BishopAccountability.org
	Ewtn to Acquire Legion of Christ's National Catholic Review Energy Publisher January 19, 2011 http://www.energypublisher.com/article.asp?id=46998 The EWTN Global Catholic Network, founded by the famed Sister Angelica, has signed a letter of intent to acquire the National Catholic Register, the nation's leading Catholic newspaper. "I am very pleased and excited that the Register will now be a part of the EWTN family," said Michael P. Warsaw, the Network's president and chief executive officer. "All of us at EWTN have great respect for the Register and the role it has played throughout its history. It's a tremendous legacy that deserves to not only be preserved, but also to grow and to flourish." "I believe that EWTN will be able to provide the stability that the Register needs at this time as well as to give it a platform for its growth in the years ahead. We're proud to be able to step in and carry on both the Register's name and its tradition of faithful Catholic reporting on the issues of the day," noted Warsaw. Under the terms of the transaction, no cash will be exchanged between the parties. EWTN will take over the ongoing operational expenses of the Register and will assume the paper's future subscription liabilities. The acquisition of the Register is the latest in EWTN's efforts to expand its news presence in the global Catholic digital and multimedia market. At the start of 2010, EWTN entered into a partnership with the Catholic News Agency (CNA), a Denver-based independent Catholic news media outlet with bureaus in North and South America and Europe. Under that agreement, EWTN and CNA are sharing news resources and have created a joint news service found at www.ewtnnews.com. That arrangement was recently expanded to include a new original Spanish-language news service, EWTN Noticias, ( www.ewtnnoticias.com) launched in January 2011. EWTN Global Catholic Network provides multimedia services to more than 140 countries and territories. The Network transmits nine separate television channels in several languages to audiences around the world. It also operates multiple radio services including a network of hundreds of AM and FM stations, a Sirius satellite radio channel, and a global shortwave radio service. EWTN's main website, www.ewtn.com, draws more than 20 million unique visitors annually. The National Catholic Register grew out of Denver's Catholic Register, which began on Aug. 11, 1905. Under the leadership of Msgr. Matthew Smith, the Register System of Newspapers was developed, with the first national edition appearing on Nov. 8, 1927. It was acquired by the Legion of Christ in 1995. The Legion of Christ is an order of priests founded by Rev. Marcial Maciel of Mexico in the 1930s. It has been the subject of an ongoing review by Vatican officials following the death of Rev. Maciel who, near the end of his life, was called to a period of contemplation and penitence by Pope Benedict XVI. The Mexican priest, who led a life which saw the expansion of the Legion and successful fundraising activities, was dogged by accusations of sexual misconduct with seminarians and of fathering several children. Recently, the Legion was ordered to remove photographs of the priest from their seminaries and community centers in the numerous countries where they operate. On May 1, 2010 the Vatican issued a statement condemning Maciel as "immoral" and acknowledging that Maciel had committed "true crimes" and that he had led a "life deprived of scruples and authentic religious feeling". Pope Benedict also said he would appoint a special commission to examine the Legionaries’ constitution and open an investigation into its lay affiliate Regnum Christi.
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