Friday, March 01, 2013

Media focus cannot be good for the conclave

One of the problems from which the Church has suffered in recent years has been the pressure exerted by the media upon our prelates. The constant pressure of expectations by the secular media, pressure exerted by those either oblivious of Church principles or intent on "shaming" clerics into bowing to what the media considers politically correct decisions at the cost of abandoning Church principles, cannot be good for the Church. I have seen this occur time and again at the local level, where Catholic public figures succumb to self-censorship rather than stand on principle, simply to please or mollify those shaped by the prevailing culture. It's hard to imagine the comparative freedom the conclaves of centuries past must have enjoyed, when we have trouble even imagining the world before the cell phones, the internet, television, and even radio (all of which were developed only in the 20th century).

1 comment:

Traditionalist said...

I heartily agree. People constantly rail at the Church for not "changing with the times." The tradition of 2000 years based on the teachings of Jesus Christ do not need to change with any times. The doctrine never needs an update.