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"I pay no mind to EWTN..."

It appears that while there have always been some inconsistencies on EWTN, since the confinement of Mother Angelica almost 2 years ago, there has begun a more liberal tilt in the network's programming. The possible exception was the replacing of Jeff Cavins with Fr. Francis Mary on "Life on the Rock." To me, the future of the programming may be grim for us traditionalists.

I miss Mother Angelica's blunt talk like when she chastised Cardinal Mahoney. I never could understand why the network would allow charismatics on and ignore the Tridentine Mass movement. The only thing I could think of, and have heard espoused, was that promoting the Tridentine Mass would conflict with EWTN's own liturgical agenda, which is the "reform of the reform" a la The Adoremus Society.

I don't think that EWTN/Angelica are interested in the Adoremus 'reform of the reform' per se. There's something else that's wacky over there, and I can't put my finger on it.

But it IS true that EWTN was given strict orders to use the NO only, and in a fashion which is 'best practice' (i.e., comporting with the rubrics.) There was a minor brouhaha about this when EWTN built its new chapel...

Not hard to understand why. The Diocese to which she belongs can be, ah, bribed by certain well-endowed Southern California Archdioceses headed by a fellow named Roger Mahony.

What DID happen was that after Mahoney and Mother A. got into that fight, Roger tried to put her off the air, nationally, and substitute his own version--at that time, it would have been the Mahony/Bernardin network. Failed--EWTN worked through the viewers and local cable franchises retained her programming, by and large.

A new Bishop was appointed to her Diocese in the meantime, and they reached an understanding. She wouldn't get "in the face" of Big Guys, and they wouldn't try to crush her. Along the way, they compromised on the Liturgy. She got to use 'best practices,' but no Tridentine stuff.