Editor’s Note: Please Support Crux (April 23, 2019) - John L. Allen Jr.

Whether it’s papal generosity and restraint, as his admirers would have it, or a Machiavellian remains that if a leader believes he or she has been misrepresented and yet remains silent, even sending signals of approval, then ownership of that message shifts to the leader.

With a few towering exceptions, most secular news outlets are simply too far away from the story to really understand what’s going on – because especially when it comes to Catholicism, it’s not just facts that matter, it’s details too. On the other hand, many specialized religious news organizations are too close. They’re either on the institutional payroll, or they’re clearly aligned with one or another of the various camps within the Church. Crux has the chance to be close enough to get the story right, but far enough away to remain objective. We don’t strike that balance perfectly every day, but at least we’re trying.