The public attacks on the Catholic Church by Rhode Island Representative Patrick Kennedy, and Rhode Island Bishop Thomas Tobin’s defense of the faith and prayerful concern for Mr. Kennedy, have drawn the fire from the center left and its allies in the media.  SMS has written a few times about this conflict, most recently yesterday, when the Bishop responded to yet another public attack on the Church from Mr. Kennedy.

MSNBC has worked hard for years to be the anti-Fox — the network that appeals to the center-left of American society just as Fox News appeals to the center right.  SMS will leave it to media analysts to determine if that strategy is working or failing, but the latest attacks by four prominent MSNBC Talk Show Hosts suggests that MSNBC is not just anti-conservative, it is fanning the flames of anti-Catholicism. 

The latest rants and attacks by Chris Matthews and Lawrence O’Donnell, which are a follow-on from MSNBC’s Nancy Synderman, who suggested the IRS should investigate the Catholic Church, and MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan who launched a vicious attack on pro-life Catholic Cathy Ruse, suggests an emerging theme undermining the American tenet of religious freedom and clearly walking the line of anti-Catholicism. 

The Media Research Center did a good piece of reporting here on Synderman’s call for the IRS investigation.  And the Culture and Media Institute had this report about Ratigan’s attack on Family Research Council’s Cathy Ruse. 

Appearing yesterday morning MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” left wing attack man O’Donnell commented on the Kennedy-Bishop Tobin dispute: 

“This is a political act by a political bishop… Political bishops do the church absolutely no good. This guy’s—this bishop is a political hack.”

Maybe we can chalk up O’Donnell’s comment as standard form from a left wing radical who tees off on anyone to the right of Karl Marx.  But when we go to the tape of the interview between Chris Matthews and Bishop Tobin, MSNBC’s vitriol is both clear and portends a disdain for Catholicism and the fundamental principle of religious freedom.  As you will see Matthews is not interviewing the Bishop, he is ranting, disrespectful, interruptive and clearly trying to intimidate the Bishop from speaking publicly about matters of church and state, very similar to the interviews conducted earlier in the month by Synderman and Ratigan.

But you can judge for yourself.  SMS features below a two part video of the Matthews interview with Bishop Tobin.   

Matthews/Bishop Tobin Interview Part One:

Matthews/Bishop Tobin interview-Part 2

The anti-Catholicism charge is a serious one, and Matthews is a Catholic, but the latest solvos by MSNBC Program Hosts – Synderman, Ratigan, Matthews and O’Donnell — most certainly seek to undermine the fundamental principle of religious freedom through intimidation, and in our view walk right up to the line of fueling the flames of anti-Catholicism.

But then again, is anyone watching MSNBC?

For those interested in contacting MSNBC President, Phil Griffin, about the anti-Catholic positioning of his network you can call or write at:

Phil Griffin, President, MSNBC, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112  PH: 212-664-4444