I am pretty steamed about something I saw via Link TV.
This is partly supported by tax-payer money. Read below.
The video is stupid, produced badly and by people ignorant of details. But the real point is that it is pure anti-Catholicism, mocking that which is most sacred: the Eucharist.
The Catholic League picked this up.
LINK TV MOCKS CATHOLICISM; VIDEO PRODUCED WITH FEDERAL FUNDS
February 5, 2009
On February 3, Link TV featured a three and a half minute video that mocks Catholicism. The media outlet is available as a basic service in more than 31 million homes that receive direct broadcast satellite TV.
The video, “Divine Food,” opens with a priest waking up to a rumbling noise that shakes the religious symbols and statues in his room. He proceeds to a Catholic church where he discovers several wafers near a cup (the implication is that they are consecrated Hosts). In a disrespectful manner, he chews them vigorously and then admonishes the statues that are “looking at him.” He falls asleep in the church and when awakened he is asked to say Mass, which he refuses to do. The priest then makes large wafers out of dough and gives the pancake-like substance (which he calls the “Body of Christ”) to confused parishioners at Communion. The video ends when he drops the remaining “Hosts” into a dirty aquarium.
Here is what Catholic League president Bill Donohue said about it:
“This video first aired last summer, right after a professor from the University of Minnesota intentionally desecrated the Eucharist. Now it’s being shown again. At first we thought this was just another loony attack, but then we found out that Link TV is funded by foundations that support anti-Catholicism. To wit: the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Wallace Global Fund and George Soros’ Open Society Institute all fund Link TV, and all are generous contributors to Catholics for Choice, a notoriously anti-Catholic front group. Worse, of the three co-producers of the video, one of them—ITVS—is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a public entity.
“So here we have the urbane bigots in the foundation world, and a taxpayer-funded organization, underwriting anti-Catholicism. We will ask Link TV to pull the video. We hope we don’t have to do more.”
Contact Link TV media head, Julia Pacetti: jpacetti@linktv.org. We’ll contact the others involved. To see the video, click here.
LINK TV may have removed the video from their site. YouTube has it, but for how long?
But I got it.
Remember that the University of Minnesota/Morris is a publicly funded instituted and it supported the anti-Catholic bigot professor who openly mocks religion, Catholic in particular, and desecrated the Eucharist.
More and more of this will take place in the coming months. Mark my words.
If you are easily angered, it is best not to watch this. Really.
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That was a professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris, Father.
It seems harder and harder to believe that some people think that this age in the world is not teribly different than anyother age. Increased ammounts of persecution are coming, this video is just more writing on the wall, at least that is how it appears to me.
This video angers me as well. I think what ought to be done is a petition created online, and then printed, sent to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, demanding an explanation why a public entity is helping support a blatently anti-Catholic video. This is wrong, and it is time for our voices to be heard.
Catholics have been persecuted and misconstrued in the media since the beginning of American history, and it is time for it to stop. If the media who keeps saying what a wonderful barrier has been broken that a African American man has been elected President, then perhaps it is about time that they see that it is time for the barrier of prejudice against faiths ought to be over. There needs to be a public outcry against this video.
Though I am furious at the video, thanks for posting it Father, because we should not be ignorant of this and there needs to be an outpouring of concern.
When this came up last year, I sent my emails of disgust as guided by The Catholic League. Again, I will do what I am called to do in the same way. Now, what makes me more upset…the fool(s) who made this video or the Catholics who do not speak up with even an email. As well, this is an insult to all the Eastern Rites in communion with Rome and all the Eastern Churches not in communion with Rome. We need to be a united front on this type of bashing.
Heartbreaking.
More of the same from these types.
Dosen’t surprise me that Soros is involved. He is a puppet of Satan in evrything he does.
I am acrimonious, but I will pray for these “people”
Semper Fi.
It is completely nonsense! Where has “respect for any religion” gone? If the film maker is not catholic, at least he could treat catholics as he treats muslims and hindus, not to speak of Jews. But, may be, he knows catholics are fine people and they don’t complain. Disgusting!
