Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has hit out at some Catholic writers who he said lack basic Christian charity.
He also criticised elements of the Catholic media who he said were damaging the credibility of the church.
In an address yesterday to the ‘Faith of Our Fathers’ conference in Kilkenny, organised by the ‘Catholic Voice’ newspaper, the archbishop criticised the “growing tendency” towards ‘tabloidism’ in sectors of the Catholic media in Ireland.
“Accuracy is more important than the exclusive ‘scoop’, which may often be unfounded,” he said.
He hit out at the “worrying phenomenon of blogs, which are not just partial but at times very far away from the charity with which the truth should be expressed”.
Catholic journalism, he warned, must not amount to “conformism”.
The archbishop said the church needs a media “that is not afraid to expose mistakes and failures, but whose motive is to challenge the community of believers to continue on the path of conversion”.
“The Catholic media will not be credible if it does not confront sins, abuse, weaknesses and failings within our community,” he said.
However, he suggested that it would be less than objective if it did not also point to more positive events and happenings. Continue reading