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Image of St. Peter's Basilica: Benjamin Fay/Unsplash.com

By Christopher R. Altieri, Catholic World Report, August 16, 2023

Christopher R. Altieri is a journalist, editor and author of three books, including Reading the News Without Losing Your Faith (Catholic Truth Society, 2021). He is contributing editor to Catholic World Report.


The dominant media narratives about recent pontificates have been seriously flawed, if not outright false. Alas, it apparently doesn’t really matter.

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Ronald Reagan famously – or infamously – offered the quip during a presidential press conference in August 1986.

Perhaps paradoxically, Reagan invoked the maxim at the top of an explanation of what his administration would continue doing to help American farmers through some hard times they were facing. The problems were largely brought on, he said, by “government-imposed embargoes and inflation” and “long history of conflicting and haphazard policies.”

“Our ultimate goal,” Reagan said, “is economic independence for agriculture … [b]ut until we make that transition, the government must act compassionately and responsibly.” …

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