Just what was the point of this POS? Other than raising the ire of any Catholic it could? I’ve seen it on another site and no one could figure out an answer to that question there either.
Catholic bashing just for the fun of it? Boy, aren’t we SOOO much more intellectually advanced then our forefathers!
Or not.
This is just a bunch of nonsense. What is the point of it? And let me ask you something, I always thought the sign of the cross was done forehead, heart, left shoulder, right shoulder. He goes right shoulder then left shoulder. Does it matter? Just wondering.
Does anyone have any idea what message they were trying to get across in that film? Initially, I thought it might have been one of those “poke fun at Catholic priest” things, but even then it wasn’t entirely clear.
I have a feeling the writer of the video comprehends some aspects of Catholicism, since even the basics of communion is not known amongst non-Catholics. However, even as an art piece it is sheer confusion. I would argue the film speaks worse of the director and writer than it does of Catholicism.
My goodness, it’s hard to say what the point of that video even is. It’s like something out of Bizarro World. I noticed that the priest was wearing the stole outside the chasuble, so maybe the point of the video is that liturgical abuses lead to heresies about the Eucharist.
Catholicism is the biggest threat in the culture wars. Think of the abortion and marriage battles just to name a couple. There is an organized effort to remake western civilization in a new image. As Catholic Christianity is the foundation of Western Civilization (and not Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.) the radicals seek to destroy it.
In his book “The Decline and Fall Of the Catholic Church In America” David Carlin said that if the church is to survive it must name and confront this enemy. This would rally the faithful. Pretending that this threat is not real gives ample opportunity for this enemy to do damage.
I am NOT a conspiracy theorist but I think the “point” of this video is to ridicule the Catholic Church–one of many concerted efforts to ridicule the Catholic Church. Why would the extreme left (and certainly the supporters/funders of things like this qualify as extreme left) continually attack the Church? Why does it seem that the attacks have become more numerous and more vicious over the past several months? In answer to the first question, because the Catholic Church is the only institution on an international basis that opposes the very things the left values so much. In answer to the second question because, particularly with the left’s victory in the recent election, they feel “empowered”. Their time, to have it their way, and to oppose by any and all means those who oppose them is “NOW”.
I fear that the battle has just begun in earnest. Yes there has been anti-Catholic bigotry in this country since its founding. Look for it to intensfy to levels never seen in our history. All the more reason for faithful Catholics, led by fearless Bishops, to gird for battle and to make our opposition to the immorality of the left all the more public. It is, indeed, put up or shut up time for the Church in America.
I’ve seen better films made by drunk college students. This one has absolutely no point. It would be more insulting if it was actually ABOUT something, or if it was at least entertaining. What a waste of time.
Can you imagine wasting your time and money making such a stupid piece of non-art?
Best, don Jeffry
The film didn’t make me angry (other than to the extent that I am made angry by nearly all short films – so boring and obscure!) and I think it’s a little goofy to get too up in arms. Put it this way: if PBS and George Soros and the McArthur foundation put their heads and funds together in service of a plot to ridicule and undermine the Catholic Church – I think they could do better than a three minute movie that nobody’d ever see without a kerfuffle pointing folks there. A couple of minutes of googling reveals that they picked eight filmmakers from around the world to make a film on the theme of food reflecting their own culture. Marcela Said is Chilean, and this is what she came up with.
What the heck was that even about? It made no sense.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting owns ITVS, one of the producers of this video. The Corporation for Public Broaadcasting created PBS and NPR and also receives public funds. So if you are a member of your local PBS station or NPR station, I suggest clarifying their relationship with CPB and if they are significant beneficiaries of CPB, cutting off your pledge and writing a letter explaining the reason why. Also, a letter to your elected representatives would not be uncalled for, particularly if your representative or senator is a member of the House or Senate Appropriations Committees, which provide funding for CPB.
