Editorial

By Paul Schratz

With this issue The B.C. Catholic marks the end of its 75th anniversary - possibly the longest-running 75th anniversary in the annals of journalism. The celebration commenced in 2005, the start of our 75th year of publication.

The editorial that appeared in the first issue of the paper, Aug. 15, 1931, began: “Wisdom and sanity are the fruits of sanctity.” Since then, The B.C. Catholic has attempted to be a voice of wisdom and sanity in a world that is largely giving up on both.

Through the Great Depression, the Second World War, the Cold War, the Space Age, the Second Vatican Council, the sexual revolution, the papacy of John Paul II, the fall of communism, the Great Jubilee, and the election of Benedict XVI, The B.C. Catholic has come out every week, documenting history and commenting on the signs of the times.

At the local level we have attempted to build community and foster a culture of life, and we have reported on the remarkable growth of the Church in Vancouver, from tens of thousands of Catholics to hundreds of thousands, right up to the implementation of the archdiocesan synod.

Over that period, the Church’s support for the Catholic Press has been impressive. Consider that at the time of The B.C. Catholic’s founding, Pope Pius X said, “In vain will you found Missions and build schools if you are not able to wield the offensive and defensive weapon of a Loyal Catholic Press,” a quote so powerful that it appeared on the front page of the paper throughout its first year.

Pope Pius further pledged that he would “make any sacrifice, even to pawning my ring, pectoral cross, and soutane, in order to support a Catholic paper.”

Through the years, the Church has continued to encourage the faithful to read the Catholic press. In 1963 Pope Paul VI issued Inter Mirifica, the Church’s Decree On The Media Of Social Communications, which said, “the faithful ought to be advised of the necessity both to spread and read the Catholic press to formulate Christian judgements for themselves on all events.”

In 1971 the document Communio et Progressio said: “Catholics are encouraged to read Catholic publications regularly.... It is hard to see how people can keep in touch with what is happening in the Church without the Catholic Press. Neither can people keep a Catholic attitude towards what happens in the world without the help of commentaries on the news written in the light of Christian principles.”

The support has continued, through to Pope John Paul’s final apostolic letter, Rapid Development, and Benedict XVI’s first official meeting as Pope, with Italian journalists.

As a Catholic publication, we are sometimes faulted for not adequately bridging the two goals of reporting the news and remaining faithful to the Church. History shows that The B.C. Catholic has never shied away from reporting on controversial matters. What it has tried to do is to report the news from a Catholic perspective, as called for in Communio et Progressio. That document instructed the Catholic Press to “encourage a free expression of opinion and a wide variety of publications and points of view,” while interpreting events “in accordance with the Magisterium of the Church.”

It’s a delicate balance, and we can’t claim to have always done it perfectly, yet today, when most media are echoing the words of Pontius Pilate, “What is truth?” we hope that readers can turn to The B.C. Catholic and see that the answer is the same as it was 2,000 years ago: He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and we serve it and the Church He founded.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over these years: our bishops, our clergy, our readers, and our advertisers. We hope to have you reading us for years to come.