Airport challenges

It is an interesting experience to walk through an airport right now, with CNN’s anti-Catholic pogrom blaring from televisions at every gate and lounge and restaurant.

I haven’t had any expressions of rudeness so far… which happened often when this revved up the last time. As a matter of fact, I have had some cordial greetings.

But, in the lounge waiting for my next flight, people check me out when those CNN stories are on. I suppose they are watching for my reaction. Hard to blame them.

BTW… did anyone see the ridiculous hit-piece by that … what’s her name… Christianne Amanpour (sp?) the other day? Allen was as usual direct and succinct and fair, but the overarching approach was asinine.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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18 Comments

  1. mattmcg says:

    There is a wonderful gadget called a “tv-b-gone”. You press a button and all the televisions nearby turn off. It comes as a keychain. I just bought one for my wife, who is going to be traveling in airports soon with our little daughter. The televisions are often a challenge to peace (and modesty).

  2. wanda says:

    You’re kidding, that is a real item? Someone is a genius! Hope they make lot’s of money on their invention.

    I’m not sure what is on the tube everywhere, don’t have the tv on, it wouldn’t be mainstream media anyway. You are in our prayers, Father, for your safety and for the success of your work.

  3. deborah-anne says:

    Father Z, may God keep you safe and far away from the ignorant on your journey. Yes, I caught CNNs Christianne’s banter, and I’ve had to place her in a little box along with my friend Christopher Hitchens! The bashing is on the rise and has become very pervasive.

    Obama is now on TV claiming victory, while the crowd is roaring “Yes We Can, Yes We Can” He claims this bill is a “bill or rights on steroids”. Doesn’t the guy know that steroids can kill! This is a sad day for me and many others. May God help us and may we continue to pray for our beloved Pope.

  4. JonM says:

    There does seem to be a coordinated media effort to attack the Church.

    Headlines on my phone (from Yahoo): ‘Brazilian Priest Abuse’ and ‘Chile Church Abuse’

    Reading the articles, the first accuses an elderly priest of a serious sin with an adult. (I wonder if the broadcaster’s motivation was to condemn homosexuality, or if it was to embarrass. In the case of the latter, the media station is quite guilty of sin).

    In the Chile case, a lay administrator at a school is accused of filming locker rooms. Again, very serious if true.

    Of course, although public schools and government agencies like CPS are notorious for abuse, the media is relatively mute. Actually, it doesn’t really care much about abuse in various Protestant communities or Jewish ones.

    I think there is an effort to discredit Pope Benedict. Whispers have had it that he was planning to announce an important teaching this Easter. In addition, this year he will probably comment on the Summorum Pontificum, perhaps explaining (again) that bishops cannot prevent its use.

    Whatever the specific fear of the world, there is an apparent desire to tear down the Pope. A desire that we don’t see towards any other religious leader.

  5. irishgirl says:

    Oooo, what an interesting gadget, matt! I echo wanda’s hope that whoever invented it makes a lot of money off it!

    I already said it in the comments section about your St. Joseph podcast, but I’ll say it again: Safe travels to you, Fr. Z! May Jesus, Mary and Joseph guide and protect you!

    Ah yes- Christiane Amanpour [your spelling of her last name is right]…she’s one of the CNN ‘originals’. It was probably a typical piece of anti-Catholic garbage from ‘the mouth from the South’, Ted Turner.

    Makes me glad I don’t have TV right now….

  6. Bill in Texas says:

    Yesterday, ABC announced that they have hired Amanpour to host the Sunday morning political talk show “This Week,” taking over from Jake Tapper in August.

  7. Bruce says:

    I remember watching a video of Fr. Corapi in which he discussed verbal abuse that he suffered in airports because of scandals in the Church. This has never happened to me as a lay person, usually if I identify myself as a Catholic I get the “pity” response. I think we should all support and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for those Priest’s who are courageous enough to wear their clerical clothing in public.

  8. doanli says:

    I take comfort in knowing that through all of this, GOD IS IN CONTROL.

