The Art Of The "Smear"…
We knew this was going to happen. It was inevitable. It started bright and early on Tuesday morning when ABC News called Benedict XVI the "Pope’s rottweiler". It continued today with the papers claiming that he was a "theological anti-Semite", a "Nazi", and they dug up soundbites from those hoping for their own personal choices in which their disappointments were more than evident. Many in Latin America have nothing but disdain for the Church, and for Benedict XVI. But what they fail to realize is that the Church is not a democracy. The cardinals choose the man they feel is best for the Church. It isn’t a popularity contest.
But the MSM has been the most savage of any of his accusers. They grabbed onto the fact that, yes, he did belong to the Nazi Youth. Here’s a hint for all those detractors and critics: In Nazi Germany, any male under 18 was put into the Nazi Youth. He was enrolled by school officials at the age of 14, but he quit going to meetings, citing his desire to become a priest. In 1943, he was drafted into an anti-aircraft unit and deserted shortly thereafter. He was 16 when he was drafted. Sixteen!And he was anything but a loyal party member. His father, a policeman, was an ardent anti-Nazi; a veritable death sentence in Nazi Germany if he had been found out. And Benedict XVI followed in his father’s footsteps in his distaste for the Nazis.
Like John Paul II, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger also fought against the communists. He made a solid point of attacking the "liberation theology" that was an extremely popular in Latin America, and was a serious thorn in the side of John Paul II. "Liberation theology" was a school of thought that blended Marxist philosophy and Christian teachings. Ratzinger prepared the Church’s documents opposing the theology, and personally worked in silencing one of it’s leading proponents in Rev. Leonardo Boff.
So, this story the MSM is trying to peddle doesn’t mesh with the facts regarding the new pope. Those that are disheartened by the fact that their "man" didn’t win the cardinal’s election, buck up; you may someday win. But right now—the here and now—the Church decided it was time to hold true to the ideals of John Paul II, and Benedict XVI will do exactly that. The following are quotes from the Arizona Republic. They’re from people that the paper interviewed. Be warned, I think you’ll get the gist of the slant.
"He clearly does not represent the public image of what the American Catholic Church is like. I’m sure the traditional Catholics and folks who are more conservative and yearn for pre-Vatican II days will see something they like. The more liberal Catholics will be concerned."—Mike Evans, religion and social studies teacher and Queen of Peace school. (Yes, that’s a Catholic school)
First of all, I’m appalled that a teacher this obtuse teaches religion, especially coming from a Catholic school. Secondly, Pope Benedict XVI is the pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Not the American Catholic Church. If Mr. Evans is as concerned as his liberal brethren, he might want to think about branching off from the Roman Catholics. I feel he might be more at ease. But this Church has been besieged with liberal ideas for years now, and it’s time to finish righting the ship. John Paul II’s job wasn’t done here on Earth. Benedict XVI can finish that work.
"What does someone from Germany know about the poor? Germany is a rich country, and they don’t love the Church the way we do."—Viginia Vazquez, street beggar in Mexico City.
I’m sorry that this woman is forced to beg for money in Mexico City, but could she have uttered a more inane statement? Has she ever been to Germany? Does she understand the economic hell that is going on in countries like Germany and France right now thanks to their liberal ideas? I doubt it. I’ll forgive her comments; it’s quite clear she has no idea what she’s talking about. And as for being poor, Ratzinger was a priest. The vow of poverty he took still holds true to him. He’s a humble and shy man, who was barely recognized on the streets of Rome. Hardly what one would deem as "rich" in the overall sense.
"John Paul visited a lot of countries to learn about their problems, and this pope is going to be pressured to do the same thing. I don’t think he’s going to be able to do it."—Javier Escamilla, bookstore clerk in Mexico City.
And I’m forced to disagree. World Youth Day is coming up in May, and it’s being held in Germany. It’s already on his itinerary to hit over twenty countries before the end of this year to address the faithful. Despite his age, Benedict XVI may show the resiliency of Pope John XXIII, who was 77 when he was elected by the College of Cardinals, and became one of the most influential popes of the 20th Century. I think we will see at least ten good years out of Benedict XVI.
