First, take a look at the appalling illustration that accompanies the article in Time magazine this week (February 26, 2007, page 46). In the darkest of colors and tones, a sinister-looking, pasty-faced priest is pictured. As his empty, white eyes furtively peer back towards the viewer, his pale, wiry fingers grip what looks to be a Bible. Paper money is leafing out of the book pages. (I've posted the illustration here.) The artist is Sam Weber. I don't know if he's familiar with the 19th-century anti-Catholic drawings by Thomas Nast or the modern-day, anti-Vatican caricatures by Jack Chick; but I bet both guys would be proud. (By the way, do you think Time would allow the same caricature using a rabbi? I wouldn't think so.)
The article is, "Pilfering Priests," by Tim Padgett. (Online, the title is "When Priests Pilfer.") The heading below the main title warns, "the Catholic Church is facing another crisis: clergy who steal money from their parishes." Interesting. But what are the facts?
To start, Padgett cites four specific cases that have panned out in the last couple of years in which priests have acted deplorably and stole from their parishes. OK. Fair enough. But I don't see a "crisis" yet.
Padgett then turns to a December 2006 study from Villanova University (pdf file), which reported that 85% of the 78 U.S. Catholic dioceses responding to a survey (out of 174 queried) experienced embezzlement cases in the last five years.* Padgett uses this info to elaborate on "the increasing number of clergy getting caught with the hands in the offertory." He then surmises that "priestly arrogance" or a sense of "entitlement" may drive priests to "pick-pocket[] parishioners."
Here's the problem: The Villanova study did not ask who stole the church money (source)! The study also clearly states that in the cases of discovered embezzlement, it was most often the parish priest who was "responsible for detecting the theft"! (To his credit, Padgett notes the latter fact; but why didn't he stop and rethink his premise?) The study says nothing about any "crisis" of priests pilfering money. It also did not even investigate whether embezzlement is a growing problem or not. (The study's actual title is, "Internal Financial Controls in the U.S. Catholic Church.")
In other words, Padgett cites four cases of embezzling priests. He then misuses a study to give the impression that priests are increasingly out of control and relentlessly dipping into the offertory, even though the study says no such thing at all.
Even though one priest stealing from a parish is terrible, Tim Padgett's assertion of a "crisis" in the Catholic Church to be measured alongside the sexual abuse atrocities is simply bogus. (The heading to his article in the print edition reads, "Still recovering from the sexual abuse scandal of five years ago, the Catholic Church is facing another crisis: clergy who steal money from their parishes.")
[* - In a blog, a lawyer named Jack Siegel made an important observation regarding the study's figures. I wanted to make the same point, but he worded it well (bold mine): "Some caution is required when reviewing the data. Specifically, the survey was sent to dioceses, which are not specific church parishes. For examples, the Archdiocese of Chicago is comprised of 378 individual parishes. Consequently, the numbers should not be taken to mean that there have been thefts at 85% of the thousands of individual churches making up the Catholic Church in the United States." (link; although I strongly disagree with his title for the same reasons I've outlined above.) Me: Also remember that only 45% of U.S. dioceses even responded to the survey. By the way, there are about 19,000 Catholic parishes in the United States (source).]
—Dave Pierre is the creator of TheMediaReport.com and a contributor to NewsBusters.
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While I am not a Catholic, an
February 27, 2007 - 08:48 ET by americaneagleWhile I am not a Catholic, and I have some major problems with catholic theology, I am sick to death of these constant media attacks on the Catholic Church. I am sick of seeing facts twisted, stories embellished, and small incidents turned into "crises" by the media. I think that the reason that so much hatred is thrown at the Catholic church is because so many in the media see the Catholic church as a represetation of Christianity and will do anything to discredit it. By discrediting the Catholic church, they are discrediting Christianity itself (in their minds) and are opening the world up to more secular domination. They also hate the Catholics because their leaders are almost always conservative in their moral beliefs and stand foursquare against the coarsening of our culture.
Victims
February 27, 2007 - 08:53 ET by cvgbuckeyeSounds to me like these priests, depicted by this fine gentleman, are the POOR VICTIMS of the Capitalist system. Seems to me that this writer is a predator picking on these poor victims and is guilty of PRIESTOPHOBIA!
We, as a compassionate society, need to give these priests: New career training, housing subsidies, child care assistance, food stamps and welfare of every description.
