Catholic League (U.S.)

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Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

Logo of the Catholic League
Abbreviation	CL
Formation	1973
Type	NGO
Legal status	Non-profit
Purpose/focus	Roman Catholic advocacy
Headquarters	New York City, New York
Location	New York
Region served	United States
Membership	233,333 paid members (1999)[1]
Official languages	English
Bill Donohue, President and CEO Bernadette Brady, Vice-President
Budget	USD $2.69 million (fiscal year 2005) 8 million in reserve[2]
Staff	4[2]
Website	www.CatholicLeague.org

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, often shortened to The Catholic League, is an American anti-defamation and advocacy organization with the stated mission of defending "the right of Catholics [...] to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination."^[3] The Catholic League is known for press release statements about what they view as anti-Catholic and anti-Christian themes in mass media, through its main public face, League president William A. Donohue. Noted for vocal opposition to movies such as The Last Temptation of Christ, Priest, and Dogma,^[4] as well as TV entertainment such as South Park, The View, and highly visible people like Rosie O'Donnell^[5] and events like the Folsom Street Fair^[6] Donohue regularly makes talk show appearances discussing the subjects. Henry Herx, director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office of Film and Broadcast (successor to the Legion of Decency) emphasized that the Catholic League is not an official agency of the church.^[7] People for the American Way lists the League among "Right Wing Organizations" [6]

Contents 1 Organizational overview 1.1 History 1.2 William A. Donohue 1.3 Operations and organization 1.4 Association with the Catholic Church 1.5 Membership 1.6 Political alignment 2 Activities 2.1 Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust 2.2 Bill Maher 2.3 Jessica Delfino 2.4 Senator Charles Schumer 2.5 Opie and Anthony 2.6 Employment discrimination against Catholics 2.7 Lucky Louie 2.8 Joan Osborne 2.9 Nothing Sacred 2.10 Dogma 2.11 The Golden Compass 2.12 Passion of the Christ 2.13 Bush holiday cards 2.14 CSI dispute 2.15 Michael Savage 2.16 John Edwards campaign staffers 2.17 Kathy Griffin 2.18 Mike Huckabee 2.19 "The War on Christmas" 2.20 Eucharist incident 2.21 Boycott of Roger Smith Hotel 2.22 Supreme Court nominations 2.23 Goya's Ghosts 2.24 Irish Child Abuse Commission 3 Criticism 4 In Popular Culture 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Organizational overview

[edit] History

Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (December 2007)

The League was founded in Milwaukee in 1973 by Virgil C. Blum S.J.^[3][8] Its board of advisors includes L. Brent Bozell III, Linda Chavez, Dinesh D'Souza, Mary Ann Glendon, Alan Keyes, Thomas Monaghan, Michael Novak and George Weigel.

[edit] William A. Donohue

Since 1993 the League has been led by its Board of Directors president, William A. Donohue, who works with a small number of organizational staffers including Kiera McCaffrey, the League's Director of Communications, who has made media appearances for the group as recently as May 2006.^[9]

In a 1999 New York Times article a reporter noted Donohue is pragmatic in regards to religion, "media savvy" and "steers clear of divisive debates on theological doctrines and secular politics".^[10] Adding that Donohue "fans simmering anger with inflammatory news releases, a Web site and newsletter"^[11] with "scathing attacks on the blasphemous and the irreverent".^[10] In a 2007 interview, Salon Life staff writer Rebecca Traister discussed Donohue with Frances Kissling, former head of Catholics for a Free Choice, who characterized Donohue as "abusive", and stated she avoided doing media interviews with him for this reason.^[12] Kissling also stated "[Donohue] has made it his business to protest every bit of pop culture and politics that doesn't mesh perfectly with his strict views on Catholic doctrine" and added that many have noted that he is a "total media hound".^[13] Donohue counters the criticisms against him by pointing out that less confrontational styles of previous League presidents also translated into less productivity and he wants to see an immediate impact from the work he does for the League.

