Catholicism in the Eyes of the New York Times: The Epoch of Pope John Paul II

Catholicism in the Eyes of The New York Times The Epoch of Pope John Paul II serves as a comprehensive guide not only to Catholicism, but also to Times journalism during the epoch of Pope John Paul II.During Pope John Paul II’s pontificate, 1978-2005, The New York Times produced thousands of articles--news items and features by staff reporters, special correspondents and wire services; documentary excerpts; commentaries, editorials, and letters to the editor; all enhanced by headlines, captions, charts, drawings, and photographs by Times personnel--that set forth the salient features of Catholic life during that time. While TheTimes treatment of Catholicism was immense, two stories dominated Catholic coverage: Pope John Paul II himself and the sexual abuse scandal of Catholic clergy. The first part of this book, ＂Karol Wojtyla’s Pontificate,＂ explores the papacy of a man who was, without doubt, the central figure of Catholicism, as he set his evangelizing sights on defining the content of his church. The second part, ＂Sex Comes for the Archbishops,＂ spells out the contentions of the Church’s sexual abuse scandal, which cast the Catholic Church and John Paul II’s papacy in unwholesome shadows--at least as presented on the pages of The Times.

Christopher Vecsey is Harry Emerson Fosdick Professor of the Humanities, Native American Studies, and Religion at Colgate University.