Catholic Ann Barnhardt on that pillowy new culture of closeness and encounter
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I'm so sorry for this, but ... Online Catholic Newspaper?
Really? Is that what you call it. Headlining Catholic Ann Barnhardt?
REALLY?
REALLY?
In the past I've laughed about Barnhardt and those 'news' sites who have hosted her. Not any longer, I've stopped - I even took a post down last week. It's unkind, uncharitable to make fun of someone so obviously disturbed. I think something is wrong with Barnhardt, and after yesterday's post, which Pewsitter highlighted, I also think she is being exploited by conservative Catholics - pretty much because of her extreme vilification of the Pope.
I do not want to link to her but her latest post is absolutely outrageous in the contempt and vitriol hurled against the Pope, as well as her vicious attack against faithful Catholics who support the Holy Father. Her contempt toward the Church and hierarchy is so extreme and harmful, it should not be repeated or disseminated.
Barnhardt's invective is obviously getting worse, her behavior and lifestyle may even indicate serious mental illness. If that is the case, priests and Catholic pundits who support her and promote her online contumelious essays, may be guilty of exacerbating her paranoia and delusion, which could lead to Barnhardt harming herself or another. If these online pundits really care about her, they might consider some sort of intervention to get her the help she needs, as well as to find a more stable environment in which she could live.
Granted - there have been outspoken 'fools for Christ' but I think it may be naive to assume this is the case with Barnhardt.
At any rate - the publishing of Barnhardt's rants are no longer funny. I may be wrong of course, but her hostile diatribes seem to me to be decidedly anti-clerical, anti-magisterial, if not anti-Catholic and delusional.
We might be witnessing a blogger coming apart, breaking down, online. It has happened before.
My apologies for posting this - but please be advised - the Catholic blogosphere is completely unreliable.
My apologies for posting this - but please be advised - the Catholic blogosphere is completely unreliable.
Song for this post here.
She needs many prayers. She'll find no prophet in the Bible using obscenity for dramatic effect. She needs to find out why.
ReplyDeleteThat's an excellent point. When I mentioned fools for Christ - Russian yurodivy - I understood how some would have raged against princes and important personages - some lived in strange places and behaved extravagantly - but I don't that is what's happening in this case. I'm reminded of another blogger several years ago who became unhinged online and railed against Catholic bloggers. I'm not sure what happened to him, but I think alcohol may have played a role in his online tirades.
Delete"the Catholic blogosphere is completely unreliable" The Catholic blogosphere is one of the worst scandals in the Church. In my opinion, it has become a major tool of the devil. Sites like Pewsitter lead the way. And this also includes far too many clerics as well.
ReplyDeleteA priest told me he can no longer go online to read or use Catholic social media.
DeleteIf I thought that the Catholic blogosphere was representative of the Catholic Church, I would run as far away from the Church as I could. The accusations, one-upmanship, condemnation, superiority and self righteousness are all major reasons why people reject religion and God. Most "Catholic" blogs are more anti-Catholic and anti-Christian in tone and nature than almost anything else on the Internet. And certainly Ann Barnhardt is an outstanding example of this.
DeletePewsitter has condemned me more than once because I support Pope Francis. What is wrong with this picture?
You are right.
DeleteI was in Rome for the Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage a couple of years ago, and I actually met Ann Barnhardt. I knew who she was as soon as I seen her, so I was quite taken aback to find that, in person, she is a total sweetheart of a person. She was very pleasant and kind to talk to. It's such a huge contrast from her online persona, which is why I think some of your observations above are so astute. I think the support and encouragement she gets from other online Catholic 'media' causes her to continually one-up herself and become even more radical.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me blog posts usually become more virulent when the author thinks people are not reading or listening, or taking the vitriol as seriously as they should.
DeleteEither when people aren't listening, but also when people are listening and responding affirmatively to it. In Ann's case, I think the former may be true. Trump is a good example of the latter case.
DeleteIndeed - Trump is a great example. Couldn't agree more.
DeleteAfter reading a couple of her blog entries I thought if anyone needs to ponder the meaning of Divine Mercy it's her.
ReplyDeleteHopefully.
DeleteWho's Ann Barnhardt?
ReplyDeleteI'm so tempted to bite on this...
DeleteShe's been on talk radio.