To say I am at all shocked or surprised that this was produced by the Corporation for Public Indoctrination, would be a lie, and of course lying is a sin.
All the actors involved in this should also be ashamed.
As I mentioned on another blog, LINKTV is funded, produced and supported mostly by Mohammedans (Muslims to you anti-intellectual types). [The funding for LINK TV was listed at the top. Are you saying something different?] There is a context every year for the film that “portrays Islam in the best light”. They don’t mind airing anything that shows any other religion in a bad light, so long as nothing bad is done about Mohammedanism. This video comes as no surprise.
I think the video is to make Catholic tradition appear nutty. The “pretend priest” acted as though he had some sort of mental disorder, hallucinating and paranoid about the statues, etc.
Notice the high altar, and traditional looking church. It also seemed “Mass” was ad orientem.
It’s surely not a coincidence that this parody was not in a 70’s style church with all of the fixins’ Now, that would be funny to watch.
Anyway, that’s my take on it.
I’m sorry, I did giggle a little I admit it. (That is not the Eucharist there, otherwise I would have been very angry.) I think some Catholics will get a little chuckle. It just reminded me of a wonderful, holy priest (RIP) who had Alzheimers at the end of his life, and God bless him he did not want to give up offering Holy Mass, and the pastor let him (a mistake, I think). Even in his senility he had such a love for the Holy Eucharist, but he would do some strange things during Mass, including talking to people who weren’t there in the sanctuary and swatting flies with the chalice pall that dare land on the altar.
well, at least they picture Catholicism with Mass ad orientem and with altar rails…
I couldn’t really understand the point of the video. I mean, “Catholicism is stupid” seemed more an assumption it contained than its actual argument. Still, it was terribly disrespectful. Luckily, nobody in their right mind would wath a channel that airs rubbish like that. If I had to guess, the only people who watched this (until the Catholic world was alerted to its existence) were the people who made it. I object to the use of taxpayer funds on two counts: the government should not endorse irreverence towards any religion, and the government should not endorse pathetically stupid “art” films.
I can’t say that “anger,” as in having been in some way personally attacked (even though we all have been in a sense) is the primary thing this stupid video evokes. For me it’s mostly a sense of horror on behalf of those who would toy with the Almighty in such a way.
I recall a story I read, related in a book by Card. Ratzinger, of an atheist who delighted in provoking in argument people of faith. As I recall, he one day entered the study of a devoutly religious Rabbi with the intent of belittling his faith. Upon entering the room he saw the old man pacing with the Scriptures in hand uttering aloud, “What if it’s true?” It was a question that haunted the poor atheist into deeper reflection.
The fools who made this video, and the fools who think it’s clever, would do well to ask themselves the same question. It may not lead to belief, but it sure as hell should give them pause. (no pun intended)
Last acceptable prejudice, indeed. I really don’t even know where to start.
The rumblings of the Real God disturb the complacency of the satisfied, who respond in an absurd manner to something they cannot comprehend and will not approach. A purely human response is given, which does not satisfy the simple faithful who nonetheless know when the wool is being pulled over their eyes.
This is my “to the pure all things are pure” take, at any rate. I suspect it isn’t really trying to “say” anything, even to criticize, as the absurdity of the Catholic religion is a cultural given. Nonetheless, the people behind it are not to be admired. How far would a comical and absurd representation of a Jewish observance be tolerated?
Get used to it. The goats are driven mad by the ever-smaller herd of sheep. The sheep can only look at each other and say “what the… baa?”
It does hurt me to see the abuse. I just don’t see the point, unless it was produced to anger every Catholic that sees this. On this point, why waste time generating anger. Satan truly is in our midst.
If the video did not make you angry that may be an indication you are becoming too inured to depravity and evil.
What we love and treasure is being mocked.
When it comes to anybody, any place, any time, making fun of my Faith, I et them know I practice Zero tolerance.
If this be atavistic Christianity, make the most of it.
