Archbishop John Foley was speaking to an audience of Catholic communications officers and editors, so he made sure that he didn\u2019t bury his most important statement.<\/p>\n\n
The first principle of dealing with the news media, he told a Vatican conference in 2001, was simple: \u201cNever, never, never tell a lie.\u201d Then the president of the Pontifical Office for Social Communications offered more advice that would prove to be prophetic.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cTruth will always come out,\u201d he said. \u201cFailure to tell the truth is a scandal, a betrayal of trust and a destroyer of credibility. \u2026 So sacred is the responsibility to tell the truth that one must be ready to accept dismissal for refusal to tell a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Principles of openness and honesty were tested as never before during 2002 as another wave of scandal hit the Catholic Church. In the end, members of the Religion Newswriters Association selected the clergy sexual abuse scandal as the year\u2019s most important news event. Four of the poll\u2019s top five stories were linked to the scandal and Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston was named newsmaker of the year.<\/p>\n\n
The RNA occasionally offers a dubious prize \u2014 its \u201cInto the Darkness Award\u201d \u2014 to the group that has done the most to hide information from the media and the public. This year, it was awarded to the American Catholic hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe institutional church is slowly learning that evasion and stonewalling and spin are not in its best interests,\u201d said Father Donald Cozzens, author of \u201cSacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cAfter all that has happened during this year, isn\u2019t it obvious that telling the truth is the best way to serve our people? It\u2019s the best way to protect our children. It\u2019s the best way to restore trust and regain our role as moral leaders. At some point we simply have to say, \u2018For God\u2019s sake, let\u2019s tell the truth.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n\n
Here are the top 10 stories in the RNA poll:<\/p>\n\n
(1) For the third time in two decades, clergy sexual abuse shakes Catholicism. At the heart of this scandal are new revelations that many bishops have moved priests alleged to have abused minors from parish to parish without warning legal authorities and the faithful. Some bishops apparently have approved secret settlements to avoid disclosure.<\/p>\n\n
(2) Cardinal Law resigns after rising protests by clergy and laity over his handling of abusive priests. Reports increase that the Boston archdiocese is considering bankruptcy, as the number of lawsuits climbs over 400. Sexual scandals claim several other bishops, including the liberal Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland.<\/p>\n\n
(3) Controversy erupts as some evangelical s openly criticize Islamic doctrine, often quoting the testimonies of Muslims who have converted to Christianity. The Bush White House tries to keep its distance, as Franklin Graham says Islam is an \u201cevil and wicked religion\u201d and Southern Baptist leader Jerry Vines calls Muhammad a \u201cdemon-possessed pedophile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
(4) U.S. Catholic bishops listen to the stories of abuse victims and then pass a \u201cone strike and you\u2019re out policy\u201d against any priest who has abused a child. Five months later, the policy approved in Dallas is changed \u2014 on orders from the Vatican \u2014 to include church tribunals to hear the cases of priests who proclaim their innocence.<\/p>\n\n
(5) The growing clergy sexual abuse scandal fuels the creation of new networks of Catholic laity, including the Voice of the Faithful, which draws 5,000 to a convention in Boston. The Vatican faces waves of protests from outraged Catholic conservatives as well as liberals. Support groups for victims surge with each new round of media coverage.<\/p>\n\n
(6) In yet another church-state cliffhanger, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of programs that use government-funded vouchers to allow children to attend religious schools.<\/p>\n\n
(7) A Circuit Court of Appeals judge in San Francisco causes a firestorm by ruling unconstitutional the words \u201cunder God\u201d in the Pledge of Allegiance. The judge soon stays his own ruling to allow for an appeal.<\/p>\n\n
(8) The National Council of Churches and other bodies on the religious left express their opposition to a U.S. invasion of Iraq. American Catholic bishops and a coalition of progressive evangelicals express similar concerns, asking if \u201cjust war theory\u201d allows a preemptive strike.<\/p>\n\n
(9) Palestinian gunmen take refuge in the Catholic and Orthodox sanctuaries of Bethlehem\u2019s Church of the Nativity, leading to a 39-day siege by Israeli forces. Suicide bombers and military actions continue throughout Israel and the West Bank.<\/p>\n\n
(10) Scholars announce the discovery of a stone burial box bearing the words \u201cJames, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.\u201d Is this a 2,000-year-old archaeological breakthrough or a hoax?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Archbishop John Foley was speaking to an audience of Catholic communications officers and editors, so he made sure that he didn\u2019t bury his most important statement. The first principle of dealing with the news media, he told a Vatican conference in 2001, was simple: \u201cNever, never, never tell a lie.\u201d Then the president of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1532,720,793,938],"class_list":["post-1210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-catholics","tag-religion-news","tag-sexual-abuse","tag-yearend-poll"],"yoast_head":"\n