This section's factual accuracy is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (February 2009)

In an interview on "Hardball" on MSNBC, League president William A. Donohue repeatedly asserted that his race gave him precedence when talking to Christopher Hitchens, stating "an Englishman is silent while an Irishman speaks" and then threatens him with violence by suggesting that they "take it outside".^[14][15]

[edit] Operations and organization

The League issues a journal, Catalyst, as well as reports, such as Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust, books, brochures and an annual Report on Anti-Catholicism. An array of prominent lay Catholics are listed as members of the Catholic League's Board of Advisors, including L. Brent Bozell III, Linda Chavez, Dinesh D'Souza, Alan Keyes, Mary Ann Glendon and George Weigel.^[16]

[edit] Association with the Catholic Church

The League is not part of the Archdiocese of New York, though it does rent an office on the same floor as the headquarters of the Archdiocese of New York.^[17][18] Patrick Whelan, president of the Catholic Democrats, points out that "Bill Donohue's perpetual bullying serves to remind us that he has no official capacity in the Catholic Church."^[19] According to a New York Times interviewer, the organization "maintains close ties to the leadership. Several bishops make personal donations. Cardinal O'Connor spoke at the group's 25th anniversary reception in 1998 and vacated part of his suite for its expanding operations, said Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York."^[17] The League includes on its website quotations from such prominent clerics as the more conservative Edward Cardinal Egan, former Archbishop of New York, the liberal Roger Cardinal Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, Most Rev. Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Denver, and Most Rev. Edwin O'Brien, Archbishop of Baltimore/Archbishop for the Military Services, as well as Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., endorsing the League's activities and exhorting Catholics to become members.^[16]

[edit] Membership

The New York Times reported that the group had 11,000 total members when Donohue took over the Catholic League in 1993. This grew to 233,333 paid members in 1999, a figure which the League multiplies by 1.5 to account for non-paying members in the households of paying members, resulting in a League estimate of 350,000 members.^[1] This 1999 estimate is the last statement about overall membership numbers that the League has made. The League's 2003 statement about membership claimed 15,000 members just in Nassau and Suffolk counties of New York.^[20] Annual donations entitle members to home delivery of the print version of Catalyst, the group's monthly journal, which is also available for free on the Catholic League's website.

[edit] Political alignment

The Catholic League claims political neutrality which is mostly required of non-profits. The website states, "The league wishes to be neither left nor right, liberal or conservative, revolutionary or reactionary."^[16] Although generally seen as conservative The league has at least occasionally been at odds with conservative figures and organizations. For example, they criticized the anti-illegal-immigrant group, the Minutemen, for opposing a San Diego priest's facilitation of employment for Latino immigrants and for condemning the Church as a whole in public statements about the matter. ^[21] The Catholic League also condemned pastor and televangelist John Hagee for what they called "anti-Catholic hate speech" and called upon the McCain presidential campaign to renounce this alleged bigotry.^[22]

[edit] Activities

[edit] Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust

The Catholic League sells Pius XII and the Holocaust: A Reader, a work which defends Pope Pius XII against accusations of indifference during the Holocaust. The book's contents are also available for free at the League's website.^[23]

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (June 2009)

[edit] Bill Maher

Donohue notes political and social commentator Bill Maher "has consistently been listed in the Catholic League's Annual Report on Anti-Catholicism" for acts of bigotry.^{[citation needed]} Donohue says that among his offensive acts, Maher has a habit of "slandering all priests as molesters and mocking the Eucharist". In the League's 2003 report, it claimed "no one insulted Catholics more than Bill Maher". Regarding one series of slurs, Donohue explained: "Bill Maher has been attacking Catholicism for years, and this explains why the Catholic League is now at a breaking point with him. It seems ‘the Catholics’ are always causing him pain and it was noted that when challenged he moved from blaming all priests for molesting young boys to raping nuns."^{[citation needed]} Reflecting on comments made by Maher in a late show, Donahue said "...most Americans believe in God, guys like Maher want a brawl. He should be careful what he wishes for because there are those who pine to deliver.”^[24]

