John L. Allen, Jr., on the ‘Rest of the Story’ about the Catholic Church

"To invoke a medical analogy, journalism rarely delivers a whole-body scan when it covers a subject. A news report is more akin to a targeted x-ray, focused on whatever part of the body is creating the biggest problem at the moment - great for identifying a specific ailment, not so much for capturing a patient's overall state of health.

"More or less randomly, that thought comes to mind in light of a March 11-12 skiing competition for priests from the Alpine regions of Italy, France and Switzerland, which took place this year in the Italian resort city of Courmayeur, nestled at the foot of the towering Monte Bianco. By all accounts, the roughly 35 clerics who took part thoroughly enjoyed themselves, as did townspeople and visitors enchanted by the spectacle.

"To judge from most journalism on the Catholic Church, you wouldn't know such moments were even possible."

In a recent commentary, John L. Allen, Jr., editor of Crux, reflected on some the news reports that only carry bits and pieces about the Catholic Church and on how these items are not the whole story..

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Crux: Skiing priests illustrate the ‘rest of the story’ about the Catholic Church (17 MAR 24)