Nuns on Al Jazeera

The Nuns On The Bus gals have allies against Cong. Paul Ryan: Al Jazeera!

In some matters, Al Jazeera is better on global news than the US networks.

But this is a puff piece in favor of the nuns and against the mean US Bishops, the oppressive Vatican and the eeeeevil hater of the poor Rep. Paul Ryan.

An interesting point in the video is the video imagery on the screen by the news reader: scenes from Pontifical Masses in the Extraordinary Form.  Al Jazeera wants something that looks really Catholic, they choose TLM footage.  And not just any footage!  They used a shot from the Pontifical Mass in honor of Pope Benedict at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception a couple years back when Bp. Slattery of Tulsa gave that spiffy sermon!

By contrast, however, when liberal nuns want to raise money, they use pictures of nuns in habits – which couldn’t be farther from the truth when it comes to the LCWR crowd.

There is at least one bold lie in the video story, in the part when the woman reporter describes her puff piece that the nuns are in trouble with the “Vatican” because – get this – they spend too much time helping the poor.  That’s just plain stoooopid.  And note how they conflate several issues of Catholic interest: the CDF with LCWR gets all jumbled together with the Ryan Budget.

The reporter swallowed the bus-nunny talking points like a Fluffy snaps up a treat.

And the anchor, Shihab Rattansi, who leads the panel says at one point: “It’s no secret that this Pope [Benedict] is no fan of Liberation theology and empowerment through Jesus’ teachings and so forth.”

That’s right, pal. Benedict is no fan of empowerment of people through the teachings of Jesus.

And Gehring, a panelist, describes what is going on as “The Catholic Church is cracking down on nuns who really live out the Gospel everyday.”

That’s right, pal.  The Church wants to stop nuns from living out the Gospel.

And at the very end Sr Marie Lucey, associate director of the Franciscan Action Network, drops this whopper: “The Leadership Conference of Women Religious has never opposed Catholic Church teaching.”

That’s right, Sister.  That’s why the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith got involved.  Because the LCWR is sooooo verrrrrry faaaaithfullllll.

WARNING: Watching this can be frustrating.

On the panel is John Gehring.  Remember that name?  He is a key figure in this:

Group funded by George Soros poised to attack US Bishops for the “Fortnight for Freedom”

Al Jazeera leans to the left.  Does that seem to be a contradiction?

Nooooo.

Read Andrew McCarthy’s The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America.  This is an excellent explanation of what is going on.BTW.. here is a book recommendation.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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

  1. Atra Dicenda, Rubra Agenda says:

    Is there a possibility that the nuns could lose their “charitable organization status” since they are so openly engaging politicians and political parties in the public arena?

    I was under the impression that the clergy were generally supposed to be cautious in how much they directly speak against or endorse a SPECIFIC candidate. The nuns clearly appear to have targeted Paul Ryan.

  2. Charles E Flynn says:

    I am sure you will all recall the terrible trouble Mother Teresa of Calcutta got herself into with the Vatican because she spent too much time helping the poor.

  3. wanda says:

    Secretary of State Clinton once proudly announced that Al Jazeera is her favorite news outlet. That’s good enough for me. I avoid it.

  4. SKAY says:

    Great post, Father. It looks like we have some of the answers concerning who the people are behind this bus tour and what was behind the Al Jazeera interview. Of course, Mr. Gehring’s involvement is no accident. Non of this is a surprise.
    I wonder if the Sisters know how they are being used — and would they even care?

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