[edit] Jessica Delfino

On December 19, 2006, Donohue issued a press release condemning controversial singer, songwriter, and comedian Jessica Delfino. Donohue attacked Delfino's act, which he described as "rife with Christmas-themed debauchery," and said that it "includes the showing of an obscenely-titled video banned from YouTube that features her rapping about her vagina, complete with obscene pictures flashing in the background." Based on this, he asserted of her comedy performance that "None of this is without malice. And at a time when radical Muslims are accusing Americans of harboring a depraved understanding of liberty, it only provides ammunition to the enemy."^[25]

Jessica Delfino responded in a press release, saying "I was brought up Catholic, and I was also brought up to believe that it isn’t anti-Catholic to celebrate the life-giving and life-nurturing parts of a woman’s body. I don’t know why William Donohue hates women’s bodies. I don’t know why he is afraid of refocusing attention on humanity's true source of creation, the mysterious and magical womb. But I do know that William Donohue is a hypocrite and a bigot, who has publicly made outrageous and highly-offensive anti-Semitic, and now anti-Muslim statements. And that certainly doesn’t make him a better Catholic than I am. William Donohue does not speak for all Catholics. He doesn’t speak for me."^[26]

[edit] Senator Charles Schumer

Senator Charles Schumer opposed Judicial nominee William Pryor saying his beliefs "are so deeply held that it's very hard to believe that they're not going to influence" him. Donohue raised a red flag noting that Schumer's objection to Pryor's "deeply held beliefs", in this context, is a violation of the Constitution's prohibition on a religious test for public office. Schumer countered that his concern arose out of a fear that Pryor's religious convictions would override his charge to interpret the law free of personal beliefs. Donohue claims that if such a statement were made of a Jewish nominee it would be recognized as bigotry.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Opie and Anthony

In 2002, FM talk radio hosts Gregg Hughes and Anthony Cumia hosted "Sex for Sam 3", where comedian Paul Mecurio encouraged Brian Florence and Loretta Harper, a Virginia couple visiting Manhattan, to have sex in a vestibule at St. Patrick's Cathedral on August 15, 2002. When a security guard ordered Mecurio and the couple to leave the church immediately, Mecurio began to argue with the guard, who then contacted police. The couple was arrested and charged with public lewdness. A description of the encounter was relayed by cell phone and broadcast on the "Opie and Anthony" radio show.^{[citation needed]}

When Donohue learned of the incident, he immediately contacted the FCC asking that it revoke the license of the offending station, WNEW. But, after the station cancelled the show, the Catholic League relented, telling the FCC it was not necessary to revoke the license.

Two years after the incident, Hughes and Cumia were hired by XM Satellite Radio. On one of their first programs at XM, the duo called Donohue to apologize. Regarding the guest spot on the show, Donohue said "They made it clear that they regretted the St. Patrick's stunt. We mixed it up for a bit and had a great time."

In 2006, Opie and Anthony signed a deal to return to CBS radio as well as being heard on XM. After the deal was announced, the Catholic League released a press release regarding the hire. The release said that they should be forgiven and given another chance. The release was summed up with the following quote “In short, the Catholic League hopes Opie and Anthony have a great run on CBS Radio.”

After the release was issued, Cumia called Donohue personally and thanked him for the support. Donohue was a guest when the program returned to CBS radio. The three talked about current events, the Church and politics, surprising themselves, and their listeners, by how often they agreed rather than disagreed.

[edit] Employment discrimination against Catholics

On Ash Wednesday 1997, a Catholic woman went to work at Silvergate Retirement Residence in Fallbrook, California and was told that she had to remove the ashes wiped on her forehead. When she refused, her supervisor wiped the ashes with a dish towel after allegedly grabbing her arm. The Catholic League issued a complaint making several demands.

When the employer claimed the matter was blown out of proportion Donohue responded, "No, it hasn’t. On Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, blessed ashes are placed on the foreheads of the faithful. The ashes remind Catholics of their own mortality and of the necessity for contrition and penance during the Lenten season. The supervisor's insensitive actions and the casual response of Silvergate's management betray anti-Catholic prejudice. It is as unacceptable for someone to wipe the ashes from the forehead of a Catholic as it would be for him to yank the yarmulke from the head of a Jew."

