Friday, June 15, 2012

New Burning Issue for U.S. Catholic Bishops: Image Management



In case you didn't know: the U.S. bishops have been meeting in Atlanta.  And when they're not talking about the only issue of importance in the world today religious freedom, they're talking about . . . themselves!  And how they're perceived in society.


Believe it or not, as the jury still deliberates about the astonishing revelations of cover-up of childhood sexual abuse in Philadelphia and as Bishop Finn of Kansas City remains under criminal indictment for protecting a priest abusing children, the bishops are wondering how they might beef up their p-r image.

How they might do more spin control.  More media-doctoring.

More effective image management.

They're talking, in other words, about precisely what you'd expect any group of powerful men intent on safeguarding and extending their control of everything possible, whose chief advisors are other similar powerful men, to be talking about.  They're talking about images.  Illusions.  Spin.  Doctoring.

But not the substance on which the images are based--the substance that seems to be producing the very images that the bishops now think they need to spin and doctor.

To which SNAP replies, "It's ridiculous."  (And SNAP is right.)

And, oh, my apologies: I had thought the picture at the head of the posting was from the USCCB meeting.  Turns out it's a  photograph of GOP leaders announcing yesterday that they intend, by damn and as God is their witness, to continue their blockade of federal judges nominated by the current administration.

For an accurate picture of what's happening with the Catholic leaders who parallel the GOP leaders, see Mike Luckovich's cartoon at Truthdig this morning:


Wouldn't it be interesting if the bishops got a clue that this might explain why they have a very serious image problem?

No comments: