The Vatican has hammered CMR, well it has if you listen to Stephen K. Ryan at MinistryValues.com. Mr. Ryan has dubbed us, along with others, as “Taliban Catholics” singled out for rebuke by the no less than the Pope himself in his call for those engaged in Catholic social media to be mindful that “”The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive.”
Vatican Hammers Conservative Catholic Bloggers
You know who you are out there.
Vatican’s social communications office, Archbishop Claudio Celli, said it was certainly correct to direct the pope’s exhortation to some conservative Catholic blogs, YouTube channels and sites which, with some vehemence, criticize bishops, public officials and policies they consider not Catholic enough.
“Taliban Catholicism” is John Allen’s description of web-based McCarthyism on the rise in the Catholic blogosphere and undoubtedly this is what the Vatican was referring to.
Pressure is on to radically change the Roman Catholic Church in America, but it’s not coming from the usual liberal suspects. A new self proclaimed beed of theological conservatives has taken to blogs and YouTube spearheaded by Michael Voris to say the church isn’t Catholic enough. Many of these conservative catholics have been enraged by dissent that they believe has gone unchecked for decades, and unafraid to say so in the starkest language, these activists are naming names and unsettling the church.
-In the Archdiocese of Boston, parishioners are dissecting the work of a top adviser to the cardinal for any hint of Marxist influence.
-Bloggers are combing through campaign finance records to expose staff of Catholic agencies who donate to politicians who support abortion rights.
-RealCatholicTV.com, working from studios in suburban Detroit, is hunting for “traitorous” nuns, priests or bishops throughout the American church.
I suppose that “Bloggers are combing through campaign finance records to expose staff of Catholic agencies who donate to politicians who support abortion rights,” refers to CMR if not also others.
Good, we embrace our designation as Taliban Catholics. I think Mr. Ryan misinterprets the Pope’s words to mean that people with whom Mr. Ryan disagrees should shut up.
We here at CMR love the Church, love our Bishops, and even try to be respectful of stupid people. Stupid ideas, well that is another thing altogether.
Taking the Pope’s admonition to be repectful and sensitive, let me just say this to Mr. Ryan. I respect you. I am sensitive to you. I would like to know how you interpret the Pope’s words in a way that allows you to assert that the Vatican “hammers” conservative Catholics (aka people you don’t like) and to call us names like “Taliban Catholic.” Do you think that properly embraces what the Pope was getting at when he called for respect and sensitivity?
Now others, way less respectful and sensitive than I, might call such a thing blatant hypocrisy and downright laughingly stupid. But not me. No, not me.
January 24, 2011 at 9:18 pm
God Bless CMR and Pope's words. They know that many bishops and priests are not Catholic enough, they know and Mr. Ryan also knows. We must be respectful and sensitive but always reaffirming our faith and theology, as Pope has said many times.
January 24, 2011 at 9:24 pm
ugh- must keep things civil, no?
January 24, 2011 at 9:41 pm
I checked out the MinistryValues site – over-the-top pro Medjugorje, among other things. Funny they should excoriate CMR for being "Taliban Catholics", when they – and commenters at their site – excoriate Catholics who choose to not believe in the veracity of the apparition.
January 24, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Should we now say, "Pretty please with sugar" to stop Keehan and LCWR from opposing the bishops or who the hell was that "poor excuse of a priest" in Notre Dame who honored Obama with a Doctorate?
January 24, 2011 at 9:52 pm
they disdain us for when we thought 'Father knows best', they disdain us for questioning Father. Just what are these guys paid for anyways?
January 24, 2011 at 10:41 pm
Now I'm a Ranting Taliban Catholic Mom? Well actually that is not a news flash. (Long story meant for another time, but I have proud family roots in the Crusades. It's all the same war…)
What I thought when I read B.XVI's comments was that my family told me to back down from politics and religion on facebook yesterday. Then today, I see the Popes remarks, and think, "I was more personally truthful and authentic when discussing politics and religion."
Can I be a Taliban member and an outspoken woman? Do I need a berka, or a hijab?
January 24, 2011 at 10:55 pm
Dang! I'd leave a witty remark, but I gotta go out and by some ammo for my AK-47! And besides, i got to send in my membership dues for the Taliban Mid-West Tea Party!
January 24, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Celli certainly knows the Pope's mind on this issue better than any other living person, and when he explains that it is directed toward Conservative blogs, I believe him. So, what am I going to to do with that information? What information?