After initial resistance, Silvergate fired the supervisor. They also issued public and private apologies and implemented sensitivity training for employees.^[27]

[edit] Lucky Louie

In August 2006, Bill Donohue issued a press release which called comedian Louis CK's show Lucky Louie "barbaric" and listed examples of the show's "blasphemy" and "obscenity". Later, both Louis CK and William Donohue were on the Opie and Anthony radio show, and Louis CK challenged Donohue about his comments, accusing him of misrepresenting the show by taking things out of context and also of complaining about things that are in no way immoral or anti-Catholic. What followed was a heated exchange between the two in which Donohue revealed that he had never watched the show and Louie called Donohue a 'block-head.'^[28]

[edit] Joan Osborne

In 1996, Donohue took issue with Joan Osborne over her song "One of Us", which explores the question of what it would be like if God were a human being.^[29] Donohue questioned the point of the song and brought up her activism calling for support of Rock for Choice and other pro-choice groups stating, "It is no wonder that Joan Osborne instructs her fans to donate their time and money to Planned Parenthood. It is of a piece with her politics and her prejudices. Her songs and videos offer a curious mix of both, the effect of which is to dance awfully close to the line of Catholic baiting."^[30] Religious educator Paul Moses stated that Donohue's was a "tortured reading" and he saw Osborne as having "the Catholic imagination" with the song "awakening...spiritual hunger".^[31] Osborne said, in a letter to fans, that "the church's attitudes toward women and gays make the pope look far more ridiculous than any pop song could", she also did not write the song, which "speaks of the pope only with respect."^[31] Donohue also admitted that he was treating the issue "prophylacticly" because "cultures are changed as a result of patterns."^[31]

[edit] Nothing Sacred

In 1997, Donohue declared the ABC show Nothing Sacred as deeply offensive to Catholicism, although not as Anti-Catholic in the traditional sense.^[32][33] Calling for a boycott, he stated that the show portrayed Catholics with a traditional view as cold or cruel while glorifying more the maverick, irreverent voices in the community. However, the show was defended by some Catholics and had been written with the consultation of Jesuits, from which it later won the Humanitas Prize. Many Catholics agreed with him that the show was hostile to the beliefs and values of the Catholic Church, and ABC cancelled Nothing Sacred after less than a season, reportedly for ratings difficulty. Defenders and critics think he may have played a significant role in the show's rapid demise as advertisers often become leery of shows deemed "controversial".^[34][35]

[edit] Dogma

The year 1999 saw the release of Kevin Smith's controversial film Dogma. Despite the fact that Smith is a practicing Catholic, as Kevin Smith confirmed in an interview on the DVD of Dogma, several religious groups, especially the Catholic League, claimed that the film was anti-Catholic and blasphemous, and organized protests, including one that took place at the November 12 premiere of the film at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Smith noted that several of the protests occurred before the film was even finished, suggesting that the protests were more about media attention for the groups than for whatever was controversial about the film.^[36] The Catholic League's main complaints were that the film's main character is supposedly a descendant of Mary, who happens to work in an abortion clinic, which were seen as ironic conventions for a Catholic.^{[citation needed]} The film's distributor, Miramax, removed its name from the production, and hired attorney Dan Petrocelli to defend it publicly. Petrocelli accused Donohue of trying to stir a violent reaction to the film.

According to the film's director, Kevin Smith, "[Donohue] actually invited me out to have a beer after making my life hell for six months."^[37]

[edit] The Golden Compass

As part of a two-month protest campaign, Donohue called for a boycott of the film The Golden Compass believing that while the religious elements of the film will be "watered down" from the source novels, the film will still encourage children to read the series, which Donohue says "denigrates Christianity" and promotes "atheism for kids",^[38] citing author Pullman as saying that he is "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."^[39] Donohue hopes that "the film [will fail] to meet box office expectations and that [Pullman's] books attract few buyers."^[40] The call for a boycott has resulted in action by some Catholic groups in the US and Canada, and a Catholic school board in Ontario has ordered the source novel removed from its library shelves. Pullman has since said that the books do not have a religious agenda, saying of Donahue's call for a boycott, "Why don't we trust readers? Why don't we trust filmgoers? Oh, it causes me to shake my head with sorrow that such nitwits could be loose in the world."^[41] Pullman described the Catholic League as "a tiny, unrepresentative organisation," suggesting that "the only person Bill Donohue represents is himself."^[42]