This is the game the Left plays. Smear the man because you can't attack the message. We've seen this before. We saw it happen with Clarence Thomas, Newt Gingrich, and even our current president. The MSM, and the Left in general, play for keeps. But, as always, they're wrong. Dead wrong. And, once again, a lesson needs to be taught, and the bloggers are leading the way. We will stand and defend Benedict XVI because we've done our research, and it shows him to be a good, kind, and humble man just trying to do God's work. But not all bloggers are on the side of defending him. The Left side of the blogosphere is showing the same seething, frothing hatred for this man as the MSM is.
The Church has it’s share of problems to deal with. The question regarding whther or not priests should be allowed to marry, homosexual priests, child molestation by aforementioned homosexual priests, embezzlement (recently added in Arizona at Holy Cross Church), and the ever-increasing shrill caterwauling from the feminists for women to have a more prominent role in the Church; especially in the Mass where they are still shrieking how misogynistic the Church is.
Benedict XVI is going to hold true to the same principles, the same beliefs, the same truths and traditions that John Paul II held true to. Those that are dissatisfied, I’m very sorry. The majority of Catholics are looking to Benedict XVI for the same leadership that they saw in John Paul II. That’s what we’re going to get. The only change I foresee is in the ability for priests to return to the past, and be allowed to marry. In the 1100’s, this privilege was revoked by the Church. That policy is a disaster, and must be rectified. Many in the Church, myself included, can’t take seriously the advice from a man that has never been married, never had children, and does not deal with the day-to-day stress of a husband or wife. This is just one of the reasons why I left my faithful practice as a Catholic 10 years ago, and only recently, as a favor to another, did I return to participate in the Christmas Eve Mass last year.
I think Benedict XVI will be just fine. You can’t please everyone all the time, but you can give it a shot. I think if people just shut up about him, and let him attend to his duties, they’ll be pleasantly surprised. I know I wasn’t surprised by his election as pope. I predicted it from the day it was announced that John Paul II had died.
Publius II
We knew this was going to happen. It was inevitable. It started bright and early on Tuesday morning when ABC News called Benedict XVI the "Pope’s rottweiler". It continued today with the papers claiming that he was a "theological anti-Semite", a "Nazi", and they dug up soundbites from those hoping for their own personal choices in which their disappointments were more than evident. Many in Latin America have nothing but disdain for the Church, and for Benedict XVI. But what they fail to realize is that the Church is not a democracy. The cardinals choose the man they feel is best for the Church. It isn’t a popularity contest.
But the MSM has been the most savage of any of his accusers. They grabbed onto the fact that, yes, he did belong to the Nazi Youth. Here’s a hint for all those detractors and critics: In Nazi Germany, any male under 18 was put into the Nazi Youth. He was enrolled by school officials at the age of 14, but he quit going to meetings, citing his desire to become a priest. In 1943, he was drafted into an anti-aircraft unit and deserted shortly thereafter. He was 16 when he was drafted. Sixteen!And he was anything but a loyal party member. His father, a policeman, was an ardent anti-Nazi; a veritable death sentence in Nazi Germany if he had been found out. And Benedict XVI followed in his father’s footsteps in his distaste for the Nazis.
Like John Paul II, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger also fought against the communists. He made a solid point of attacking the "liberation theology" that was an extremely popular in Latin America, and was a serious thorn in the side of John Paul II. "Liberation theology" was a school of thought that blended Marxist philosophy and Christian teachings. Ratzinger prepared the Church’s documents opposing the theology, and personally worked in silencing one of it’s leading proponents in Rev. Leonardo Boff.
So, this story the MSM is trying to peddle doesn’t mesh with the facts regarding the new pope. Those that are disheartened by the fact that their "man" didn’t win the cardinal’s election, buck up; you may someday win. But right now—the here and now—the Church decided it was time to hold true to the ideals of John Paul II, and Benedict XVI will do exactly that. The following are quotes from the Arizona Republic. They’re from people that the paper interviewed. Be warned, I think you’ll get the gist of the slant.
