Fr. Jonathan Morris Says Joe Biden Is a Liar?

News Hounds
October 16, 2012

http://www.newshounds.us/20121016_fr_jonathan_morris_says_joe_biden_is_a_liar

In addition to "Fox News bishops" there is a Fox News priest. Fr. Jonathan Morris is not your average parish priest. He joined Fox News when he was stationed in Rome as a member of the disgraced "Legion of Christ" and very close pal of the order's pedophile (and baby daddy) founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel who pandered to the rich and famous. While Morris is officially stationed at NYC's Old St. Patrick's Cathedral, he finds time to go on various international junkets with his very special pal, Cardinal Dolan whose opposition to the president's birth control mandate has received reverent validation on Fox by Morris and Fox hosts. Despite other clergy who occasionally make appearances on Fox, Morris has a weekly Sunday gig during which he validates GOP right wing talking points that reach a vast Fox News "parish." So it was no surprise that Morris would support the bishops' "rebuke" of Joe Biden over his debate remarks about the mandate. And given that the bishops are implying that Biden is a liar, it wasn't surprising that Morris suggested the same thing!

Alisyn Camerota reported that the Catholic bishops are "firing back" on Joe Biden. While video of Biden was played, the chyron framed the Fox message: "Contraception Controversy, Catholics: Biden's Comment Inaccurate?" The crew laughed and Dave Briggs said "nice choice of words." Clayton Morris commented that after Biden made his comments "people said, wait a minute, there are a number of lawsuits" (he chuckled) "against the Obama administration as it relates to this very issue. Why would they be filing lawsuits if none of this were true?" (Uh, Clayton, the filing of a lawsuit doesn't mean that the filer has truth on their side.) Fr. Morris drew a deep breath and with his best jazz hands started to preach as the chyron made sure that the Fox congregation knew that the bishops "rebuked" Biden who wasn't telling the truth: "That's Not a Fact, Bishops Rebuke Biden on Contraception."

"What we see here is a strategy or a plan, a decision to go into a debate and say something that everyone would say this is not true. We heard the emphatic statement there by the vice-president saying 'this is a fact, this is a fact.' In fact, it's not true."

According to the Washington Post fact check, Biden was accurate when he said that non-exempt Catholic entities won't have to refer for contraception; but "went a bit far saying that it is a fact that they [Catholic institutions] will not pay for contraceptives.'

Just to make sure that Catholics don't head down the highway to hell, by voting Democratic, he read part of the statement from the US conference of Catholic bishops, "who measure their words very carefully," about how the exemption for religious employers is too narrow. The little padre got all vaclempt when he said that, contrary to Biden, the policy does affect those whom Biden said wouldn't be affected. Dave Briggs provided validation in saying that the mandate hasn't satisfied colleges and universities. Briggs added that there are already 30 plus court cases. He didn't mention that two have been thrown out. Nobody mentioned that a bunch of Catholic colleges already offer birth control as part of their health insurance.

As they chyron reinforced the "rebuke," with "Bishops Fire Back, Rebuke Biden's Claim on Birth Control," Morris asked why Georgetown would be suing over something that will not affect them. He pontificated; "this isn't a case about the HHS mandate but it is a case of what are you willing to say as a politician that isn't true simply to serve your strategic purposes." He added that fact checkers would say, "Sorry vice-president Biden, you're either woefully ignorant of that or you're just telling a bold faced lie."

Sorry padre but the reason why there are lawsuits is because the bishops don't agree with the policy and as such, the facts are in dispute. But I would ask what you are willing to say, as a priest, that simply isn't true simply to serve Fox's and the Catholic bishop's strategic purposes.

Now go in peace, thanks be to Roger Ailes.