The Papal Conclave, Day 2: What's Wrong With Fox's Shepard Smith?
If Fox News wants to keep its Catholic viewership, which we believe is substantial, it's time for those in charge to make a change
If Fox News wants to keep its Catholic viewership, which we believe is substantial, it's time for those in charge to make a change. A required month-long retreat and absence from Fox News for Shepard Smith would be a good beginning -- to discourage him and others from sneering at the Church beloved by millions.
Shepard Smith, Fox News anchor, has some explaining to do after his disrespectful and sarcastic comments about the Church on the first day of the Papal Conclave.
PrintMegyn Kelly had just announced the results of the first ballot as a live feed was being shown of the black smoke coming from the roof of the Sistine Chapel -- the new pope had not been elected on the first ballot. Then she handed the commentary over to Shepard Smith, Fox News anchor and host of the Fox Report, who turned to interview Father Jonathan Morris, a longtime Fox news commentator on Catholic and religious issues.
Smith used the occasion of the first day of the Conclave to start battering Father Morris -- who can certainly take care of himself, by the way, with a barrage of questions about women priests, making his answer to the question very clear: the Church should ordain women!
As the transcript shows, this was not just a casual question, asked in good humor. This question was framed by Shep Smith as a blatant injustice that the Catholic Church was required to remedy, period!
"Father, one of the questions people who are within the Church and those who watch the Church have is, "How can this church relate to a group of people in a large part of the world where social ideas are changing? Where this idea that women don't get to be part of things is just -- not understandable."
Father Morris patiently but thoughtfully tried to answer the question, but Smith kept interrupting and insisting that the Church had to ordain women priests. He asked sophomoric questions like, "How can the Church move forward and attract people?" and, "But the Church doesn't evolve with society?"
Then, of course, Smith had to throw in the "sex abuse crisis" and "coverup," making the easily refuted assertion: "If there were more women involved in serious positions of leadership, I don't think it would have happened in the same way."
But, that was not the end of Smith's sarcasm and disrepect for the Catholic Church. As he signed off just before 4 p.m., Smith noted the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, in the background, was not bathed in light. Smith then told his audience, "One of our employees lived here 23 years, the dome is right outside -- he sees it out his window -- it's always lit up at night."
Smith then completed his sign-off by saying, "Hopefully by Fox Report we'll have resolution to the mystery of the night the lights went out on pope land."
Yes, Fox News anchor Shep Smith referred to the Vatican as "pope land," on the first day of a solemn Papal Conclave with the black smoke billowing from the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
We are sure we were not alone at cringing at Shepard Smith's atrocious behavior, his dripping sarcasm, and tone of disapproval. One would think, at the very least, a man like Shepard Smith, born and bred in the deep South in Mississippi, would have better manners!
More importantly, this was all said on Fox News, the supposed friend of the social and religious conservatives, the defender of traditional values, and the religious traditions that shaped those values!
If Fox News wants to keep its Catholic viewership, which we believe is substantial, it's time for those in charge to make a change. A required month-long retreat and absence from Fox News for Shepard Smith would be a good beginning -- to discourage him and others from sneering at the Church beloved by millions.
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Deal W. Hudson, Ph.D, is president of the Pennsylvania Catholics Network and former publisher and editor of Crisis Magazine. He is a contributing writer for Catholic Online. Deacon Keith Fournier is a Catholic Deacon, PhD Student in Moral Theology, constitutional lawyer and the Editor in Chief of Catholic Online.
- - -
Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
Keywords: shepard smith, fox news, conclave, coverage, disrespect, scarcest, pope land
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It seems media everywhere jumps at any opportunity to bash Fox. I'm Catholic and found no problem with Smith's comments. The Catholic Church is in trouble because of their own decisions of cover-up and out of touch policies that desparately need addressed.
Shep is not conservative , he is a liberal. If you think this is outrageous you have to investigate and write a article about Univision's Jorge Ramos and their news networks that is behond me why 74% of hispanic catholics continue to watch their garbage when they did worst of what Shep did.
