If you turn on the television or radio, read a newspaper or magazine, or surf the web, you will see a multitude of media takes on the election of the new Pope.
Everyone has an opinion and experts are multiplying as the world focuses on the conclave. You can bet on the following:
- Secular media – especially in the United States – will cover the conclave like a political convention. No, they won’t be sitting in a booth providing live commentary, but they will speculate and report all sorts of rumors from “well-connected” insiders, sources close to a particular Cardinal or infallible information provided by an aide who talked to an assistant who overheard a friend of a Cardinal who said whatever.
- Much of the press coverage will be just plain silly. One report this week proclaimed that with the Pope’s resignation, the Church is in limbo (was this an attempt at being clever?). Several reports mentioned that Benedict has a helicopter pilot’s license, but as was the normal practice, an Italian Air Force pilot would fly him when leaving the Vatican. Somehow, I don’t think the Pope Emeritus will be logging many air miles in retirement.
- The press will report demands from every interest within (and without) the Church that has an axe to grind:
- o Priests and nuns should be able to marry
- o Pre-marital sex is OK
- o Women should be priests
- o Birth control is OK
- o Abortion is OK
- o The Blessed Sacrament is just a symbol
- o Gay marriage is wonderful
- o Enough!
- The vast majority of the news reports will focus on what is wrong with the Church, how antiquated it is and what the new Pope ought to do to align the Church with the secular world.
- If you watch or read “Catholic” media, you will experience some media coverage that is better than the secular press – and some that is even worse. That’s because “Catholic” media split between those who believe they are part of the Church and work to further the New Evangelization – and those who believe it is their role to criticize and blame. Sometimes the two groups overlap.
So…what is a faithful Catholic to do? How do you sort through all of this? Actually, you can’t. But you can follow the faithful Catholic publications like The National Catholic Register and ZENIT. You can depend on the folks at EWTN to stay grounded in reality. And there is the Vatican website.
You can follow the conclave in the secular press, but these are the same publications that can’t figure out how the sequester will work. Do you really think they understand the Vatican?
When the beautiful white smoke wafts into the air, the faithful will cheer and tears of joy will trickle down cheeks around the world. And you can remember that whoever becomes Pope, he will love the Church, love you as a part of the body of Christ and you will love him.
And even if all the special interest groups are ranting and the media spew hate, we need not be afraid:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
