Vatican PR aide warns Catholic blogs create ‘cesspool of hatred’

[trotsky]

http://www.cruxnow.com/cns/2016/05/17/vatican-pr-aide-warns-catholic-blogs-create-cesspool-of-hatred/

Although Pope Francis has succeeded in rebranding the public profile of the Church, according to a Vatican PR aide, his positive tone isn’t always reflected when Catholics themselves take to the use of social media.

On the contrary, to hear Father Thomas Rosica tell it, sometimes Catholic conversation on-line is more “culture of death” than “culture of life.”

“Many of my non-Christian and non-believing friends have remarked to me that we ‘Catholics’ have turned the Internet into a cesspool of hatred, venom and vitriol, all in the name of defending the faith!” he said.

“The character assassination on the Internet by those claiming to be Catholic and Christian has turned it into a graveyard of corpses strewn all around,” said Rosica, who assists the Vatican Press Office with English-speaking media, on May 11 as he delivered the keynote address at the Brooklyn Diocese’s observance of World Communications Day.

Gosh, could that be true? Anyone have any experience with online Catholic bullies?

[cleanhippie]

1. I've heard of that. Fortunately, we don't have anyone here that fits the description.

“Often times the obsessed, scrupulous, self-appointed, nostalgia-hankering virtual guardians of faith or of liturgical practices are very disturbed, broken and angry individuals, who never found a platform or pulpit in real life and so resort to the Internet and become trolling pontiffs and holy executioners!”

“In reality they are deeply troubled, sad and angry people,”

Nope, no one here like that at all...

[trotsky]

3. ...

[mr blur]

10. That really makes me angry!

[trotsky]

11. Hey! That guy looks familiar!

Is he the pope?

[truebrit71]

2. Nope. They've all been pure as the driven..

...

[skepticscott]

4. Just online Catholic

assholes. Who devote their time to defending bigotry and child rape. With a little lying and alert trolling thrown in. And no, to the inevitable jury, I'm not accusing any particular person, on DU or elsewhere, not even the one who predictably alerted on this.

And of course, Father Rosica has to throw in some NTS, to lamely try to hide the fact that these people ARE catholic, to the core.

[onager]

5. Really?

Although Pope Francis has succeeded in rebranding the public profile of the Church...

These people must read Catholic sites ONLY on the Internetz. But that's just the standard M.O. of spin-meisters and propagandists, whether they work for a church, a political campaign or a corporation: ignore the facts and declare victory. Insert your own "Baghdad Bob" meme here...

And online Catholic bullies? Certainly not here! This is a progressive Democratic site. As I keep being told, over and over and over...

[trotsky]

6. Yeah my eyebrow got raised by that introductory statement too.

But the rest was just too good for that to keep my attention for long.

[rug]

7. He should read the "My Posts" tabs of the people in this thread.

[Iggo]

8. "...trolling pontiffs and holy executioners..."

Do tell!

[trotsky]

9. I know, right?

[struggle4progress]

12. Holy moly! Somebody at the Vatican said Catholics are somewhat less than perfect!

What next? Perhaps the Vatican might even ask Catholics to reflect regularly on their own imperfections and to try to live better lives!

Fortunately, if that happens we will have plenty of commentators here to sneer at the superstition behind such unnecessary non-scientific stone-age nonsense!

[Cartoonist]

13. Do you need more white paint?

He didn't say Catholics are somewhat less than perfect, he called them a cesspool of hatred, venom and vitriol.

[rug]

14. Actually, this is who he's talking about:

Both Rosica and his “Salt and Light TV” Catholic network in Canada have occasionally been targeted for on-line criticism, especially from conservative and pro-life Catholic organizations.

“Often times the obsessed, scrupulous, self-appointed, nostalgia-hankering virtual guardians of faith or of liturgical practices are very disturbed, broken and angry individuals, who never found a platform or pulpit in real life and so resort to the Internet and become trolling pontiffs and holy executioners!” Rosica said.

The shoes he describes,

“In reality they are deeply troubled, sad and angry people,” he said.

fits the feet of many people who post about nothing but the RCC on the internet.

[Cartoonist]

15. No

He's talking about those who struggle to sweep under the rug the Church's pedophilia and cover-up.

[rug]

16. By all means, post the words he used.

His own words would make the point better than a cartoonish caricature.

[Cartoonist]

17. I did

But I'll repeat.

Catholics’ have turned the Internet into a cesspool of hatred, venom and vitriol, all in the name of defending the faith.

If you can't see yourself, Mr. Hide, then it's time for inner reflection.

[rug]

18. In your haste to stumble over malformed puns, you've lost the thread.

That says nothing about pedophilia. Mr. Evasion.

[Cartoonist]

19. Specificity

The quote doesn't mention any particular issue. So does that mean he's not talking about anything?

He mentions obsession. I referred to yours. Another poster here is obsessed with the Bundys.

Often times the obsessed, scrupulous, self-appointed, nostalgia-hankering virtual guardians of faith or of liturgical practices are very disturbed, broken and angry individuals

[struggle4progress]

20. That disturbed, broken and angry individuals self-appoint themselves as guardians

online, and then act in a scrupulously obsessed manner, is common enough

I am, of course, sorry if you dislike my frequent posts tracking the subsequent history of the Bunkerville and Malheur fiascos, but you are free to hide them. In my view, the so-called "patriots" and their "sovereign citizen" cousins deserve some continuing study