April 03, 2005
Newsflash, Newsflash
The Pope is dead, just in case you hadn't heard. Yes, he was an important world figure, but Our Media, once again, is busy wringing the last teardrop out of this handkerchief. Honestly, you would think he was Princess Di . Even my beloved NPR and the BBC are taking part in the frenzy. Soon we will be hearing about the details of his hat and jewelry collection.
While the tedium of it all is nearly unbearable, the real question is what happens to other important stories while the world is mourning the Pope twenty four-seven? I guess Tom Delay's indictment, and the death of the filibuster will have to wait. Besides, some issues are too complicated for the public to understand. Now death, there's solid subject that captures everyone's attention. Too bad the Pope's passing happened in the same week as Terri Schiavo's. Such poor timing. I was hardly even tired of hearing about that one yet. Both of them, bless their hearts, provided the press with long, drawn out, agonizing ends - literally months of big red herrings.
George W. has taken the opportunity to communicate covertly with all his Fundamentalist Christian constituency in his Pope Paul death speech, by peppering his remarks with multiple references to the culture of life. Thank heavens I cannot find an unedited version for your perusal. Wait until they find out that the Pope, to his credit, was opposed the invasion of Iraq, the torture at Abu Gahrib, and the death penalty. But let's not make a big issue out of little differences when there's an opportunity to send a message to the flock.
Our press recently spent a week or two interring Ronald Reagan while hardly mentioning his unappealing little prejudices, and the tradition continues. The Pope had a few blind spots that take away from his shining image in my book. I felt that his opposition to condom use in the AIDs epidemic in Africa was unconscionable, though I do understand that it goes along with the ensconced tradition of opposing birth control in the Catholic Church. Usually all that means is the oppression of women and the propagation of poverty -- but epidemic AIDS? I thought it might be an exception.
I could not believe the Pope's appointment of Cardinal Bernard Law to his inner circle at the Vatican, not two years after Law's forced resignation rom the Archdiocese of Boston. Cardinal Law participated actively in a thirty-year coverup of clergy sexual abuse of children. The Pope, in the old boy, patriarchal tradition, quickly found a place for Cardial Law in his inner sanctum. What does that say about his position on the sexual abuse of children in the church, or rather the corruption of power that exists in the institution as a whole that needs careful examination? I would give the Pope an "F" on that one, for Flagrant Denial.
For the occasion of the Pope's death, Cardinal Law can be seen commenting on ABC's "This Week". He's back! Let's hope he's not on the short list to be Pope. Perhaps he'll be satisfied by replacing Dan Rather, instead.
Photo note: Best I could do with death on short notice.
Posted by Dakota at April 3, 2005 07:28 AM