When the cardinal climbed on a camel…

One of the most astute and witty Catholic journalists must be Archbishop John Foley.

He rose through the ranks from Rome correspondent and then editor of Philadelphia’s Catholic newspaper, The Catholic Standard & Times, to spokesman for the US bishops, and eventually to prefect of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in the Vatican.

He recently left that post to become the pro-grand master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre.

What made me reflect on Archbishop Foley’s illustrious career as priest and journalist was the whisper I heard recently that he might soon be made a cardinal. How true this is I can’t say, due to my informant in the Vatican being a ten-year-old altar server called Luigi who trades inside information for double scoops of Italian gelati and James Bond videos.

My favourite Foley story was when, as editor of The Catholic Standard & Times in the 1970s, he accompanied his archbishop, Cardinal John Krol, to Egypt.

Of course, it is unthinkable that anyone should visit Egypt without taking the obligatory ride on a camel, which for the uninitiated can be a little nerve-racking, given the penchant of these ships of the desert to bite, break wind and demonstrate their infamous halitosis at every opportunity.

Predictably, his Egyptian host invited Cardinal Krol to sit on a camel. The cardinal immediately asked Fr Foley whether he should accept the offer. Without hesitation, Fr Foley advised him against it.

In keeping with the centuries old tradition of Princes of the Church not taking advice from mere priests, the cardinal not only hopped on to the nearest camel, but also donned traditional Arab headdress, ending up looking very much like a cross between a pious Lawrence of Arabia and a dashing Beau Geste.

Fr Foley took photographs which were subsequently published in his newspaper. Unfortunately, these were spotted by the secular press and in no time at all had spread all over the United States.

Bearing in mind that this was before the Sadat-Begin detente, the photographs sparked off a frenzy of accusations against Cardinal Krol for taking sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Cardinal Krol asked Fr Foley why he had published the pictures, despite advising him against climbing on the camel. Fr Foley responded: Your Eminence, when you asked me for my advice, I replied to you as a priest. But, when you were on that camel, I acted as a journalist.

In his years at the Vatican, Archbishop Foley was highly respected by both Pope John Paul II who knew a thing or two about communications and his peers. The archbishop’s advice was much in keeping with modern trends in dealing with the media, and his strategies were unquestionably successful.

Addressing Catholic journalists in Paris in 1997 he said: The first responsibility of the Catholic journalist is not to offer our own opinions, not to filter events through the prism of our own preconceptions or even our own convictions, but to provide an objective, dispassionate and complete account of the news.

In another address, he said that Catholic editors had a duty to report fully the news, even if such news was bad. I’m not saying that Catholic newspapers should be seeking bad news, I am saying that we cannot and should not deny or ignore bad news.

From my own experience, being a Catholic journalist today is very difficult indeed. One is always faced with the dilemma of either addressing all the issues of our Church and being pilloried by some readers; or indulging in sunshine journalism and being accused by other readers of withholding facts, simply not doing one’s job properly. Thankfully, we can be guided by Vatican policy and the wisdom of courageous Catholics such as Archbishop Foley.

This is still an enormous challenge, because in spite of following Vatican guidelines, whenever a newspaper such as The Southern Cross does publish controversial issues, it is not regarded by some elements as simply the messenger it intends to be, but rather as a renegade, a troublemaker even anti-Catholic.

However, editors are tough types and have learnt to ignore such criticism. Trouble is, though, that angry Catholics don’t complain to the editors with whom they have a gripe, but to their nearest bishop.

This is sad indeed, because our bishops have far more important things to do than listen to petty complaints about a Catholic newspaper, in this case, one that is published independently which is simply doing what the Vatican has asked it to do.

The Catholic media network is an important, if not crucial element, in helping South Africa’s bishops with their policy of engaging with the laity at every possible level, and vice versa.

In the years to come Catholic media will have an increassingly important role to play as communication technology makes access easier for all and two-way dialogue the rule rather than the exception.