They hint. They imply. They need their addresses "interpreted" constantly because they are so vague and cowardly. So, I just ignore it. I figure that real men of God would just administer praise and blame in a forthright way, not mince around the issue like some passive-agressive teenager.
Let's hope the new "Christian Style" of using the internet is not as emasculated and timid as they are.
January 24, 2011 at 11:41 pm
You can thank John Allen's distortion and personal animus towards orthodox Catholicism for the term of "Taliban Catholicism".
January 24, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Taliban Catholics is can appropriately refer to those Catholics who pushes TRADITIONAL MASS ONLY such that they look at other form of Masses as "un-Catholic".
As long as we don't lean too Leftist and too Rightist, we all are CATHOLIC for that's what we are in the Blogsphere… keep up the Catholic Teachings CMR and stand with the Truth in the Catholic Church.
January 25, 2011 at 12:12 am
Paragraph 1 of Ryan's story is copied from an AP story:
http://dailyme.com/story/2011012400000064/pope-catholics-online-hits.html
Paragraph 2 is from America magazine:
http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?entry_id=3447
Paragraph 3 is taken from another AP story, with a few added words:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/10/25/catholic-bloggers-aim-purge-dissenters/
Further material comes from this AP story:
http://www.valleynewslive.com/Global/story.asp?S=13894385
If you use scissors and paste, is it still plagiarism?
January 25, 2011 at 12:42 am
RC – good job. LOL – why author something when you can just take it from somewhere else.
LOL – The Ministry Values pot is calling the kettle black big time, as well.
As an aside, there seems to be a problem with text altering itself at Ministry Values after a little public embarassment. In fact, I would caution people about commenting there. I've actually had one of my comments edited and others deleted (which is when I began using Freezepage).
Here is a freezepage of the post as of a few minutes ago should it change (you can get to the original link by clicking at the top of the "freezepage").
http://www.freezepage.com/1295915539FNPNFQPQHP
Seriously, reading some of the commentaries there reveal two men whose time would be better spent studying the Catechism and ecclesiology.
January 25, 2011 at 1:58 am
You call me names, as I pray that your heart will be changed and you will face the facts fearlessly in Truth, in faith. And there's nothing you can do about that, and it really upsets you.
January 25, 2011 at 2:29 am
Ryans conclusion is blatant hypocrisy and downright laughingly stupid. 🙂
January 25, 2011 at 2:52 am
First of all I want to thank CMR for the Bono video .. really good stuff.
I do though want to say to Diane K. that your irony is quite something. You defend Bishops when they are inline with your beliefs yet you now find yourself standing beside the Voris Dude who is carving out a career challenging Bishops because they are not good enough Catholic in HIS opinion. The reality is some might consider the Voris dude disobedient to the point of heretical. I wonder what his parish priest and Bishops think of his antics. HAs anybody asks?
and to Steve I don't even know what my conclusion was. Like the man said earlier I pretty much copied the text from statements made by the Vatican . SO if there is hypocrisy and stupidity you may want to take it up with the Vatican
January 25, 2011 at 3:08 am
Nonsense, Ryan. You appear to have been caught.
You appear to have been caught copying AP writers' prose without attribution. That's dishonest.
You make no pretense of "fair use" (reviews, etc.) Nothing on your site indicates that you pay AP for permission to use their articles, so it may be copyright infringement. That's unlawful.
And it's in an article about the ethics of internet sites: that's hilarious.
January 25, 2011 at 3:28 am
RC you are a card carrying member of the Gotcha police. Do you have anything original to say. DO you have something to add to the conversation or are you like Michael Voris waiting in the tall grass ready to pounce on the the first wrong word.
I stand by my story and I want to thank you for pointing out the many sources I used for my article.
January 25, 2011 at 3:29 am
Steve Ryan – I know Michael Voris personally. I have it on excellent authority that he and Cdl Burke are on the same page.
January 25, 2011 at 3:35 am
When he writes, "you are a card carrying member of the Gotcha police" [sic], I guess this means Mr. Ryan acknowledges that he has been "got".
Confession is good for the soul, Mr. Ryan.
This is not the first story he's copied from the AP and tried to pass off as his own writing either. The stories on the site that are most reliably Mr. Ryan's own prose are the ones with the most misspellings.
January 25, 2011 at 3:46 am
McCarthy was right.