Sun Times Reporter Promotes Democrats War-on-Women Meme

Annabel Kent, Chicago Media Critic

Sun Times reporter Carol Marin’s April 20, 2012 article entitled “Vatican waging a war on nuns,” begins with this sentence: “You decide if this makes sense.”

We at Illinois PayToPlay have decided. It does – and it doesn’t – make sense.  Here’s how:

In a transparent attempt to stir up a gender conflict within the professional servant ranks of the Roman Catholic Church, Marin begins her piece with a short litany of misbehaviors by Catholic priests.  All males, of course.

From there, she launches into a screed accusing the Vatican of a “surreal” assault on the nuns in order to “alienate American Catholics from a faith they love and from a hierarchy that has compromised much of its moral authority.”  Of course, that hierarchy is made up of…all males.

Marin continues in that vein throughout most of her article.  The corrupt, all-male hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church is waging a war on the poor nuns, while the nuns are merely focused on “issues of poverty, war, health care and homosexuality”.

Therein we have a rendition of the Democrats’ current-running meme that accuses the Republicans of engaging in a “war-on-women.” Except in Marin’s case it comes from a Chicago daily newspaper that purports to report on, and deal in, facts.

So, yes, Marin’s article does make sense – given its biased, meta-message agenda.

But, no, it doesn’t make sense as to the reality – as opposed to Marin’s accusation of surreality – of the situation.

The substance of the current conflict between the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWC) and the Vatican has a definite religio-political aspect. “The religious disagreement between the Vatican and the LCWR has a lot to do with end-of-life and abortion debates in the U.S., especially in the context of President Obama's health care reform law,” reports The Slatest.

It’s beyond dispute that the LCWC has a left-progressive agenda. It makes no attempt to hide that. For example, in their Spring 2012 “Resolution To Action: We are the 99% - The Occupy Movement,” LCWC calls on its readers to “Participate with the local Occupy group in your city by attending their assembly gatherings. Support the Occupy Movement with a personal or local house donation.”

Accompanying Marin’s article is this photo of The Sisters of Life order of New York, preparing for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to in Madrid in August 2011.

Marin should have selected a different order of nuns to illustrate her agenda.  Part of the Sisters of Life’s mission is to minister to women who are suffering the painful psychological consequences of having had an abortion. Their literature quotes John Paul II:  “I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an abortion. The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope.”

Fundamentally, Marin’s hostile bias is aimed squarely at the male hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, who, Marin clearly believes, oppress nuns as well as all the Church’s female laity.  In that regard, the priests are Marin’s metaphor for women-oppressing Republican politicians.

And this is big-time journalism?