Other evangelical groups, such as The Christian Film and Television Commission, are adopting a "wait-and-see" approach to the film before deciding upon any action,^[43] as is the Roman Catholic Church in Britain.^[41]

Some commentators have indicated they believe the criticism will prove ultimately impotent and that the negative publicity will prove a boon for the film's box office.^[44][45]

[edit] Passion of the Christ

Donohue is a staunch defender of Mel Gibson's controversial movie The Passion of the Christ. On the March 12, 2004 broadcast of Scarborough Country, he stated:

"Well, first they (critics of the film) said The Passion of the Christ was anti-Semitic. That didn't work. Then they said it was too violent. That didn't work. Then they said it was S&M. That didn't work. Then they said it was pornography. That didn't work. Now they're saying it's fascistic queer-bashing. That kind of language would ordinarily get somebody taken away in a straitjacket and -- put you in the asylum. I don't know what about -- the queer-bashing is all about. I'm pretty good about picking out who queers are and I didn't see any in the movie. I'm usually pretty good at that."^[46]

[edit] Bush holiday cards

After U.S. President George W. Bush used the term "Holidays" instead of "Christmas" on the White House 2005 Christmas cards, Donohue stated "The Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and... they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture."^[47]

[edit] CSI dispute

Donohue took issue with the November 3, 2005 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation broadcast for its portrayal of anti-abortion activists. Donohue claimed, "A talented writer could easily spin an interesting who-done-it from this plot, but CSI chose to advance a pro-abortion rights agenda by portraying those who are opposed to abortion as religious nuts not to be taken seriously." He went further and claimed, "Americans who respect human life in all of its stages have become the target of public ridicule. Enough is enough."^[48]

[edit] Michael Savage

"I was scheduled to be on with Mike Savage the day he savaged the Catholic Church and made bigoted comments about Latinos", Donohue said.

"But in the pre-interview — which occurred just a half hour before Savage went ballistic — I let a producer know that I did not share the host's position; after he checked with Savage, I was told they would not have me on the show. That was fine, but what is not fine is Savage's diatribe about the ‘greedy pigs’ in the Catholic Church and how ‘the institution is rotten from the top to the bottom.’ He owes all Catholics an apology."^[49]

[edit] John Edwards campaign staffers

Donohue demanded that former Sen. John Edwards fire two presidential campaign staffers in February 2007, charging that they were "anti-Catholic, vulgar, trash-talking bigots." He cited a blog written by Amanda Marcotte regarding the church's opposition to birth control saying it forces women "to bear more tithing Catholics". He also cited another posting called "Pope and Fascists". Donohue also objected to one of the staffers describing President Bush's "wingnut Christofacist base".

Donohue called the statements "incendiary, it's inflammatory. It's scurrilous and has no place being part of someone's resume who's going to work for a potential presidential contender." On February 8, John Edwards addressed the writings of the staffers, Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan, saying ‘that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor or anything else.’^{[citation needed]} Donohue insisted that Edwards fire the pair immediately.

After the complaints, Marcotte wrote, “The Christian version of the virgin birth is generally interpreted as super-patriarchal,” she said, “where God is viewed as so powerful he can impregnate without befouling himself by touching a woman, and women are nothing but vessels.” After Marcotte parted with the campaign, Donohue stated, "It is not enough that one foul-mouthed anti-Christian bigot, Amanda Marcotte, has quit. Melissa McEwan must go as well. Either Edwards shows her the door or she bolts on her own. There is no third choice—the Catholic League will see to it that this issue won't go away." He continued, "The Edwards campaign is in total disarray and the meltdown will continue unless McEwan is removed from his staff. The fact that Marcotte had to quit suggests that Edwards doesn’t have the guts to do what is morally right." McEwan resigned 13 February 2007,^[50] citing the hostility of the Catholic League and emails threatening rape and murder.^[51]

