Newark Archbishop John J. Myers told NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider, in the second of a two-part interview, that the media is to blame for an increasing number of Americans who say they have no religion. Myers said media images don’t show people the proper morality and media organizations have a liberal bias. He also said there is no priest shortage in Newark and that the church shouldn’t change its teachings based on opinions of other groups.
While Myers admitted it is a challenge to keep the number of priests high, he said many are being ordained in Newark. “We do not have a priest shortage here in this archdiocese. Some other diocese do but we’re finding that young people are searching,” he said. “They’re asking questions. And we encourage that.”
Myers said the Second Vatican Council, which lasted from 1962 to 1965, was meant to address the relationship of the Catholic Church and the modern world and was the first time the media came into play. “The media became part of the dynamic of the council for the first time in the history of the church,” he said. “And in fact, some of the biases of the media became reflected in the discussions around the council.”
While prevailing opinions may change, Myers doesn’t believe the church should follow suit. “I think we should be true to our tradition and teaching with a 2,000 year history,” he said. “And all the polls we take, or all the opinions which are formed by the liberal media here in the United States are not going to make any difference in what we teach.”
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What might change, Myers said, is how the church delivers its message to make it more accessible and easily understandable for the masses. But he said it is unacceptable for the church to change its viewpoints to become more popular or more acceptable.
Myers is glad masses no longer have to be in Latin. “I think the change to the vernacular — that is to the language of the people — is a very healthy change because people want to participate and want to understand and I’m very much in favor of that,” he said. He added that if there are a significant number of people who want a traditional mass in Latin, the archbishop can get permission to do that.
According to Myers, a lot of young people haven’t gotten the church’s message, but he’s hopeful for the future. To connect with the next generation, Myers uses Skype to communicate with high school students in the 30 schools of the archdiocese by answering their questions. Seminarians at Seton Hall University also ask Myers questions.
“They just want a straightforward answer; not my personal opinion and not someone else’s personal opinion but what does the church teach and hold on specific issues which they might bring up,” he said. “And they’re free to say, ‘Well I can’t buy that or thank you for telling me.’ But what they really want is a straight answer. And I think that’s a sign of great hope.”
Immigration is a major issue in this country and Myers said his diocese has mass in more than 20 languages. He’s proud of the diversity and said the churches make an effort to welcome people to the U.S.
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that 20 percent of Americans have no religious affiliation, the highest number ever reported. Myers blames the media for the increase. “It says to me that the media is very powerful. Media is very biased in a secular way,” he said.
“The media does not refer things to a transcendent or to god but helps people to adapt — which I think is a fallacy — on their own feelings, their own current thoughts, their own current preferences as the focal point of morality or of religion and that’s not the case,” Myers said. “God has approached us and asked for us to conform our lives to god’s plan for creation and not to try to … create our own little world or our own little universe in which we will live because that’s not reality.”
Myers criticized The Star-Ledger in particular for “reporting their own biases” instead of using a lengthy interview he granted. He said the newspaper has attacked him regularly.
He also criticized entertainment. “Some of the shows I see on television are appalling because they don’t really have a moral reference,” he said. “We need to go to fundamental principles and fundamental identity of who men and women are by god’s design and live according to that and not try to create some new humanity which does not exist.”
Even with his frustrations, Myers said he is optimistic for the future. “I believe god is active in history and will lead us forward,” he said. “We’ve gone through difficult times before and you know we’re still here. We’re still thriving.”
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