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New Pope, Old Media

by
Stephen Kruiser

Bio

March 13, 2013 - 9:55 pm

As a lifelong, practicing Roman Catholic, there are few things I find more enjoyable than a papal conclave. Love us or hate us, we do ritual and pageantry better than anyone. As a conservative who writes often about media bias, I knew there would be some ridiculous coverage of this one, especially in the social-media era.

It began with the conclave in 2005, the first in the 24/7 cable news era. Then and now, the MSM weighed in with what it thought the Church needed to do to be more like a modern church, which, thankfully, the cardinals blissfully paid no attention to whatsoever. Listening to and reading the media coverage of this current conclave in the days leading up to it made it seem to me as if the average American journalist thought the pope would be chosen from a fraternity during rush week and not the College of Cardinals.

Because it’s the MSM and it can’t help itself, identity politics also had to come into play.

Immediately after Pope Francis gave his first blessing, even Matthew Dowd, a former Bush-Cheney consultant, wandered far afield by unequivocally stating that by choosing the name “Francis” this pope would be all about social justice. At that point it hadn’t even been made clear whether Francis Xavier or Francis of Assisi had been the inspiration for the historical choice. This was lazy not only for that reason, but also for the fact that “social justice” as the Church means it is very different from the American interpretation, as stated by one of the most talked-about favorites of this conclave, Cardinal Peter Turkson.

The press reaction was mind-numbingly awful, full of “reporting” that the man chosen to lead more than a billion Roman Catholics was–SHOCKER!–against abortion and same-sex marriage (here is a link to the Google results for “new pope abortion same sex marriage”). It’s as if they’re living in an alternate reality where, because they really, really want it to happen, they think the pontiff of their dreams will appear on the balcony and declare that his first order of business will be to invalidate Canon law, all the while tossing condoms to the crowd.

The Church endures because the Church isn’t whimsical or a slave to the social quirks of a given era. This frustrates many. Yes, it has had some less-than-savory episodes in its history, most recently with the pedophile-priest scandal. It survives the darker periods because it will often make institutional adjustments to address serious issues like that. It doesn’t, however, take the pulse of those in society who have largely forsaken God to find out what it needs to do to be more popular.

And that is why it will be here long after the New York Times and its ilk are forgotten.

Related: Tweets Of The Day — Habemus Papam Edition

Stephen Kruiser is a professional comedian and writer who has also been a conservative political activist for over two decades. A co-founder of the first Los Angeles Tea Party, Kruiser often speaks to grassroots groups around America and has had the great honor of traveling around the world entertaining U.S. troops.
Top Rated Comments   
Amen.
Amen.
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 01:25:07 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 01:25:07 PDT 2013 1
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All Comments   (15)
All Comments   (15)
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since my desire is to unite the three Abraham faiths I like what David Brooks write today . The Father the son and the holy ghost do their business with the the Jews(The Father) with the Roman Catholic Church (The Son and his Holy Mother) and the all the rif raf the Holy Ghost sees fit to descend on casting out demons peaking in the tongues of Angels healing the Blind and the sick and walking on water and the faith to cast mountains into the sea and even greater things with the HOLY Ghost descending on all the rif raf
David Brooks today:" Augustine, as his magisterial biographer Peter Brown puts it, “was deeply preoccupied by the idea of the basic unity of the human race.” He reacted against any effort to divide people between those within the church and those permanently outside.

He wanted the... (show more)
since my desire is to unite the three Abraham faiths I like what David Brooks write today . The Father the son and the holy ghost do their business with the the Jews(The Father) with the Roman Catholic Church (The Son and his Holy Mother) and the all the rif raf the Holy Ghost sees fit to descend on casting out demons peaking in the tongues of Angels healing the Blind and the sick and walking on water and the faith to cast mountains into the sea and even greater things with the HOLY Ghost descending on all the rif raf
David Brooks today:" Augustine, as his magisterial biographer Peter Brown puts it, “was deeply preoccupied by the idea of the basic unity of the human race.” He reacted against any effort to divide people between those within the church and those permanently outside.