To such atrocity, I think we need to offer an prayer of reparation:
O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore you profoundly. I offer you the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended. Through the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.
It kinda came off as being made by someone who isn’t (and never was) Catholic. I mean, the actor playing the priest did the sign of the cross wrong.
Also, I wouldn’t read too much into the church looking more traditional and being ad orientem (meaning I wouldn’t take it as being a specific slam against traditional liturgy per se). Film has almost always gone with a more traditional style of liturgy because it’s way more dramatic and “deep.” Non-Catholics I know who have never been to a mass think it’s all candles and chant because that’s what they’ve seen in the movies.
The Link TV website lists their “funders”, for those who are interested. It’s a fairly long list of foundations, some of which are Muslim and many of which are not.
http://www.linktv.org/whoweare/funders
While I agree this video is garbage, for all of the “angry” talk above, I wonder how many forget that wrath is a deadly sin.
I’m disappointed with this, but being driven to anger over a film is probably exactly what someone who would produce such tripe would want from you. I just think all of this anger is misplaced energy. Perhaps I’m wrong.
MrvnMouse,
It’s also a sin to judge others. Would you judge Jesus Christ for the times when He was angry: the money changers, Peter, etc.?
Why do I see so often on Catholic blogs that it’s liberals who preach a judgment on others? I just love it when a lefty presumes to tell non-liberals that the way they’re expressing their thoughts and feelings is sinful.
Doesn’t this constitute looking into the hearts of others? Is not this always considered sinful?
While I myself don’t feel emotional anger, I’m pretty darned unhappy with this and see it as continued vicous anti-Catholicism – most, but not all, driven by a correct understanding by the hard left that good Catholics and the Catholic Church are their mortal enemies…
Actually, I find the outrage here is present but not over the top at all. In fact, I’d say it’s a little restrained compared to what I reasonably expected. So I’d say, yeah, you ARE wrong.
A priest I know who did not grow up as a Catholic once told me that in his family a Catholic priest was thought of as (1) sinister; (2) clownish.
I notice that this video features both these characteristics, in addition to (3) lazy.
This is the message: Catholic priests are sinister, clownish and lazy.
This is how the makers of this film see Catholic priests, and this is how they want others to see them.
Nolite tangere christos meos.
Regarding the comment: “The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) owns ITVS, one of the producers of this video. The Corporation for Public Broaadcasting created PBS and NPR and also receives public funds. …”
FACT: CPB does not own ITVS. CPB was required by the Congress to fund ITVS because independent producers lobbied and wanted money to produce their own programs without supervision or approval of CPB.
FACT: CPB did not create PBS and NPR. PBS was founded by the public TV stations in order to have a national distribution system for programs produced by stations from around the county. It is a membership association of stations.
NPR was founded by public radio stations as an association for the same reason but NPR’s mandate from the stations was also to produce national programming for distribution to them.
As for the film itself, I don’t know what it means and care less. Who watches this Link TV channel and why. My guess is that the audience is very small and your calling attention to it only invites more people to come to it and view their product. This, historically, is a common mistake of the Catholic Church and other religions. Nothing sold more books than to have them banned. Nothing promoted pornography more than to have a film condemned. When will the Church learn from its mistakes?
There is also (4) unhinged, which I omitted to mention before.
So that makes the message: Catholic priests are sinister, clownish, lazy and unhinged.
Priests are men, compassed with infirmity. They are the agents of Christ, the Holy One. Pray for them, that their Christ-likeness may increase more and more each day.
I am a Eucharistic Minister at church [read = “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion”] and I have never seen anything so mean and cruel as this video. I really hope that we as tax payers did not pay in anyway for the making of this movie. It just shows how oppositional some people are to Catholicism. Some people will not join us so they just fight us and make fun of Jesus. We must pray that these people realize the wrong they did and are hopefully sorry for offending God. I happen to take the Eucharist very serious as it is the source, center, and summit of my faith. [Perhaps during Lent do special penance in reparation for their blasphemy and their sacrilege for having used a church.]