"He clearly does not represent the public image of what the American Catholic Church is like. I’m sure the traditional Catholics and folks who are more conservative and yearn for pre-Vatican II days will see something they like. The more liberal Catholics will be concerned."—Mike Evans, religion and social studies teacher and Queen of Peace school. (Yes, that’s a Catholic school)
First of all, I’m appalled that a teacher this obtuse teaches religion, especially coming from a Catholic school. Secondly, Pope Benedict XVI is the pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Not the American Catholic Church. If Mr. Evans is as concerned as his liberal brethren, he might want to think about branching off from the Roman Catholics. I feel he might be more at ease. But this Church has been besieged with liberal ideas for years now, and it’s time to finish righting the ship. John Paul II’s job wasn’t done here on Earth. Benedict XVI can finish that work.
"What does someone from Germany know about the poor? Germany is a rich country, and they don’t love the Church the way we do."—Viginia Vazquez, street beggar in Mexico City.
I’m sorry that this woman is forced to beg for money in Mexico City, but could she have uttered a more inane statement? Has she ever been to Germany? Does she understand the economic hell that is going on in countries like Germany and France right now thanks to their liberal ideas? I doubt it. I’ll forgive her comments; it’s quite clear she has no idea what she’s talking about. And as for being poor, Ratzinger was a priest. The vow of poverty he took still holds true to him. He’s a humble and shy man, who was barely recognized on the streets of Rome. Hardly what one would deem as "rich" in the overall sense.
"John Paul visited a lot of countries to learn about their problems, and this pope is going to be pressured to do the same thing. I don’t think he’s going to be able to do it."—Javier Escamilla, bookstore clerk in Mexico City.
And I’m forced to disagree. World Youth Day is coming up in May, and it’s being held in Germany. It’s already on his itinerary to hit over twenty countries before the end of this year to address the faithful. Despite his age, Benedict XVI may show the resiliency of Pope John XXIII, who was 77 when he was elected by the College of Cardinals, and became one of the most influential popes of the 20th Century. I think we will see at least ten good years out of Benedict XVI.
This is the game the Left plays. Smear the man because you can't attack the message. We've seen this before. We saw it happen with Clarence Thomas, Newt Gingrich, and even our current president. The MSM, and the Left in general, play for keeps. But, as always, they're wrong. Dead wrong. And, once again, a lesson needs to be taught, and the bloggers are leading the way. We will stand and defend Benedict XVI because we've done our research, and it shows him to be a good, kind, and humble man just trying to do God's work. But not all bloggers are on the side of defending him. The Left side of the blogosphere is showing the same seething, frothing hatred for this man as the MSM is.
The Church has it’s share of problems to deal with. The question regarding whther or not priests should be allowed to marry, homosexual priests, child molestation by aforementioned homosexual priests, embezzlement (recently added in Arizona at Holy Cross Church), and the ever-increasing shrill caterwauling from the feminists for women to have a more prominent role in the Church; especially in the Mass where they are still shrieking how misogynistic the Church is.
Benedict XVI is going to hold true to the same principles, the same beliefs, the same truths and traditions that John Paul II held true to. Those that are dissatisfied, I’m very sorry. The majority of Catholics are looking to Benedict XVI for the same leadership that they saw in John Paul II. That’s what we’re going to get. The only change I foresee is in the ability for priests to return to the past, and be allowed to marry. In the 1100’s, this privilege was revoked by the Church. That policy is a disaster, and must be rectified. Many in the Church, myself included, can’t take seriously the advice from a man that has never been married, never had children, and does not deal with the day-to-day stress of a husband or wife. This is just one of the reasons why I left my faithful practice as a Catholic 10 years ago, and only recently, as a favor to another, did I return to participate in the Christmas Eve Mass last year.
I think Benedict XVI will be just fine. You can’t please everyone all the time, but you can give it a shot. I think if people just shut up about him, and let him attend to his duties, they’ll be pleasantly surprised. I know I wasn’t surprised by his election as pope. I predicted it from the day it was announced that John Paul II had died.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 1:10 AM
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