He wanted the church to go on offense and swallow the world"
more latter

(show less)
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 09:45:26 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 09:45:26 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
I could see the beginning of this movement when a man born blind and then Then man can see and he goes to the leader of temple , church Mosque, synagogoe, leaders of the Atheist communist Capitalist China religion and the man born blind say to the leader: He say he what is called the "rif raf" so as not to offend anyone or anything if possible and see if that helps
I could see the beginning of this movement when a man born blind and then Then man can see and he goes to the leader of temple , church Mosque, synagogoe, leaders of the Atheist communist Capitalist China religion and the man born blind say to the leader: He say he what is called the "rif raf" so as not to offend anyone or anything if possible and see if that helps
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 09:53:48 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 09:53:48 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
footnote
ok
I have nice name for this new religion so people do not get too confused;
The dust in the wind rif raf
The Holy Ghost sends HER " rif raf " in whatever direction the wind is blowing that day to reach more rif raf humans and animals should not be neglected either as Saint Francis say, those sweet children who do not waste meat if you fall asleep for too long a time to send you back to your ghost
footnote
ok
I have nice name for this new religion so people do not get too confused;
The dust in the wind rif raf
The Holy Ghost sends HER " rif raf " in whatever direction the wind is blowing that day to reach more rif raf humans and animals should not be neglected either as Saint Francis say, those sweet children who do not waste meat if you fall asleep for too long a time to send you back to your ghost
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 10:22:59 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 10:22:59 PDT 2013 1
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Speaking of the MSM commenting on the new Pope, I was unlucky enough to have watched the smoke coming out of the chimney on a television tuned to ABC. Cokey Roberts was one of the commentors. I won't say reporters because she does not report. She renders her unasked for opinion. In any case, while we were watching the white smoke cascading out of the chimney and wondering who the new Pope would be and what his papacy would mean to the world, Cokey saw fit to bring up the pedophile priest scandal at exactly that moment. It was all I could do to restrain myself from thowing my chair at the TV. What the hell does a 17 year old scandal which has since been dealt with have to do with the momentous occasion of the election of a new Pontiff? Is there any depths that the slimey left will not stoop to in it's single minded... (show more)
Speaking of the MSM commenting on the new Pope, I was unlucky enough to have watched the smoke coming out of the chimney on a television tuned to ABC. Cokey Roberts was one of the commentors. I won't say reporters because she does not report. She renders her unasked for opinion. In any case, while we were watching the white smoke cascading out of the chimney and wondering who the new Pope would be and what his papacy would mean to the world, Cokey saw fit to bring up the pedophile priest scandal at exactly that moment. It was all I could do to restrain myself from thowing my chair at the TV. What the hell does a 17 year old scandal which has since been dealt with have to do with the momentous occasion of the election of a new Pontiff? Is there any depths that the slimey left will not stoop to in it's single minded war against the Catholic Church? (show less)
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 05:34:43 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 05:34:43 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
CNN Headline Fantasy News:

The Vatican calls Q branch to outfit the Pope-Mobile with a Condom Cannon...
CNN Headline Fantasy News:

The Vatican calls Q branch to outfit the Pope-Mobile with a Condom Cannon...
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 23:24:47 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 23:24:47 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
one Protestant vote for a Roman Catholic Church that holds firm to its beliefs. If gay priests and their husbands are your thing, go elsewhere.
If there are universal truths, maybe beliefs should not change with polls.
God Bless Pope Francis, millions of Catholics, millions of Protestants, Orthodox, Copts and other members of the body of Christ. May we reflect God's light.
Repel the darkness, MSM or Satan.
one Protestant vote for a Roman Catholic Church that holds firm to its beliefs. If gay priests and their husbands are your thing, go elsewhere.
If there are universal truths, maybe beliefs should not change with polls.
God Bless Pope Francis, millions of Catholics, millions of Protestants, Orthodox, Copts and other members of the body of Christ. May we reflect God's light.
Repel the darkness, MSM or Satan.
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 18:19:27 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 18:19:27 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
it's so good to hear from you again. I really miss Kruiser Control.
it's so good to hear from you again. I really miss Kruiser Control.
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 15:39:28 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 15:39:28 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
The author, Mr. Kruiser, is mistaken when he attributes the sex abuse scandal to pedophiles. Over 97% of the abusers were homosexuals.
That makes me wonder what is happening to the children that were permitted to be adopted by homosexual couples in various "progressive" "forward" states?


