by Patrick Novecosky
The world has been on edge for more than a month over the civil war in Syria, and whether or not the U.S. should intervene militarily after the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime on Aug. 21.
Pope Francis called for a day of fasting and prayer on Sept. 7. Catholics and non-Catholics alike from around the world prayed for a peaceful solution to the conflict, and more than 100,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square with the Pope for a five-hour vigil on the eve of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pope Francis prays during a Sept. 7 vigil for peace in St. Peter’s Square
“This evening, I ask the Lord that we Christians, and our brothers and sisters of other religions and every man and woman of good will, cry out forcefully: Violence and war are never the way to peace!” he said. “War always marks the failure of peace; it is always a defeat for humanity.”
Incredibly, some in the mainstream media were critical of the Holy Father’s message. Mark Phillips, reporting for CBS This Morning, said that the Pope had “taken sides” and waded into “politics” by calling for peace. He hinted that Pope Francis has chosen Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position over that of President Obama.
There are several lessons to be learned here. First, the Church will always stand against violence when there is an opportunity for peaceful dialogue. Blessed John Paul II pleaded for peace in the lead-up to the first and second Gulf Wars. The secular media embraced his position. Pope Francis is doing nothing different. The message is the same. The difference is politics — specifically the politics of the man in the Oval Office.
Tim Tebow
My critique here is not of President Obama, but of the liberal secular media whose members stretch their news reports to fit their political ideology. This leads to the second lesson: Do not trust the secular news media. If you haven’t picked up on it, the mainstream news machine has an undeniable bias against Christianity — and in particular against the Catholic Church. Case in point: Their blind mission to destroy Sarah Palin and Tim Tebow.
Informed citizens must have access to truthful, unbiased reporting. Unfortunately, that’s a rare commodity these days. Fortunately, alternative media — blogs and web-based news sites like Breitbart, LifeSiteNews, OneNewsNow, The Blaze and others are delivering what the mainstream media refuse to give us.
No matter what side the secular media comes down on, the Catholic Church will always stand for peace over war, life over death, and Christ over the world. And it’s our job to make sure we are on His side because our choices have eternal consequences.
PATRICK NOVECOSKY is the editor of this blog and Legatus magazine’s editor-in-chief.
