The official confirmation by the Bollettino of the Holy See of the appointment of Monsignor Ronald A. Hicks as the new archbishop of New York has closed a process of great relevance for the Church in the United States. But, beyond the content of the appointment, there is an aspect that deserves attention: the channel chosen to preview the news.
The exclusive was advanced worldwide on Monday, December 15, by Religión Digital, a Spanish media outlet that does not hide its openly heretical editorial line, recurrently focused on debates about the abolition of the papacy, the role of «bishops and priestesses», and other «reforms» incompatible with Catholic doctrine. Moreover, it is a portal with scant real penetration among the faithful, far behind in audience compared to other established Catholic media (the Hypestat portal confirms that it is read four times less than Infovaticana). And yet, it was the recipient of information of worldwide scope.
This fact, by itself, says a lot. Not so much about the media outlet—which acts coherently with respect to its own editorial line—but about certain sectors of the Roman Curia and the environments that manage ecclesial communication. That a decision of the highest level is leaked to a media outlet that is minority in terms of audience, but perfectly aligned with a certain agenda, reveals which sensitivities continue to find an echo in the curia of Rome, even as the real ecclesial base moves less and less in that direction.
It is worth stating this clearly and without caricatures: the Catholicism that enthuses these media is not the one lived by the majority of the faithful. It is not that of the new vocations, nor that of large families, nor that of those who sustain the ordinary life of the Church. And yet, it continues to be the Catholicism that some Roman offices consider a privileged interlocutor.
That said, an honest congratulations is also due to Religión Digital. Breaking a worldwide exclusive of this nature is no small feat, and it demonstrates that the media outlet has known how to position itself in the right place to receive it.