The author, Mr. Kruiser, is mistaken when he attributes the sex abuse scandal to pedophiles. Over 97% of the abusers were homosexuals.
That makes me wonder what is happening to the children that were permitted to be adopted by homosexual couples in various "progressive" "forward" states?


10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 12:24:31 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 12:24:31 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
Help! A bit puzzled here, even inclined to Bloomberg-like finger-wagging: Why do MSM and a rich vein of Twittering white trash still opt for the Anglicized 'Francis' instead of the announced name of Francisco? In these modern multicultural days of punctiliously placed accents and diacritic marks -- hey, to be inspired all you have to do is listen to good people like NYT reporters and our vewwy Fwench Sec State murdering languages around the globe just to set an example to us peasants -- surely we can reach out and stick with what was said by the folks who decided the name -- presumably el Papa prefers 'Francisco' too.

The alternative, just to show how grown-up we are, would be to rename the CA enclave that's home to the Pelosi tribe to, er, Saint Frank, to rhyme with Barney and Wank. Or re-cast the word Obama... (show more)
Help! A bit puzzled here, even inclined to Bloomberg-like finger-wagging: Why do MSM and a rich vein of Twittering white trash still opt for the Anglicized 'Francis' instead of the announced name of Francisco? In these modern multicultural days of punctiliously placed accents and diacritic marks -- hey, to be inspired all you have to do is listen to good people like NYT reporters and our vewwy Fwench Sec State murdering languages around the globe just to set an example to us peasants -- surely we can reach out and stick with what was said by the folks who decided the name -- presumably el Papa prefers 'Francisco' too.

The alternative, just to show how grown-up we are, would be to rename the CA enclave that's home to the Pelosi tribe to, er, Saint Frank, to rhyme with Barney and Wank. Or re-cast the word Obama into something more appropriate, even fitting. Any ideas? (show less)
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 11:49:12 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 11:49:12 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
The pope's name is traditionally translated into the vernacular, even though it is originally announced in Latin (unless it's something uniquely Latin, like "Sixtus").
The pope's name is traditionally translated into the vernacular, even though it is originally announced in Latin (unless it's something uniquely Latin, like "Sixtus").
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 12:43:43 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 12:43:43 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
Yes, but we're talking about MSM conduct here. The NYT rationalizes on the fly and could care less about 'traditionally translated'. 'Francis' will make some think of Francis the Talking Donkey, others of androgynous urban dwellers. We can all handle 'Francisco'.

I want changium with my hopium, and don't want to cede the field to the forces of darkness, which often includes a certain type of plodding and often elderly and smug Catholic -- which Francisco emphatically is not.

He's going to need a lot of help and many of us want to ensure he gets it. What's in a name? Lots.
Yes, but we're talking about MSM conduct here. The NYT rationalizes on the fly and could care less about 'traditionally translated'. 'Francis' will make some think of Francis the Talking Donkey, others of androgynous urban dwellers. We can all handle 'Francisco'.

I want changium with my hopium, and don't want to cede the field to the forces of darkness, which often includes a certain type of plodding and often elderly and smug Catholic -- which Francisco emphatically is not.

He's going to need a lot of help and many of us want to ensure he gets it. What's in a name? Lots.
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 02:29:50 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Fri Mar 15 02:29:50 PDT 2013 1
Link To Comment
Okay, so the Church defines "social Justice" differently than Americans do. "Cardinal Turkson explained that in the Church’s thinking, social justice involves citizens’ obligations and responsibilities to ensure fairness and opportunity in their communities and societies." I take that to mean that Christians should not vote for dictators.

