Anti-Catholic Media Claim Paul Ryan is not Catholic Enough
Republican
vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan is a Catholic – but not a good enough
Catholic in the eyes of the media. Writers, bloggers, and talking heads have hammered
Ryan for his supposed “dissent” from Catholic teaching..
Journalists have falsely claimed that the bishops “rebuked” Ryan and called his budget “un-Christian.” Writers who usually scorn the Church and its hierarchy fretted that the bishops found Ryan’s budget “uncompassionate.”
The
media have painted Ryan as exhibiting heartlessness towards the poor, claiming that
the 
Many
journalists have questioned the depth of his Catholicism because of his
supposed lack of concern for the poor, branding him a “champion of dissent” and
declaring that politicized left-wing nuns are better Catholics than him. One
writer even questioned whether Ryan should be excommunicated.
If only
the media devoted half so much attention to the deviations from the Catholic
faith of Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi. But they refuse to do so – on August 22,
MSNBC contributor Jimmy Williams favorably compared Biden’s Catholicism to
Ryan’s on “Martin Bashir Live:” “But the point
is that he's far more progressive and more, frankly, in line when it comes to
the Church's teachings and I think the Catholic bishops and the nuns will tell
that. Perhaps not on the abortion issue, but certainly on how you take care of
the needy and poor.”
Ryan Rebuked by Bishops?
Ironically,
journalists notorious for bashing the Catholic hierarchy breathlessly reported
that “Catholic bishops” chastised Ryan over his proposed budget. New York Times
harridan Maureen Dowd managed to do both in one sentence, snidely remarking in
an August 18 column: “Even
Catholic bishops, who had to be dragged toward compassion in the pedophilia
scandal, were dismayed at how uncompassionate Ryan’s budget was.”
Other
journalists claimed that the bishops also “rebuked” Ryan. Melinda Henneberger
of the Post wrote: “But this
spring, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops took the unusual step of repudiating the deep cuts
envisioned in Ryan’s budget proposal as out of keeping with the teachings of
Jesus.” The Post’s Dana Milbank went
further, arguing in an April
27 op-ed that “There is
something un-Christian about the Gospel According to Paul Ryan. So, at least,
says Ryan’s Catholic Church.”
The charge stems from the fact that a committee of the USCCB (The United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops), the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, opposed
“cuts” made by the Ryan budget: “I write to urge you to resist for moral and human reasons unacceptable
cuts to hunger and nutrition programs [that would] hurt hungry children, poor
families, vulnerable seniors and workers who cannot find employment. These cuts
are unjustified and wrong.” The
letter was signed by Bishop Blaire, Bishop of Stockton.
However,
this committee did not speak for all the bishops, as noted in section 455 §4 in the Code of Canon Law: “In
cases where neither the universal law nor a special mandate of the Apostolic
See gives the Episcopal Conference the power mentioned in §1, the competence of each diocesan bishop remains intact.
In such cases, neither the Conference
nor its president can act in the name of all the bishops unless each and every
bishop has given his consent.” In other words, the bishops did not “rebuke”
Paul Ryan.
Ryan was
not without defenders in the Catholic hierarchy. Ryan
sent the bishops a
letter arguing the moral case for his proposed budget. Archbishop
Timothy Dolan responded: “I commend your letter’s attention to the important
values of fiscal responsibility; sensitivity to the foundational role of the
family; the primacy of the dignity of the human person and the protection of
all human life; a concrete solicitude for the poor and the vulnerable,
especially those who are hungry and homeless, without work or in poverty; and
putting into practice the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity, here at
home and internationally within the context of a commitment to the common good
shared by government and other mediating institutions alike.”
Ryan’s
own bishop, Robert Morlino of the Diocese of Madison, wrote
an open letter to his diocese, declaring: “Thus, it is not up to me or any bishop or priest to
approve of Congressman Ryan’s specific budget prescription to address the best
means we spoke of. Where intrinsic evils are not involved, specific policy
choices and political strategies are the
‘Champion of Dissent’ Promoting ‘Un-Christian’
Budget
Attacks
on the faith of conservative Catholic politicians are common in the
journalistic world. During the presidential primary, Lisa Miller asserted in the
Post that “[Republican presidential primary candidate Rick] Santorum is
not, in fact, all that Catholic,” calling
him a “cherry-picking Catholic” and a “cafeteria Catholic.”
