Editorial

Contempt is not Catholic

How many times have we read or watched or listened to someone whose opinion of a public figure in society or in the Church is nothing but pure contempt? How often are we exposed to critical arguments that are based not on facts or rational thinking, but on emotions ranging from simple dislike to unbridled hatred?

According to John L. Allen, Jr., editor of Crux and a 25-year veteran of Catholic journalism, “In social media, on cable talk shows, in newspaper editorials, and on internet blogs, it seems what drives traffic and lights up the scoreboard isn’t a patient search for understanding, but rather cheap shots at people perceived to be political, ideological and cultural enemies.” All too often, this sad situation into which contemporary journalism has lapsed also applies to individuals and media outlets who claim for themselves the title “Catholic.”

Allen recently published a book, Catholics and Contempt: How Catholic Media Fuel Today’s Fights, and What to Do about It (Word on Fire, 2023) that describes how both mainstream and extremist news sources on both the right and left of Catholic thinking distort their coverage of people and events in the Church. Secular media also skew their reporting based on preconceived ideas of what the Catholic Church is or isn’t doing, but Allen contends that media organizations aligned with Catholic causes too often “fuel the flames” by disingenuous reporting on popes, their policies and the impact their teaching has on the daily lives of Catholics.

Catholics and Contempt names names and gives vivid examples of how “narratives” are created that govern the way stories unfold. He says for example, that long before his election as Pope Benedict XVI, the narrative surrounding Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was set in stone. He was portrayed as a rigid, doctrinaire conservative, even as a former Nazi. As a result, everything he said and did was perceived by many as unacceptable, contrary to the spirit and teaching of Vatican II, and therefore bad for the Church. Allen takes great pains to show that “the Ratzinger Narrative” is absurd, but he admits that many individuals and groups still perpetuate these false claims about this gentle, kindly pope who loved the Church and who was fully dedicated to carrying out the teachings of the Second Vatican Council as he understood them from his personal experience and extensive study.

Allen also provides what he calls a “counter-narrative” that was quickly developed when Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis. In fact, Allen says, there are two counter-narratives surrounding our current Holy Father.

One narrative is used by those who applaud the pope’s teaching and actions as powerful signs that the Church is alive and well in the modern world, striving to respond to issues of grave concern such as migration, climate change, outreach to the poor and marginalized, and eager to cast off rigidity and conformity in its teaching and practice.

The opposite narrative portrays Pope Francis as a threat to all that the Church has held dear for 2,000 years. Many people, especially those who are most unhappy with changes that are taking place under Pope Francis, argue that his actions undermine both the teaching authority and the devotional life of Catholicism.

Both sides have their powerful media outlets. As a result, contradictory, contemptuous narratives are spun constantly from both the left and the right. Social media is the loudest, most vulgar and most unrelenting source for “fake news,” but Allen shows that no one who seeks to communicate what is happening in the Church today is immune from the effects of the conflicting ideologies that infiltrate contemporary thinking in the Church and in society.

So what does Catholics and Contempt propose? Unfortunately, as Allen admits, he’s much clearer about what not to do about these false, contemptuous narratives than he is about what we should do to stop them from coloring our perspective on all things Catholic.

Changing culture, including the culture of contempt, takes time and patience.

Above all, it requires that we all refuse to let ourselves be sucked into emotions and mindsets that portray those we disagree with as beneath consideration, worthless or deserving scorn.

If we are faithful to our Catholic understanding that every person is made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore worthy of courtesy and respect, we can learn to disagree seriously without being rude or offensive.

Contempt is not a Catholic virtue. It has no place in our public or private conversations.

—Daniel Conway