The author of this book must immediately undergo religious sensitivity training or be sentenced to 28 years of societal disgrace; whichever occurs first. To include having his name and family smeared about on every MSM and talk show for the next 5 years.
The foul dog!
Actually, drawing and quartering works.
February 27, 2007 - 08:58 ET by acaiguanaActually, drawing and quartering works.
Let me see if I can figure this all out.
Time Magazine has someone who gets up in the morning (Time is now about 8 pages isn't it?).
This guy says to himself, "Self, nothing going on in the old brain today, gosh. I know, I'll write an article about the Catholic Church that targest Priests that um.... um....
"Pilfer!"
I dunno, how many Priests are in the Catholic Church? Would it be that one or two or several more aren't up to the high moral standard of the Church?
Naw, couldn't be. How many people worked for Enron? Could it be that a lot of them were delusional about ethics? Naw, couldn't be.
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana Notes from the Bomb Shelter' (soon to be a movie at theaters near you)
Time, Newsweek, et al. are at
February 27, 2007 - 09:03 ET by richflanjTime, Newsweek, et al. are at war with Christianity. The Catholic Church is the main enemy because it is the largest and oldest Christian Church in the world. Liberalism is threatened by the Catholics for two big reasons: their anti-abortion stance, and their belief that government is not the most powerful entity in the universe. They will do whatever it takes (lie, exaggerate, etc.) to bring it down.
That out of the way, let's look at this particular instance.
First, does anyone even remotely think that Time would do repeated expose's on the frequent teacher/student molestation incidents in the public schools? How about the Democrat party scandals (Clinton, Murtha/Abscam, Jefferson/Freezer money)? "Air Pelosi"? Of course not. telling those stories would help expose liberalism for the seriously flawed ideology it is.
Also, does anyone think that Time would point out the Muslim religious encouragement of suicide bombing? Would they allow publication in their magazine of a Muslim robbing a mosque, complete with $$$$$ falling out of a Koran? Absolutely not!! After all, in their world, that would be "racist" and "islamophobic". Well, in my world, Time, liberals, and most Democrats are "Christophobic" and "freedomphobic". End of story.
"The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously." --Hubert Humphrey
These articles are always a d
February 27, 2007 - 12:40 ET by TruthMongerThese articles are always a double-blessing...
First of all they confirm and illustrate the hypocracy of the leftwing MSM drive-bys - as you so aptly point out above...
And secondly this persecution just confirms that the church is on the right track:
"Remember the word that I said to you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you... because they do not know Him who sent Me."
John 15
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you...But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."
Matthew 10
Great work...
February 27, 2007 - 09:41 ET by Warner Todd HustonThis shows, in my opinion, two important things.
#1- It's always OK to attack the Church
#2- A writer getting himself "noticed" is more important than facts.
Couple the two and you get the bias that ASSUMES the Church must be wrong and a writer massaging the facts to promulgate an accepted "truth" of the evil church. His contemporaries won't look at the real facts because he is following their accepted bias. They will but hail his "exposing the evil of the Church" without realizing any truth.
The story's "truthiness" is all they need.
...to the anti-Christ the Chu
February 27, 2007 - 12:42 ET by TruthMonger...to the anti-Christ the Church is evil - therefore I'm very happy to stand with the Church : ) . . .
In spite of tumblers assertio
February 27, 2007 - 09:53 ET by MikeBIn spite of tumblers assertions on an earlier thread, priests are only human, and therefore subject to human frailties. Some are pedophiles, some are thieves, some are alcoholics and/or addicts, and the same is true of pastors of other churches. But, as a general rule, preachers are light years ahead of "journalists" and politicians when it comes to morals and ethics. Of course, that isn't saying too much: used car salesmen are ahead of "journalists" and politicians when it comes to morals and ethics.
"Do you think Time would allow the same caricature using a rabbi?" Yes, Dave, I do. After all, the LibMedia are fighting against Judeo-Christian moral standards. Now, if you had asked that question using the word Imam, then I would have to agree with you.
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan
Dave, perhaps in the minds
February 27, 2007 - 10:00 ET by Ken ShepherdDave, perhaps in the minds of most in the media, every parish is a mini dictatorship run by the priest and hence if money's stolen, it most likely is the parish priest doing that. Of course, there are some cases with priests pilfering the pence, but many times it's whoever is charged with handling the money (often a layman). The real problem is lack of safeguards and oversight.
