National Catholic Reporter

Not to be confused with the National Catholic Register
National Catholic Reporter
Type Bi-weekly
Format Non-profit newspaper
Owner The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company
Founder Robert Hoyt
Editor Thomas C. Fox
Managing editors Dennis Coday
Political alignment Left-liberalism
Headquarters Kansas City, Missouri
Circulation 30,000
ISSN 0027-8939
Official website www.ncronline.org

The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) is a newspaper in the United States, which covers topics on the Catholic Church; its circulation reaches ninety-seven countries on six continents.[citation needed] Based in midtown Kansas City, Missouri, NCR was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964 as an independent newspaper focusing on the Catholic Church. Hoyt wanted to bring the professional standards of secular news reporting to the Catholic press, maintaining that "if the mayor of a city owned its only newspaper, its citizens will not learn what they need and deserve to know about its affairs".[1] It has won the "General Excellence" award from the Catholic Press Association in the category of national news publications each year from 2000 through 2010.

The publication is not connected to the Church itself and is independent. Promoting a dissident liberal position, the NCR presents itself as "the only significant alternative Catholic voice that provides avenues for expression of diverse perspectives, promoting tolerance and respect for differing ideas."[citation needed]

Mission

The National Catholic Reporter strives to be an independent Catholic news site, and as such evaluates social issues shaping society in addition to specifically Catholic issues. TV journalist Bill Moyer said, "For decades now the National Catholic Reporter has been courageously committed to independent journalism whose only aim is real news—the news we need to keep our freedom. In a time when a handful of megamedia conglomerates control more and more of what we read, see and hear, NCR remains faithful to journalism as a moral calling, obliged to get as close a possible to the verifiable truth."[2]

Some of the issues NCR examines on a regular basis are part of the social justice wing of the church, including poverty, peace issues, the roles of women, environmental stewardship and immigration. NCR tries to be accurate but fair and impartial.[3]

Position of the Church

In 1968, NCR's ordinary, Bishop Charles Herman Helmsing "issue[d] a public reprimand for their policy of crusading against the Church's teachings," condemning its "poisonous character" and "disregard and denial of the most sacred values of our Catholic faith." [4] Helmsing warned that NCR's writers were likely guilty of heresy, had likely incurred latae sententiae excommunications, and because the publication "does not reflect the teaching of the Church, but on the contrary, has openly and deliberately opposed this teaching," he "ask[ed] the editors in all honesty to drop the term 'Catholic' from their masthead," because "[b]y retaining it they deceive their Catholic readers and do a great disservice to ecumenism by being responsible for the false irenicism of watering down Catholic teachings."[5]

NCR refused to comply with its ordinary, and 66 Catholic journalists signed a statement disagreeing with the condemnation based on its "underlying definition of the legitimate boundaries of religious journalism in service to the church."[6] The Catholic Press Association reported that the dispute arose from a difference of opinion regarding the function of the press."

Edward Peters, a Referendary of the Apostolic Signatura, has stated in regards to Canon 216 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law:[7]

But sentence two of Canon 216 is another matter: "Nevertheless, no undertaking is to claim the name 'Catholic' without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority." The plain text of this canon unquestionably puts the burden on those behind an undertaking to secure consent from the competent ecclesiastical authority before claiming the name “Catholic” for their project(s).
Let me suggest an analogy.
Say that I’m a pretty smart lawyer, that my legal advice is usually right, that it secures for folks a better situation than they had before, and that it saves them lots of time and tons of money. All of this would mean zilch if, along the way, I held myself out to be licensed for the practice of law in some state where I was not authorized to practice. The state would not have to prove that I don’t have a law degree (in fact I do) or that my advice was unsound (it might be sound or not, depending on the issue) or that I am profiting by my work (perhaps I don’t). The state would simply have to show that I am claiming to be something I am not, namely, someone authorized to act as an attorney. I would be lucky if I got-off with just a Cease-and-Desist order.

Criticism

Numerous conservative Catholic commentators have criticized the National Catholic Reporter for advocating positions contrary to Church doctrines. NCR has at times critically questioned Church teachings on homosexuals and marriage,[8] ordination of women,[9] stem cell research,[10] and Catholic-identifying politicians who support abortion.[11]

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/12/nyregion/robert-g-hoyt-81-founder-of-national-catholic-reporter.html?pagewanted=1
  2. ^ http://www.ncronline.org/mission-and-values
  3. ^ http://www.ncronline.org/editorial-guidelines
  4. ^ http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=00Cofv
  5. ^ Ibid.
  6. ^ The Catholic Press Association weighs in on bishop's statement
  7. ^ http://canonlawblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/the-first-thing-to-understand-about-the-aod-vs-vorisrctv-dispute/
  8. ^ http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2004/feb/04022308
  9. ^ http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-religion/2570900/posts
  10. ^ http://www.lifenews.com/2010/07/06/bio-3125/
  11. ^ http://www.tfp.org/tfp-home/catholic-perspective/pro-abortion-politicians-and-the-churchs-position-on-holy-communion.html

External links