[edit] Kathy Griffin

On September 8, 2007, Kathy Griffin won her first Emmy for season two of reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. Griffin stirred up controversy with her acceptance speech, saying that "a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. He didn't help me a bit." She went on to hold up her Emmy and say, "Suck it, Jesus, this award is my god now!"^[52]

Her remarks were quickly condemned by Bill Donohue of the Catholic League who urged the TV academy to "denounce Griffin's obscene and blasphemous comment."^[53] After the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences decided to censor Griffin's remark Donohue said, “The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences reacted responsibly to our criticism of Kathy Griffin's verbal assault on 85 percent of the U.S. population. The ball is now in Griffin's court. The self-described ‘complete militant atheist’ needs to make a swift and unequivocal apology to Christians. If she does, she will get this issue behind her. If she does not, she will be remembered as a foul-mouthed bigot for the rest of her life.”^[54]

[edit] Mike Huckabee

Catholic League president Bill Donohue said Mike Huckabee went beyond wishing people a joyous holiday. Donohue said he was especially disturbed by the cross-like image created by a white bookcase in the background of the ad, saying he believed it was a subliminal message.

"What he's trying to say to the evangelicals in western Iowa (is): I'm the real thing," Donohue said Tuesday on Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends. "You know what, sell yourself on your issues, not on what your religion is."^[55]

[edit] "The War on Christmas"

The League marshalled e-mail, op-ed and letter-writing campaigns against stores and firms which use the term holiday instead of Christmas. In 2005, Donohue said that Wal-Mart was “practicing discrimination” and “insulting Christians by effectively banning Christmas.”^[56]

[edit] Eucharist incident

In July 2008, a controversy arose surrounding a Communion rite altercation involving Webster Cook, a student and member of the University of Central Florida (UCF) student senate. Cook attended a Catholic mass on campus and was given the Eucharist but walked out without consuming to protest the use of student funds for organized worship in the student union hall. In Catholic doctrine not consuming the communion is a form of desecration. Cook was proposed for censure by the student senate and was criticized by local media. He also received numerous death threats from enraged Catholics.^[57][58]

On Pharyngula, biologist and University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) professor PZ Myers publicly expressed support for Cook as well as outrage that Fox News appeared to be inciting readers to cause further problems for the student; he also ridiculed reports that armed guards would attend the next mass.^[57][59][60] Myers invited readers to acquire some consecrated Eucharistic hosts for him to be treated "with profound disrespect."^[61]

The Catholic League accused Myers of anti-Catholic bigotry and asked UMM and the Minnesota State Legislature to take action against Myers.^[62][62][63] Myers then also received death threats and hate mail.^[64] The Catholic League also called for Cook to be expelled from the university, with Donohue describing his confiscation of the Eucharist as a hate crime as well as a form of kidnapping.^[65] Donohue also accused those who supported Cook of anti-Catholic bigotry, and sent a letter to the UCF asking them to take legal action against Cook.^[66] A week after the initial communion Cook apologized and returned the wafer. The Catholic League, however, continued to lobby the university for his expulsion.^[67]

[edit] Boycott of Roger Smith Hotel

In March 2007, a sculpture created by Italian-Canadian artist Cosimo Cavallaro was to be displayed at Manhattan's Roger Smith Hotel. The sculpture, entitled "My Sweet Lord", was of a crucified Christ, nude, in molded chocolate. Although the artist was himself a practicing Catholic, Bill Donohue decried the work as "hate speech", "garbage", and "one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever,"^[68], describing Mr. Cavallaro as a "loser artist" and telling him in a television interview on Anderson Cooper 360, "You're lucky I'm not like the Taliban, because you would lose more than your head." In response, Mr. Cavallaro described Mr. Donohue as a "bully".^[69]

Under the leadership of Donohue, the Catholic League organized a boycott of the hotel aimed at forcing it to remove the statue. The hotel's management eventually capitulated to the League's demands, prompting the curator of the gallery, Matt Semler, to resign in protest.^[70]