Every parish and congregation in the country should set about checks and balances to keep the money handlers honest, be they clergy or laity.
Well said, Ken.By the way, he
February 27, 2007 - 10:39 ET by Dave PierreWell said, Ken.
By the way, here is a case from the archdiocese of New York. Four food purchasing agents were indicted for defrauding the archdiocese of well over a million dollars. No priests were involved at all. It shows that "pilfering" can come in forms we really haven't thought about, especially in large archdioceses that have large organizations in which the laity often handle business matters.
Unfair
February 27, 2007 - 10:43 ET by KC MulvilleI studied to be a priest in the Jesuit order for eight years. I met hundreds of priests, with every human failing under the sun (that includes me, naturally). When they were my brothers, they would occasionally drive me crazy, as I know I did with them. However, my experience is that these are honest and dedicated men.
The church should adopt transparent accounting (and most parishes have), but it isn't going to happen overnight. Let me tell a story. I was once stationed at an inner-city parish, along with a fellow scholastic who was an accountant before he joined the Jesuits. The pastor asked my friend to review the parish books. My friend discovered that for years, the parish had tried to help local poor families. The parish would buy out the homes of many of its poorest parishioners, since the families would have been evicted otherwise. Of course, the church couldn't afford to buy a home for every poor family, so the parish tried to keep this quiet. The families paid what they could. To my friend's horror, the pastor put their payments in a drawer! To anyone looking from the outside, the pastor not only looked incredibly naive ... he also looked (legally) like a slum landlord. My friend quickly helped resolve the situation, but it had been going on for many years. And we all knew why it wasn't changed: "we've always done it this way." This kind of change happens slowly.
The reporter clearly tries to link these incidents to the sex scandal. He wants to use the blaze of the sex scandal to fuel his own flicker of a story. We ought to be careful. A priest's reputation is extremely important, and he depends on his reputation much more than most professions. A lawyer may profit from an unseemly reputation, but a priest can't afford such suspicion. Casting accusations without real foundation is especially dangerous. Where priests are guilty, they should face the music fully. But if these are isolated incidents, as I think they are, then it's unfair.
Nothing sells media units lik
February 27, 2007 - 11:50 ET by MivvisNothing sells media units like a good Christian bashing, especially a Catholic one. Except, maybe a good Bush bashing.
An article like this just m
February 27, 2007 - 15:25 ET by DobiusAn article like this just makes me proud to be a Catholic. We really don't mind the attention (negative as it may be). Just means that we are probably doing most things right, but that we still have a ways to go. If all we have are 4 confirmed 'pilferers' out of 19000 parishes (probably nearly 35,000 priests) - not bad. Not a crisis, but not bad
And I guess Time magazine who
February 27, 2007 - 17:00 ET by HumanEventsAnd I guess Time magazine who is more than willing to publish a phony article about pilfering Priests, didn't care about the Clintons pilfering (no, stealing) those numerous expensive items like chinaware from the White House when they left it. Time, like the rest of the MSM, cares nothing about right or wrong cases like stealing. It's all about agenda. In the former it meets the anti church agenda of theirs. In the latter it meets the pro Democrat agenda.
Oh, yeah, Lent has started,
February 27, 2007 - 16:54 ET by motherbeltOh, yeah, Lent has started, so it's time to start running down Catholics again. First the James Cameron claim that he found Jesus' tomb, and proof that Jesus had a son with Mary Magdalene (why is it always MM....there weren't any other women around, or is it because she was thought to be a prostitute and they love the idea of that?). Now this....I guess it's just been too long since the gay priest (oh, excuse me, the Pedophile priest) scandal. And we all know that the Catholic Church is one of the few things you can bash without repercussion.
dear catholic pals
February 27, 2007 - 17:17 ET by tumbler_2007I applaud you all. May God give you grace and protection from all harm & misfortune. I spied this post and thought I'd chip in a note.
My lovely wife & I will go to Paris final week of April for our silver wedding anniversary. One week there. Then to ROME! No other place like it; speaking of our Catholic faith. We'll go to Florence a couple of days by train. Then back to Nor Cal. I'll pray for you all. (I'll pray for James Cameron, too. Incredible...)