As Fox News' Catholic clergy conduit for right wing propaganda, Fr. Jonathan Morris hearts GOP politicians. So it isn't surprising that, during yesterday's Fox & Friends homily, Morris would (again) bestow his priestly seal of approval on Donald Trump who just might be the best thing to happen to this country. Seriously!
The focus of the first part of Fr. Morris' Sunday sermonette was devoted to a very popular Fox/right wing meme; i.e. that the mainstream media, particularly the New York Times, is full of secular elites who don't understand Christian Americans. Clayton Morris reported that a NY Times editor recently stated that the NY and Washington based media didn't understand the role of religion in Trump's victory.
Cohost Abby Huntsman asked Fr. Morris to explain it all for us. Morris waxed orgasmic over the Times editor's "great honesty." He stressed the importance of reporters "understanding the role of God in someone's life." In response to a question of how this affected the election, Fr. Morris noted that lots of people "prayed for a good outcome." He asserted that the media erred when they assumed that "religious people can't be for this guy Donald Trump because he's done this and this." He continued: "A lot of people say, 'Hey, God uses imperfect instruments all the time and maybe therefore this is the best thing for the country, even though the instrument is very weak.'"
Cohost Pete Hegseth provided the requisite validation and reinforcement: "An analysis from someone at the NY Times is very different than the lived experience of someone in middle America who feels like an imperfect vessel, as you said, could be the one who delivers America back to them." He asked how the NY Times can "recapture that understanding of how a lot of Americans can see their faith."
Morris replied that the NY Times should "invest resources not just to report from an outsiders' point of view, but actually have people who might actually believe this crazy thing that 90% of Americans believe and that is the existence of God." He expressed a desire for more religion reporters from "fly-over states who believe that God is real and providential in our lives."
Cohost Clayton Morris changed the topic to the Vatican's concern about climate change. After reading a statement from Pope Francis, in which he urged priests "to be promoters of...the protection of creation," he asked Fr. Morris if priests are now expected "to promote climate change."
Fr. Morris said, "The Vatican believes in taking care of creation." He strayed from Fox's anti-climate science orthodoxy when he said that while he "might not agree with others on the specifics of climate science, the real issue is that the earth needs to be taken care because it affects people, especially the poor."
Hegseth, a Koch tool, asked if folks "want to go to Mass and hear about climate change, it feels like a political subject."
Morris asked "Why does climate change have to be political?" (Uh, because big energy, which has the GOP in a strangle-hold, wants it to be?) Morris continued to stray off the talking points with his comment that climate change becomes political when it affects the poor, "and all of us should be speaking out against what is causing this." But he moved right back into the Fox fold when he parroted the right-wing talking point that while climate change might be real, humans might not be the cause: "That's a whole other question, what is causing it, whether it's earthquakes, whether it's using aerosol bottles, I'm not exactly sure."
So there you have it. People prayed, Trump got elected, so it's all good. Who cares about all the lies and the bragging about sexual assault? Trump is just an "imperfect instrument" and possibly "the best thing" for America. If Fr. Morris says so, it must be true, amiright?
Watch it below from December 11th's Fox & Friends.
According to the same vox populi, knowledge of the findings is what is keeping the newly painted and fitted out Papal apartments empty. Pope Francis has decided to stay in a modest two-room suite at a small convent within the walls. And, more significantly, to take his meals with the other guests and the sisters, themselves. Perhaps he simply doesn’t appreciate luxury (he’d always refused the official housing in Argentina), but, then … Hmmmmm.
Last time I heard that very phrase was a few years ago when an extremely pious neighbour who usually had nothing good to say about anybody, quoted that phrase to somehow, someway justify his reverence even for that minority of who abused the children in their care. This terrible propensity for trying to justify the unjustifiable (aka rank hypocrisy) is the main reason I’ve always had difficulty in accepting anything said in the name of the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis is making some pretty significant dents in my resolve, actually. And the diehard elements within the Church are not happy one bit. So far, he’s lived, safe and sound, in the tender care of a gaggle of tiny battleworthy nuns and I trust he will never move into the papal apartment where Pope Luciani (aka John Paul I) died less than 30 days in office. I’m not entirely convinced that he was not done away with by those same traditional elements.
I await the day when Pope Francis will have a bit of time to comment on the “good works” of the likes of Father Morris (pandering on Fox), Cardinal Dolan (Satan incarnate, IMO), and other diehards. Those people give Christianity (capital “C”) a bad name.
We should never forget.
(Edited by moderator. We don’t wish people bodily harm.)
