17 Comments

The Pope is not infallible on non-magisterial teachings. He has made controversial decisions as leader of the Catholic Church. China deal is high on that list, the weaponized ambiguity of some of his encyclicals, wanting to bring in aspects of a culture with roots in paganism (pachamama), suppression of the Latin mass (opposed to having it be a coexisting separate rite)…. I could go on. He is a divisive leader (akin to former President Trump). He should expect pushback and not just look for fealty.

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Narrative. Whether the cause or the effect, it's destroying us.

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I've not watched much EWTN lately (and rather doubt the pope has, either) but Arroyo is basically only on for an hour a week. Am I really meant to believe that the whole network has become like that since I last watched?

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Now I feel there really was a lot more to that Catching Foxes interview JD did after leaving EWTN...

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This editorial is filled with assumed motives. It assumes ewtn is motivated by division and narrative. It assumes the Holy Father is open to criticism from a traditional/conservative perspective despite evidence to the contrary. Etc.

I don't buy it. Assuming motives is a particularly weak form of debate. It's an easy way to build a straw man that one goes on to compare against their own morally superior approach. I don't have any problem with criticisms against ewtn or anyone else, but keep it to what they do as opposed to their supposed motives for doing what they do. Otherwise be prepared to have your own motives questioned, which will lead to a contest of who has the most pure motives...despite the fact that motives are impossible to prove or even fully discern within one's self.

Personally I support JD and Ed because I appreciate their approach and think they bring a well informed perspective. I don't support them because I think they have superior motives or that they're always right.

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Thank you JD, Ed and Michelle - this is spot on and much appreciated

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Good ol’ Pope Francis, always open to dialogue and accompaniment, unless he disagrees with you, then he throws out broad labels like “work of the devil” and “rigid” and “clerical”, usually when he’s talking to a bunch of his Jesuit friends….go figure.

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JD, Ed, and Michelle, thank you for this. Your journalistic philosophy of being faithful, honest, and accurate is why I subscribe.

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JD and Ed- I would love to hear your comments on his comments on TLM during this same speech. Why is it “backwards” to want sacred liturgy. What is so bad about TLM and Latin? He seems very anti all things TLM which I find genuinely perplexing. Church leaders act like it’s such a head scratcher why most people don’t believe in the Real Presence anymore but won’t even talk about the possibility that maybe something more traditional like communion on the tongue would help restore this belief. This is just one example. It’s frustrating that he continual calls for dialogue, unless you want to dialogue about sacred tradition- in which case the message is please shut up. I‘m in my forties and have attended 2 TLMs in my life and they were both profoundly spiritual experiences for me....and the Pope can’t be any clearer on how much he dislikes TLM. I don’t get it. What am I missing?

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