The network is not the Church, but an instrument of the Church. Even so, many bishops appear unhappy with this particular instrument. In January, for instance, Los Angeles Lay Catholic Mission reported on a letter sent to Mother Angelica from Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Florida. Doing the bishops' job EWTN is likely the world's largest religious cable broadcasting network, with more than 1,600 affiliates reaching 54 million homes in 34 different countries. Even so, some bishops are unwilling to admit the accomplishment.
Many bishops appear to be equally pleased to be independent of Mother Angelica.
More to the point, however, the bishops and Catholic bureaucrats resent her exposing their modernist methods. Mother has always claimed that it is her mission to bring the true light of the faith to the common man, to the broken-hearted who want to hear the unchanging truth of Jesus Christ instead of being subjected to personal speculation, liturgical abuses, doctrinal deviations, and sex education. There are perhaps many conclusions that can be drawn from Mother Angelica's unusual healing, especially considering that it occurred after forty years of great suffering, during a time when a prince of the Church is appealing to Rome to have her censured and punished. One possible conclusion is that Christ has rewarded Mother for her commitment to the truth. But others, those who hold Mother and her network in contempt, will busy themselves trying to explain away the unusual occurrence.