Bishop Paprocki Outs the Chicago Tribune's Neo-Know Thing-ism

The Chicago Tribune hides its anti-Catholic agenda with articles and yarns that really 'care' about people - who hate the Catholic Church, whether they claim to be Catholic or not. You never see heart-tugging tales about Planned Parenthood employees sickened by Abortion, or ACORN whistle-blowers who helped catch embezzler Wade Rathke. Progressives and Progressive Wannabees are as genuine as Joan Rivers' beauty secrets.


Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki outs the Chicago Tribune's Neo Know-Nothing-ism. With a strong and sensible letter that should be on the front page, Bishop Paprocki gives the not so subtle Tribune Editorial Board a much needed bit of schooling.

Anti-Catholic BiasApril 14, 2009
Anti-Catholic Bias

The Chicago Tribune became known for its anti-Catholic bias when it frequently ran xenophobic editorials that criticized foreigners and Roman Catholics as long ago as 1853. Apparently not much has changed, as the Chicago Tribune published an editorial on April 3 attacking Cardinal Francis George as being "deeply out of line" for upholding church teaching, and ran on March 31 an opinion piece by Don Wycliff, a former Tribune editor, urging the University of Notre Dame to "stick to their resolve" in defying Catholic bishops.

The twist in the Tribune's 21st Century approach seems to be to enlist dissenting Catholics to be the mouthpiece of the newspaper's attacks against the church's teaching authority, such as William Daley's column on April 3 asserting that Cardinal George's position on the Notre Dame commencement "continues a worrisome pattern in which the Catholic hierarchy in America is mixing religion with politics."

Similarly, in the front-page story "Faith or family? Some Catholic couples seeking kids struggle with church doctrine" (Page 1, April 5), the Tribune features Catholics who have acted against Catholic Church teaching on in-vitro fertilization.

I don't recall the Chicago Tribune ever running such stories and editorials against any other church or religion, let alone with such frequency or invective, so I can only conclude that the know-nothing views of the Chicago Tribune have not changed.

I am reminded, however, of Jesus' words as he was crucified:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

—Rev. Thomas J. Paprocki, auxiliary bishop of Chicago, Archdiocese of Chicago

Forgive them, to be sure, but try not to forget them - or let them off the hook.