The Roman Catholic Church does not allow women to become Priest because the Church views Priest as Apostles of Christ. So simply said, "Jesus Christ" the Son of God only relied on Males to be His Apostles, so the Roman Catholic Church is simply following Jesus Christ example of using only men to be Priest of the Roman Catholic Church. We have many Sisters or Nuns that are Catholic Order Sisters that have in the convents in which they live or Community of which they live a leader called "Mother Sister" who is considered the leader of that community of Catholic Sisters. Many follow the "Virgin Mother Mary" as well as Her earthly Son Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic Church do not allow Priest to marry either because when they take their final Vows, they Consecrate their "entire life" to God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. Meaning a Roman Catholic Priest is on call as a steady Priest 24/7 every day of the years they are Priest. Hence there is no room for a personal family as the family of a Priest is the Parish he commits his life too. Marriage and complete commitment of a Priest to his community of the Parish he is assigned to by the Bishop of the Diocese he is assigned to as well. Priest are often called in the early hours of the morning to come and give the Sacraments of the Sick when a Catholic is near death. Either in a Hospital or in the middle of a highway where one is dying from a wreck. It's formal name is the Sacrament of Reconciliation with Christ prior to their Souls leaving their earthly body's.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. As a regular viewer of Fox News, I was appalled and extremely disappointed by the behavior and blatant disrespect "Shep" displayed during the conclave. He visibly made Father Morris more than uncomfortable by his unrelenting and open attempt to indict the Catholic Church and its teachings. This was an obvious, more than just obnoxious disregard for the "FAIR AND BALANCED" approach Fox News adheres to in its programming. I will continue to watch Megyn Kelly, Neil Cavuto, Bill O'Reilly and all my other favorites. As for Shepard Smith? No longer on my list. Maybe it's time for the "shepard" to be put out to pasture.
Shep has behaved like this before when he was interviewing Rick Santorum. It was the same day that Alan Colmes had claimed that Mr and Mrs Santorum took their dead baby home to "play with the other children" and he attacked the way they chose to hold what was essentially a funeral for him. Shep, like the rest of the liberal media, is obsessed with same sex "marriage" (he is gay) and reports as if everyone is in agreement with him on the issue. I noticed that during the Conclave, there was almost a suggestion that the Church would change it's beliefs on social issues depending on who the new Pope was. They can't seem to get it through their heads that the Church is our rock where we can always know that the familiar sense of being at home will never go away. Even though we may wander, the Church is always there to welcome us back with open arms.
Shepherd Smith - I'm only guessing, but there must be many highly trained journalists who are languishing on the dole in the USA who would sell their kidneys for his job - and would do a far better job of it for half the price!
Shepherd Smith was seriously lacking in even the most rudimentary journalistic skills for his coverage of the papal conclave. It was so apparent, it horrified and disgusted me.
Unprofessional, lackadaisical, pathetic.
By the way, I live in the United Kingdom and we have the BBC!
May the peace and charity of the Lord temper our thoughts and feelings, give patience before our judgements, and love to fill our hearts in His name. Remember, you were loved before you were born.
Lets take this time to say the Lords Prayer for our friends, our foe, the good, the bad, and ask for the light of the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and prayers.
Your Servant in Prayer
After having lived in Arkansas and Tennessee in the last couple of years, I've found there is much animosity against Catholics and we are looked down on as a minority because of our beliefs. It doesn't surprise me that Shep Smith would speak like that based on the part of the country he comes from. I was told of Catholic churches that come out of Mass to find papers tucked under windshield wipers telling them they need to be saved because they're going to hell.
Honestly, I BECAME Catholic BECAUSE of the fact that the church has stuck to it's long held beliefs instead of back and forth to what society wants such as I've seen in most other churches. Women DO have a place in the church. Not as priests or as deacons but in the many other roles in the church. Allowing priests to marry isn't going to take care of problems like sex abuse. And if you think the Catholic church is the only place THAT happens, they need to look again in their own houses
Honestly, who cares? We give these talking heads way too much time and too large of a platform. But I guess occassionally its nice to know who is on your side and who is not.
I think he is the highest paid anchor at Fox......
I believe our Catholic Church does treat women as second class citizens and the errant behaviour of many priests has done more damage to the reputation of the church than Shepard Smith could ever do! Grow up and look at the facts!