Catholics and Contempt

The culture of contempt--the lust to wound perceived opponents who are seen not just as wrong but as evil--has become global in scope. Fed by the rise of "cheap speech" in media, seismic shifts in digital technology, and a boom industry based on selling outrage, people are increasingly unable to understand, much less dialogue with, their ideological rivals. The Catholic Church understands itself as the evangelizer of culture; yet this culture of contempt has evangelized much of the Church. A distressing range of Catholic media platforms and commentators have introduced the poison of contempt into the heart of Catholic life--and with exacting fidelity. In this timely and important new book, Vatican journalist and Crux Editor John L. Allen Jr. offers a bracing analysis of our fractured Catholic media landscape. Examining six case studies of the culture of contempt wounding the Church--four from around the globe, and two from the United States--Allen offers not only a sobering look at the direction Catholic media has headed, but an urgent call for it to change course.