Fox News' giant sucking sound that is connected to Catholic Cardinal and US Conference of Catholic Bishops head, Timothy Dolan, continues. As I have reported, the allegedly "fair & balanced" Fox News seems to be the personal fiefdom of NY's new "prince of the Church." Not only does Fox News provide validation for those talking points of the USCCB which coincide with the right wing GOP agenda (Read HHS birth control mandate as opposed to budget cuts which Dolan and his GOP pals don't seem too concerned about) but it also provides lots of sweet, free public relations for the man in the mitre. Last night, Bill O'Reilly featured his interview with Dolan. And on this morning's Fox & Friends, Steve Doocy, one of Roger Ailes' large stable of devout, conservative Catholics, interviewed Dolan's brother about "America's "top Catholic leader." And in addition to Dolan worship, Doocy managed to work in the Fox/Dolan meme about the Obama administration's "War on the Catholic Church."
Steve Doocy introduced Dolan's brother, Bob Dolan, who (surprise, surprise) has authored a book about his brother the Cardinal. Doocy informed us that the book can be obtained an Amazon. Bob gave us a "behind the curtain peek" about the "most kind and joyful" guy in the world. Most of the subsequent interview was just one big, happy love fest about the awesomeness of Cardinal Dolan. Doocy did a lot of giggling. Doocy suggested that Dolan might someday be Pope. But then Doocy got into the requisite Fox and Dolan agitprop about the evil Obama administration waging a war on the Catholic Church.
Towards the end of the interview, Doocy got all serious when he sequed into politics. He asserted that "this particular administration now is, uh, with this contraceptive mandate, it really is a war on the Catholic Church where they're asking the Catholic Church to do something they're stridently against." (At NO time in the extensive and supportive Fox coverage of the USCCB position, has anybody mentioned that a number of Catholic universities already cover that which they are "stridently against." Doocy referenced the O'Reilly interview with Dolan and played the part of the interview during which Dolan claimed that "every great movement in American history has been driven by people of religious conviction." (Sorry padre, but the Women's Movement wasn't) Dolan added that "duct taping" the churches will lead to a "void" that will be filled by "secularism."
Doocy pontificated that Dolan "has a huge job because more and more people are not growing up very religious." Bob Dolan said that he rarely sees his brother get angry or depressed but "this HHS thing has got him "disappointed and very angry." Doocy declared that Dolan "won't give up the fight, he's taking this to the mat." (Dolan is fighting against access to birth control. And Doocy wonders why young people aren't as religious? Scuse me?) Doocy again plugged a "great book" about "the guy who is potentially the leader of the Catholic Church."
Once again, Fox News, metaphorically speaking, affixed its metaphorical lips to Dolan's ring - or other body parts which, in Dolan's case, are quite copious. And Steve Doocy gets to combine being a good Catholic solider of Christ with his role as a mouthpiece for the right wing GOP on Dolan's (and Christ's) very own network. As the "church lady" would say, now isn't that special! In addition to having a friend in Jesus, Cardinal Dolan has a friend in Roger Ailes.
Our Catholic Church can go wherever it wants and do whatever it sees fit to do. That’s why we keep our women down, they support something called “equity” and they don’t like our menfolk buggering their kids!
My background is very similar to yours but I burned out writing about that stuff a while ago, which is why I seldom tackle it any more.
Are you on the NHOT private group on Facebook?*
*cue trolls and unfriendly lurkers running to Facebook to find the group, LOL. Don’t bother kids, you need the secret handshake :D
A bit more interesting is that, following John Paul II’s death, there was a lot of speculation that his successor would likely be from Latin America or even Africa. And I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised that there will be a greater push to see that Benedict XVI’s successor be from the “Third World” over yet another “European” face. (The fact that two non-Italians in a row were elected Pope already suggests that Italians may have lost the Papacy for good but I also think there’s going to be a great deal of resistance to the idea of there ever being a USAer running the show at the Vatican—no matter how much of a Middle Ages throwback he might be.)
