Catholic Ping
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Posted on 12/06/2007 8:57:26 AM PST by NYer
BALTIMORE, December 5, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Controversial advertisements suggested to the nation's top 50 Catholic diocesan papers advertising the upcoming movie "The Golden Compass" have been pulled.
A letter from Advertising Media Plus (AMP) to the papers last week suggested the ads. The ads were based on a positive review of the film by the Office for Film and Broadcasting of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
LifeSiteNews.com tracked down those in charge of AMP and found surprisingly that it was ultimately the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Cathedral Foundation, which publishes the English weekly version of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.
Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien is the ultimate head of the organization, however, Daniel L. Medinger is responsible for the day-to-day activities. Mr. Medlinger spoke to LifeSiteNews.com about the matter.
Medlinger explained that when a sales representative first approached him about pitching advertisements for the film, "I said we have to find out what the USCCB movie rating is."
"When our sales rep heard that the rating from the Bishops Conference was A II he sent out that note," continued Medlinger. "Afterwards we had a conversation and we are not placing those ads."
Asked what caused him to change his mind despite the positive USCCB review, Medlinger was hesitant and would only respond: "It was my decision, it was just business we didn't want to do."
Faithful Catholic activists and bloggers can take a pat on the back for the outcome.
In a rare move, the Catholic League was quick to publicly condemn the review. Other Catholic leaders have called on the USCCB to fire their movie critic Harry Forbes, especially in light of the fact that he also caused scandal by giving a glowing review to the homosexual propaganda film Brokeback Mountain. (see coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/dec/07120304.html )
LifeSiteNews.com readers, activists and Bloggers such as Amy Wellbourn, Thomas Peters of American Papist, among many others, have pursued both the USCCB review and the proposed ads stirring a healthy controversy.
Catholic Ping
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Why wasn't Harry Forbes fired at that time?
“Why wasn’t Harry Forbes fired at that time?”
Good question. Brokeback Mountain was an egregious error on his part, inexcusable.
But, regretably, most of the lay bureaucrats working for the Catholic Bishops’ organization were put in place during the years of chaos and dissent that followed Vatican 2. They now seem to enjoy job security.
Most of the bishops continue to be cowards, apart from the few traitors who are still regretably in place, such as Cardinal Mahoney.
They prefer to leave things as they are and not to stir up trouble. Certainly this guy SHOULD be fired, but it won’t happen.
Christian charity should not be extended to preserving the jobs of people willing to help the enemy seduce children. That includes those in charge of CCD programs as well as this movie reviewer. But the bishops continue to select their weaker members for positions of power in the organization. Those who stand up for the Truth are kept on the outskirts of the organization.
Theres a new sheriff in town in the Baltimore Archdiocese and the libs are freaking out. There will be many more little stories like this where someone claims "O I made the decision to do the right/conservative thing myself"...Yeah right.
You’re joking right? Obviously not, it’s the USCCB. At our parish, the priest is giving a warning about the movie. There is one particularly obnoxious personage in my confirmation class who claims everyone is lying about the movie because he read the book and it doesn’t mention God. This is also the child who called God a hypocrite and our new Cardinal arrogant. I really don’t see how this child will be confirmed.
There can’t be a more classic example of Lenin’s “useful idiots” than the USCCB’s movie review office with respect to how it has simply played in the hands of someone who has publicly announced he has an agenda to promote atheism and question Christianity. Sheesh!
Harry Forbes should be fired, and the film office, as currently constituted, revamped. I expect the bishops to tell us if a movie is morally acceptable; I am not particularly interested in their opinions on set design or cinematography.
Medlinger was hesitant and would only respond: "I got spanked hard and had to fix it."
“Those who stand up for the Truth are kept on the outskirts of the organization.”
Case in point -
Did the Bishops Punish Archbishop Burke?
by Deal W. Hudson
11/19/07
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Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Archbishop Raymond Burke (St. Louis) lost an election at the annual meeting of the U.S. bishops last week.
Over the past three years, Burke has assumed the mantle of the late Cardinal John O’Connor in pro-life matters, challenging fellow bishops to take stronger stances in the defense of innocent life.
Nominated as chairman for the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, 60 percent of his fellow bishops preferred his opponent. As bishops’ conference expert Rev. Thomas Reese noted in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, an auxiliary bishop defeating an archbishop for a conference chairmanship is “very unusual.”
excerpt see http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1572&Itemid=48
Yes, that’s one of the things I was thinking of. But McCarrick was not punished for lying to the bishops about then Cardinal Ratzinger’s letter to him on communion for Catholic politicians, and Donald Trautman, the guy responsible for repeatedly mistranslating the liturgy, keeps getting re-elected to new positions.
I think the majority of bishops are now basically orthodox, but they are play-along to get-along cowards.
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I saw the "positive" ad when I read the "Saint of The Day" last week and immediately called the USCCB. I was surprised when Mr. Forbes called me back that evening. He was nice enough and said he contacted New Line Cinema and told them to remove it, but gave me the 'ol, "On its own merits, the movie is fine" explanation. We had a long discussion. The next day, I read that they were calling for his firing (that's also when I learned that he gave a favorable review of "Brokeback Mountain"!!)
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