oppose the health care legislation Congress is working on this week.

You could be forgiven for not knowing this, as prominent news organs have preferred to cover the story that the Catholic Hospital Association supports the bill no matter what it contains!

That characterization of CHA’s position might seem polemical, but I take it from its own press release, which argues that the bill is indeed terrible, but it should be passed anyway and later improved upon. Precisely what motivation Congress would have for fixing legislation that passed without fixes is not explained.

What has garnered less attention is the USCCB’s call to all Catholics to contact their Congressmen this week to oppose the proposed law on three grounds:

• The Senate-passed bill being debated does not contain the House-passed Stupak amendment, and therefore permits taxpayer-funded abortion;
• Inadequate conscience protections for health care providers and companies who dissent from anti-life policies adopted by federal mandate;
• Insufficient inclusion of immigrants.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver urges Catholics not to be misled. In these three important areas, he writes, “the Senate bill…does not meet minimum moral standards.”

Archbishop Chaput adds that groups “describing themselves as ‘Catholic’ or ‘prolife’ that endorse the Senate version – whatever their intentions – are doing a serious disservice to the nation and to the Church, undermining the witness of the Catholic community; and ensuring the failure of genuine, ethical health-care reform.”

Bishop Loverde of Arlington asked his flock to pray and fast in addition to political action so that life and conscience may be protected and the bill in its current form defeated.

The Pope falsely accused. The church in Germany is facing up to historical failures to deal forthrightly with pedophilia and other sexual improprieties among its clergy. Shamefully, however, the press in Europe and our own country has tried to associate the Pope with the scandal.

“Pope knew priest was paedophile but allowed him to continue with ministry” screeched the London Times.

Little better was the New York Times claim over the weekend: “Abuse Scandal in Germany Edges Closer to Pope.” 

It’s not even remotely true. During his brief stint as archbishop of Munich, the bishop of Essen asked if then-Cardinal Ratzinger would find a place for one of his priests to stay while seeking treatment for “sexual impropriety.”

Cardinal Ratzinger said yes. That’s the whole story. He never had any connection with that priest’s return to ministry in his own or any other diocese.

Call it bias, call it sloppy reporting or call it desire for a sexy headline, but in both of these cases, the failure to report the full truth carefully is not only misleading, it actually undermines the worthy goals being pursued.

Whatever their politics, most Americans want health insurance to be more affordable and accessible without having to pay for abortion or run roughshod over people’s consciences. Implying that “Catholics” support the present health care bill impedes the possibility of achieving that.

By unjustly besmirching the man who, before being elected Pope, famously preached in his 2005 Stations of the Cross that Christ was suffering because of “filth” even in the Church, the media are undermining one of the most forthright and unequivocal champions of the purification of the clergy.

This week we celebrate the feast of St. Patrick. While it is fun to wear green and drink Guinness, it would be good to remember his saintly example and teachings as well.

He was a man who gave his life for the truth and who writes in his Confessions that “men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”