Bishop Finn: National Catholic Reporter should not call itself Catholic

[Dawn Marie]

Bishop Finn: National Catholic Reporter should not call itself Catholic

January 25, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The National Catholic Reporter, a newspaper renowned for its “liberal” editorial stance on numerous doctrinal and moral issues, should not advertise itself as Catholic, according to Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City.

The headquarters of the Reporter (not to be confused with the National Catholic Register) are located in Bishop Finn’s diocese, putting the paper under his ecclesiastical authority.

Bishop Robert Finn

“I have received letters and other complaints about NCR from the beginning of my time here,” writes Bishop Finn in a new column published today in the diocesan newspaper. The column was published to coincide with the feast of St. Francis de Sales, considered the patron saint of journalists by the Catholic Church.

The bishop listed the editorial positions taken by NCR that officially condemn Catholic Church teaching, including “on the ordination of women, insistent undermining of Church teaching on artificial contraception and sexual morality in general, lionizing dissident theologies while rejecting established Magisterial teaching, and a litany of other issues.”

Bishop Finn pointed out that his predecessor, Bishop Charles Helmsin, had demanded that NCR remove the name “Catholic” from its name in the late sixties, a request that was ignored at the time.

“From my perspective, NCR’s positions against authentic Church teaching and leadership have not changed trajectory in the intervening decades,” said Bishop Finn.

[Cathleen]

Good for him.  Probably the only thing the "Distorter" would understand is if he pulled their funding somehow. They have been an embarrassment for too long.

[Mary Ellen]

Does anyone know about details concerning him. I believe he may be on 'probation' for allegedly not responding to some abuse cases. It may be that they want him out. My daughter met a priest from that diocese and I dare not post the details here ... However this priest is and will be in holy hours.

[Dawn Marie]

I thought, but could be mistaken, that Bp. Finn was a fairly new appointment to that diocese.