    Certain things have to pass. We have to trust.

  9. mattmcg says:

    Johapin – that’s a fun project! We got the fully assembled tv-killer here, at the gadget site “Think Geek”:
    http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/755e/

    There is something really irritating about the dense immersion one has to enjoy in many public places – blaring televisions, commercials, awful music. Even in formerly quiet places like university campuses, there are televisions blaring from the ceiling.

    Now that we have a toddler who notices (it seems) every detail of her environment, we start checking off the list of places to avoid: supermarket checkouts (the magazines), bookstores like B&N (who often put pornography across from the religion books – not that the Spong-ridden religion books are much healthier!). And airports – endless television blather, and like the one Father noted, often unfairly dismissive or critical of the Church.

    With the exception of EWTN, if your children were to believe why they watch about the Catholic Church, it’d be largely an organization of creeps, perverts and felons… some combination of bogeyman and punchline.

  10. robtbrown says:

    I have great sympathy with the good priests who now have to suffer for the scandalous acts of others.

    The real villains, however, are not in the media. They are the bishops, rectors, and those who worked in formation who knew about these problems and did nothing. They are the members of the hierarchy who let the seminaries and religious orders turn to garbage.

  11. puma19 says:

    Well this is bad news now. Priests, bishops who travel in western world are going to get bad looks, glances, words – the whole lot as the good suffer for the sins of the bad.
    These are going to be tough times – ask the early Church and apostles.
    But now it all has to do with the evil that has been done by some really bad priests and bishops who have allowed Satan to enter the fabric of the Church.
    This is not the same as the first three centuries of persecution -No, rather the evil in the Church which needs to be cleaned out.
    It has reached the vatican and the pope needs to be strong and ruthless in getting rid of it all.
    The cardinals need to support him as do the bishops. Some will need to go and be done with or the fabric of the Church will suffer and its moral authority damaged irreparably.
    The visit of BXVI to Spain and England will be a protestors’ Christmas which must not be allowed to occur.
    Time for all good priests and bishops to stand firm and be witnesses to the faith of the Cross.

  12. Ralph says:

    Thank you Father for having the courage to dress in a manner that is public witness of your faith and vocation.

    Our paster visited Mexico City recently. The priests in Mexico very rarely go out in clericals. Our Father ALWAYS goes out in his. He was concerned about how he would be recieved on the street. He said it was amazing the amount of folks who thanked him, asked him to hear a confession or bless them or their children.

    To top it all off, a Federally (the Federal Police) on the subway actually asked him for advice on ways for him to defend the faith when being criticized by other Fedeerallies!!

  13. irishgirl says:

    puma19-right you are!

    I’m thinking the same thing about the kind of reception the Holy Father will get especially in England.

    He needs our prayers and our support so very much!

    Holy Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us and for our Holy Father!
    St. Joseph, be with him! St. Benedict, be with him!
    St. Michael the Archangel, unsheathe your fiery heavenly sword!

  14. Ellen says:

    Father, thank you for having the courage to give witness as you do. Sigh. I am getting seriously depressed watching the news lately. I will say the Stations of the Cross tonight and dedicate them to the Pope and his intentions.

    BTW, that TV-B-Gone sounds like a lifesaver. It seems that no matter where I am or what time it is, I always get stuck with The View. I once stood outside the shop where I was getting new tires put on rather than have to listen to that drivel.

  15. catholicmidwest says:

    Amanpour is an idiot too. I pay no attention to CNN. It’s not a news agency; it’s a lobbying organization.

  16. New Sister says:

    Like I heard Father Groeschel once say, “TV [CNN] is the devil’s tabernacle.”

    I bought 100 of Father Z’s pray for the Pope magnets & will send get them out…I plan to make it CCD homework for each kid to stick one on his family’s fridge & explain the Latin to his parents!

  17. MikeM says:

    Father,

    Whenever I see these stories on, I stop and say prayers for the accusers, the accused, and for all of the good priests whose names are tarnished by these stories.

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