On the other hand Pope Francis I in said in 2007: “The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers.” This remark worries me.

Just who is it that unjustly distributes goods? A dictator?

Jesus commanded his followers — Christians — to love his or her neighbor; it's called Caritas or Charity. But... (show more)
Okay, so the Church defines "social Justice" differently than Americans do. "Cardinal Turkson explained that in the Church’s thinking, social justice involves citizens’ obligations and responsibilities to ensure fairness and opportunity in their communities and societies." I take that to mean that Christians should not vote for dictators.

On the other hand Pope Francis I in said in 2007: “The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers.” This remark worries me.

Just who is it that unjustly distributes goods? A dictator?

Jesus commanded his followers — Christians — to love his or her neighbor; it's called Caritas or Charity. But Caritas is not "social justice." Jesus was apolitical; as the Prince of Caritas He loves us all, rich and poor alike. Greed is unGodly and a sin. As Thomas Aquinas put it: "Greed is a sin against God, just as are all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things."

May God Bless Pope Francis I. (show less)
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 08:16:33 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 08:16:33 PDT 2013 1
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The recent spike in world food prices is the result of supply and demand. But this fact does not suffice to sanctify the price rise as fair and beyond any criticism. Rather we must enquire why demand has risen. To a certain extent it rose because there are more mouths than there were before. But more important factors are (1) that food crops are being diverted from peoples' dinner plates to become industrial raw materials and fuel, (2) that food is increasingly in demand not to be eaten, but to be stockpiled as an investment, and (3) that in many countries farmland is being converted into urban sprawl.
Many of these phenomena are either not market phenomena at all, or else market phenomena characterized by gross disparity in power between buyer and seller, either because one side is a monopoly or because one side has... (show more)
The recent spike in world food prices is the result of supply and demand. But this fact does not suffice to sanctify the price rise as fair and beyond any criticism. Rather we must enquire why demand has risen. To a certain extent it rose because there are more mouths than there were before. But more important factors are (1) that food crops are being diverted from peoples' dinner plates to become industrial raw materials and fuel, (2) that food is increasingly in demand not to be eaten, but to be stockpiled as an investment, and (3) that in many countries farmland is being converted into urban sprawl.
Many of these phenomena are either not market phenomena at all, or else market phenomena characterized by gross disparity in power between buyer and seller, either because one side is a monopoly or because one side has lobbied or bribed government officials, or for some other reason that makes the market transaction – ostensibly a transaction between equals -- merely a mask for the most brutal exploitation.
We often forget that the classical economists like Adam Smith, David Ricardo, John Stuart MilL et al. considered markets the ideal instrument for distribution of goods and allocation of income ON THE ASSUMPTIONTHAT THE MARKET IN QUESTION WAS TRULY COMPETITIVE, THUS ASSURING THAT BUYER AND SELLER HAD EQUAL POWER AND CONSEQUENTLY THE TRANSACTION WAS FAIR AND EQUITABLE.
Markets as such are no guarantee that outcomes will be economically optimal. Economically optimal outcomes ensue ONLY IN COMPETITIVE MARKETS WHERE TRANSACTIONS ARE THE RESULT OF BOTH PARTIES’ FREE WILL.
Economics is not separate from justice. Rather, only equitable markets can produce optimal outcomes. The outcomes of inequitable markets are no better than those of arbitrary bureaucratic decisions.

(show less)
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 11:10:40 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 11:10:40 PDT 2013 1
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Well said. I got a big kick out of reading the tweets from various celebs (who think that their opinion is really important) and other deep thinkers who think the new Pope is way too Catholic.
Well said. I got a big kick out of reading the tweets from various celebs (who think that their opinion is really important) and other deep thinkers who think the new Pope is way too Catholic.
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 08:14:14 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 08:14:14 PDT 2013 1
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Amen.
Amen.
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 01:25:07 PDT 2013 1
10 weeks ago Thu Mar 14 01:25:07 PDT 2013 1
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