Paul
Ryan now faces similar treatment. Time’s Erika Christakis launched the oddest
argument against Ryan’s Christianity, with an August
14 article titled “Is Paul Ryan’s Budget Un-Christian?” Christakis attempted
to justify a high tax rate by using the Bible, writing:
“As near as we can tell,
Jesus would advocate a tax rate somewhere between 50% (in the vein of “If you
have two coats, give one to the man who has none”) and 100% (if you want to get
into heaven, be poor).”
Christakis makes no distinction between private charity and
government programs, and ignores the fact that Jesus says absolutely nothing
about people being forced to give their wealth to the government to
(theoretically) redistribute to others.
Christakis was the most unhinged of a range of critics. The Daily
Beast’s Abigail Pesta interviewed Sister Simone Campbell, leader of a group
of nuns opposed to Ryan, and began a flattering piece with the inflammatory
opening: “Sister Simone Campbell says she is
on a mission to protect the poor – from Rep. Paul Ryan.” CNN
and the Washington
Post have also frequently given these nuns a megaphone.
Jezebel’s Katie Baker asked:
“Who's the better Catholic: Paul Ryan or Sister Simone Campbell, who recently
led a rollicking group of nuns on a cross-country tour to
protest Ryan's budget bill? We think Jesus would choose Sister Simone.” (A site named for a evil pagan queen in the Bible is probably
not the best judge of authentic Catholic living.)
Others
were blunter. Michael Sean Winters of the liberal National Catholic Reporter
went so far as to call Paul Ryan a “champion of dissent” in
an August 11 column. The Los Angeles Times’ Michael McGough introduced an
otherwise insightful August
14 piece on the differences between liberal and conservative Catholics by
asking: “Forget about whether he should be elected vice president. Should Paul
D. Ryan be excommunicated?”
It is
important to note that there can be legitimate disagreement among Catholics
about prudential matters. For example, there can be disagreement about the best method of taking care of the poor. But
for Catholics, there can be no disagreement about fundamental principles, such
as the obligation to take care of the
poor, or about the necessity to respect life from conception to natural death,
and at every point in between.
Bishop Morlino
put it best in
his open letter: “These
are conclusions about the best means to promote the preferential option for the
poor, or the best means to reach a lower percentage of unemployment throughout
our country. No one is contesting here anyone’s right to the basic needs of
food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, etc. Nor is anyone contesting someone’s
right to work and so provide for self and family. However there can be
difference according to how best to follow the principles which the Church
offers.”
Paul Ryan and Ayn Rand
Commentators
have attacked Paul Ryan for his stated admiration for portions of avowed atheist
Ayn Rand’s philosophy. (Ironic, considering the media’s love of atheism in other contexts.)
Even Ryan’s stated
denial of the atheistic portions of Rand’s philosophy has not sated
journalistic critics.
Stephen
Prothero of CNN’s Belief Blog harshly denounced Ryan, arguing,
“for years, Ryan and other
conservative Republicans have been trying to have their Jesus Christ and their
Ayn Rand, too. But the two clash at least as much as an Obama/Ryan ticket.” He then played the part of the moral critic: “But as Jesus once said, “By your fruits
you shall know them” (Matthew 7:16), and I for one still see much more
The New Yorker’s Jane Meyer declared
on August 11: “Ayn Rand Joins the Ticket:” “Mitt Romney adds more to the
Republican ticket than youth, vigor, and the possibility of carrying
Wisconsin—he also adds the ghostly presence of the controversial Russian émigré
philosopher and writer Ayn Rand.”
The Huffington Post went
ballistic over Ryan’s supposed connection to
The
left’s charge of worshipping Rand flies in the face of Ryan’s own statements on
Shockingly, it is indeed possible to agree with certain
principles of a thinker’s philosophy while rejecting others. Too bad the media refuses
to recognize this basic point.
Religion and the Media
Journalists
are notorious for their hostility towards the Church, complaining (among other
things) that the Church covers
up for child molesters and controls
women.
Now, they deem themselves fit to judge whether a Catholic is worthy of the
title.
Religion,
for the left, has become a weapon
to use against conservatives whenever convenient. It is breathtaking
hypocrisy for a group that loathes Catholicism to lecture a Catholic on his
lack of obedience to the Faith.
Mitt Romney
has
already been slammed in the media for his Mormon faith. Paul Ryan is merely
the latest target of the self-appointed arbiters of faith in the media.
