Why the Vatican hired a Fox News reporter: 4 theories

Conspiracy theorists, start your engines: The pope just poached a "Fair and Balanced" reporter to hone the Holy See's media message

Pope Benedict XVI
(Image credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

The Roman Catholic Church is having a rough time in the public relations department: Frequent leaks on infighting and corruption among Pope Benedict XVI's top advisers have embarrassed the Vatican, a crackdown on American nuns is drawing bad press, and a long-running child sex-abuse scandal made headlines again Friday thanks to the monumental child-endangerment conviction of a Philadelphia prelate. Now, the Holy See has a new strategy to resolve this media mess: Hiring Fox News journalist Greg Burke as senior communications adviser. Burke, who is also a member of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei — the antagonists in The Da Vinci Code — likens his new role to that of the White House's top media strategist. "You're shaping the message," he says, and "you're trying to make sure everyone remains on-message." Why did the Vatican tap a Fox News alum for this job? Here, four theories:

1. No one spins like Fox

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