Catholic Network Buys Public Radio Station

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Jan. 23 — A Michigan Catholic media group has agreed to buy an all-news radio station, WMNN-AM, from Minnesota Public Radio for $6.75 million, the Associated Press reported. The station is expected to switch from news to a religious-programming format.

The purchaser, Starboard Media Foundation Inc., disseminates Catholic radio programs, operating under the brand name Relevant Radio. The programming had previously appeared in the Twin Cities area only on low-power, daytime-only stations.

“The more than three-quarters of a million Catholics living and working in the Twin Cities metro area will now have a powerful new radio voice here to help them stay connected with their faith,” said Relevant Radio's Sherry Brownrigg.

Relevant Radio runs 13 stations in the Midwest, puts programming on 10 affiliate stations and broadcasts over the Internet (www.relevantradio.com).

Starboard Media Foundation was created in 2000 by Catholic businessman Mark Follett of Green Bay, Wis.

Classic Catholic Novel to Be Filmed

VARIETY, Jan. 22 — Prestigious and sometimes-controversial director Martin Scorsese intends to adapt Graham Greene's novel The Heart of the Matter into a film, Variety magazine has reported.

Scorsese will direct and the script will be written by Don MacPherson.

The novel, which tells the story of a conscience-tormented Catholic caught up in adultery, was one of Scorsese's favorite novels as young man, according to Variety.

Scorsese, a former altar boy and seminarian for the Archdiocese of New York, is also known for directing Mean Streets, After Hours and Age of Innocence.

Many of his films contain religious themes and potent Catholic imagery. His 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ drew massive public protests for its depiction of a Christ who was tormented by doubt and sensual temptations.

Father Greeley Finds Younger Priests More Faithful

THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY, January/February — Priest-novelist Father Andrew Greeley wrote in Atlantic Monthly to complain about the doctrinal color of most recent seminarians and young priests, bemoaning them as inspired by a “pre-Vatican II” mentality.

Citing sociological research he has performed, Father Greeley discovered what he called “a striking trend,” namely: “A generation of conservative young priests is on the rise in the U.S. Church.” Father Greeley attributed this trend to Pope John Paul II's promotion of tradition-minded bishops and policies.

Some of the indices of “counterrevolutionary” (i.e. orthodox) attitudes Father Greeley noted included the following: “half the newly ordained priests … believe that a priest is fundamentally different from a layperson.” Furthermore “almost a third of these priests feel that the laity need to be ‘better educated to respect the authority of the priest's word.’”

More strikingly, Father Greeley pointed out that “60% of priests aged 56 to 65 and at least half of those aged 46 to 75 supported” the ordination of women to the priesthood, while “only 36% of priests under 46 did.”

On sexual ethics, “younger priests are more than twice as likely as priests aged 55 to 65 to think that birth control and masturbation are always wrong, and they are significantly more likely to think that homosexual sex and premarital sex are always wrong.”