What Did The Pope Really Say?

A confluence of events prompt this note.

First, I recently was 'friended' on facebook by Fr. John T. Zuhlsdorf, author of the blog site What Does The Prayer Really Say?

Second, I just got around to reading an article from the February 2010 edition of the Linacre Quarterly which discussed some comments Pope Benedict XVI made to the press while traveling to Africa in March, 2009. If you recall, Pope Benedict asserted that behavioral changes, such as abstinence and monogamy, were far superior to other means in reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS, etc. The article in question - see the abstract HERE - supports the Pope's argument by referring to a host of peer-reviewed articles which essentially agree with what he said: staying out of the rain keeps you dryer longer than wearing a raincoat while playing in mud puddles in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Take that metaphor and meditate on it.

Third, I glanced at the latest edition of The Wanderer(June 17, 2010) and saw the following title of an article: "Benedict XVI Affirms That The World Needs The Cross."

Fourth, I saw a video on YouTube of a mama deer taking out a dog and a cat which were too close to little Bambi.

I started thinking how the world - and the news media in particular - often misunderstands what the Church in general and the Holy Father in particular are saying. I thought about how the news media and popular opinion ignored what the Holy Father said about HIV/AIDS in Africa, and how he was criticized by the public. I thought a bit more, and naturally I saw some humor in this topic and came up with a new, mainstream media headline to replace the Wanderer's example above. Finally, I thought of a play on the words of Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog to come up with the title of this blog entry.

So here are some of the titles of articles from The Wanderer(June 17, 2010) as interpreted by the mainstream media. The actual titles will follow in parentheses:






Pope Wants Us To Suffer
He's Only Happy When We're Unhappy

(Benedict XVI Affirms That The World Needs The Cross)




Pope Finally Visits Cyprus
2,000 Years Too Late For Some

(Translation of general audience given June 9 where Pope Benedict XVI reflected on his trip to Cyprus)





Pope Wants Bridge to Cyprus
Going East and West

(Pope Benedict XVI Calls Church in Cyprus A "Bridge Between East and West")






That does it for last week's edition of The Wanderer. Perhaps if I get ambitious I shall look for real examples of bad media coverage of the Holy Father and the Vatican.

By the way the Fourth Fact is not really relevant to this discussion, but is brought up to remind all people that deer are not gentle critters when they feel threatened.