According to Mr. Semler in a subsequent interview, the six-foot sculpture was the victim of "a strong-arming from people who haven't seen the show, seen what we're doing. They jumped to conclusions completely contrary to our intentions."^[71]

[edit] Supreme Court nominations

According to People for the American Way, The League was involved in the campaign to confirm John Roberts and Samuel Alito (both Catholics) to the U.S. Supreme Court.^[56]

[edit] Goya's Ghosts

A 2007 Catholic League review of the film Goya's Ghosts, a movie dealing specifically with the Roman Catholic Church's Inquisition of heretics decried the film for portraying "cruel and vengeful" priests who are "hungry for blood". The Catholic League granted that the "general subject of the Inquisition itself is not a problem" and that "certainly grave sins were committed by leaders of the Church during that time, and this is not something that should be forgotten by Catholics or anyone else." What the Catholic League objected to was that "the viewer is not provided with one redeeming member of the clergy."^[72]

[edit] Irish Child Abuse Commission

The Catholic League issued a News Release on May 20, 2009 entitled "Hysteria Over Irish Clergy Abuse" stating "Physical abuse includes “being kicked”; neglect includes “inadequate heating”; and emotional abuse includes “lack of attachment and affection.” Not nice, to be sure, but hardly draconian, especially given the time line: fully 82 percent of the incidents took place before 1970."^[73]

Since the Irish Child Abuse Commission 2009 was released Donohue has been defending the Church and claiming that much of the outrage is 'moral hysteria'. While stating that he agrees that rape and physical abuse are wrong and that he would not defend those actions he claims that the report has conflated these abuses with 'lesser' forms of punishment and is therefor not as serious. He also makes claims that many of the purported forms of abuse found by the commission were present and acceptable in the time period.^[74]

[edit] Criticism

This article's Criticism or Controversy section(s) may mean the article does not present a neutral point of view of the subject. It may be better to integrate the material in such sections into the article as a whole. (June 2009)

Donohue and the Catholic League have been criticized by other Catholics, who have accused them of being overly sensitive in the identification of anti-Catholicism.^[75] Jesuit priest James Martin, the associate editor of the Catholic magazine America says "Often their criticism is right on target, but frequently [The Catholic League] speak[s] without seeing or experiencing what they are critiquing, and that undercuts their credibility. Unfortunately, that type of response gives people the idea that the Catholic Church is unreflective. ”^[76]

At a 2005 event entitled “Justice Sunday”, advertised as “a rally to portray Democrats as being against people of faith”, Donohue shared the stage with Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler.^[77]

The Catholic League's monthly newsletter, Catalyst, publishes a "Hatemail" section, which includes letters from Catholics who claim they decided to leave the Church after seeing Donohue on television.^[78]

The Catholic League made a statement calling the media reports about the Ryan report on child sexual abuse "hysteria". The Irish politician and child rape victim Colm O'Gorman was highly critical of these statements on the Irish radio programme "The Last Word" in a debate with Bill Donohue. ^[79][80]

[edit] In Popular Culture

The 2007 South Park episode "Fantastic Easter Special" repeatedly criticizes the League as overly zealous, portraying Donohue personally as attempting to take control from Pope Benedict XVI. Donohue orders Jesus killed for defying the Church, and, upon Benedict's insistence that "I'm pretty sure killing Jesus is not very Christian", has Benedict imprisoned for being "soft and weak".^[81] After the South Park "Cartoon Wars" episode aired, Donohue had called South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker "little whores" for not resigning over the Comedy Central's censorship of Muhammad, while still making money by mocking Jesus.^[82] In the "Fantastic Easter Special" episode, Donohue calls Stan and Kyle "whores."

[edit] See also

• Anticlericalism
• Anti-Catholicism
• Anti-Catholicism in the United States
• Anti-Christian sentiment
• Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation
• National Legion of Decency

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Catholic League
• Catholic Civil Rights League of Canada The unaffiliated Canadian equivalent.
• GuideStar.org Clearinghouse for information on nonprofit organizations, including the Catholic League.