Catholic and Enjoying It!
Where Peter Is discusses the vile apologetics for child-torture and hostage-taking now being offered in the name of Jesus Christ by Raymond Arroyo in defiance of both the Holy Father and the Magisterium (click the link to read the whole thing):
Can someone explain to me why Raymond Arroyo still has a show on EWTN? Bad enough that whenever Arroyo hosts Kevin Appleby, from the Center for Migration Studies and a longtime staffer on the issue at the bishops’ conference, he’s paired with someone from the viciously anti-immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform. This would be like hosting Cardinal Timothy Dolan, [former] chair of the bishops’ Pro-Life Activities Committee, and pairing him with Cecile Richards from Planned Parenthood. But, last week, Arroyo discussed the bishops’ spring meeting and their discussion of immigration with First Things’ Matthew Schmitz, and Arroyo did nothing but make apologies for Donald Trump’s willingness to separate children from their parents, and blame it on the Democrats.
Michael Sean Winters takes the words out of my mouth. The quote above, from his links column yesterday, as well as his new column today demonstrate the lengths to which Arroyo will push his political views, even when those views directly contradict the teachings of the Catholic Church.
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During these weeks, however, Raymond Arroyo has not been part of the outcry. He’s been a cheerleader for an unjust and un-Catholic policy. The week before his discussion with Matthew Schmitz, his guest was Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based think tank that advocates for lower levels of immigration. (The video is here.) The two discussed the justifications for the policy, as if there was no other choice. Arroyo suggested that the United States provides something akin to “foster care” for the separated training, citing the “sports training” and “education” they receive. Almost as if this is the desired outcome for these families.
Late in this conversation, Krikorian suggested that the levels of legal immigration need to be pared back significantly, while illegal immigration should be stopped completely. This was, of course, a friendly interview with someone who holds strongly anti-Catholic views.
Regarding the interview a week later with Schmitz, Michael Sean Winters had this to say:
Rather than confronting the immoral policy, Arroyo made excuses, repeating White House talking points about these separations being necessary because of “long-standing American law, connected to the Flores decision, which demands that children be separated from their parents.” Then, how come previous presidents, of both political parties, did not separate children from their parents as Trump is doing now?
Arroyo went on to blame the victim. He said, “that loophole is being exploited,” although it was not clear what loophole he meant if the law was as clear as he indicated. “There are a lot of people gaming the system….’just throw my kid over the border,’ ” Arroyo averred.
Arroyo’s guest, First Things’ senior editor Matthew Schmitz did not question Arroyo’s political spin. When asked about Cardinal Joe Tobin’s call for the bishops to go to the border to demonstrate their pastoral concern and their protest against these inhumane policies, Schmitz suggested the proposal was “grandstanding.”
This is not a Catholic voice. And the Catholic voice, in this instance is unified. This is not left or right. Even Cardinal Burke has spoken against it. In an interview with EWTN News he said, “A solution to the situation has to be found which avoids this practice of separating children from the small children from their parents that’s that’s clear.”
What damage is Arroyo’s dissent causing? Michael Sean Winters discusses his influence:
“Hundreds of thousands of Catholics think he speaks for the church. His show is a scandal in both the generic and theological sense of the word.”
I have family and friends who watch his show and allow him to influence them. It is doubtful that most of his viewers fact-check his assertions after watching the program.
Arroyo has always been a shill for the GOP. But his defense of Trump’s gravely immoral policy, in direct defiance of the clear teaching of holy Church, is now a danger to souls at a whole new level.
EWTN: do the right thing and get rid of him. He’s always wanted a job at FOX anyway. Let him go there and suck to up Laura Ingraham (also a false prophet and enemy of the gospel) rather than complete the transformation of your once-great network into the People’s Democratic Patriotic Church Network of Our Lord and Savior Donald Trump.
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