Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch recently made a $10 million contribution toward the construction of a new Catholic cathedral in Los Angeles. Murdoch has wide holdings in the movie, TV and publishing industries including Fox Television, 20th Century Fox Films, London Times and New York Post newspapers, Harper Collins and Zondervan publishing companies.

But the fact that his TV stations and movie productions are some of the sleaziest, did not stop Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony from anointing him and his wife as members of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great in January, 1998. This knighthood, bestowed on behalf of the pope, is given to persons of "unblemished character" who have "promoted the interests of society, the [Catholic] Church and the Holy See [Vatican]."

Besides this strange connection, there is an even stranger one. Murdoch is Chairman and Chief Executive of News Corporation which lists as one of its holdings, Zondervan Publishing House, the designated publisher of the New International Version of the Bible (NIV). Although the NIV copyright is held by the International Bible Society, Zondervan has exclusive publishing rights.

Is it just a coincidence that the distribution of the most popular of the modern Bible versions, based on the corrupted Roman Catholic texts, is controlled by a man who contributes heavily to Catholic causes and holds a papal knighthood?

It is also curious that since Murdoch was knighted for his "unblemished character" that he abandoned his wife of 31 years and married one of his "dynamic, tall and gorgeous" female employees who is half his age. When Cardinal Mahony's office was asked if the knighthood honor would be revoked, a spokesman replied, "As far as I know, once you've got it, you've got it for good."

It appears that as long as someone continues to "promote the interests of society, the Church and the Holy See" character blemishes can be conveniently overlooked. Especially if it includes donations in the $10 million range and distribution of the major Bible "perversion" based on Roman Catholic manuscripts.