Catholic League president William Donohue commented today on the results of the league’s petition drive in support of Rockville Centre Bishop William F. Murphy:
“Two months ago today, I issued a news release announcing a petition drive in support of Bishop Murphy. The results are in: more than 6,000 Long Islanders have signed the petition. And more are coming in every day.
“The petition was sent to Catholic League members in Nassau and Suffolk counties following a demand from Voice of the Faithful that Bishop Murphy resign. As I stated then, there was nothing in the report by Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly that warranted the resignation of Bishop Murphy. But this wasn’t enough to satisfy those bent on ‘paying back’ the Church: their anger is such that they have lost all sense of rationality and proportionality. That is why Voice of the Faithful, at least on Long Island, can no longer be taken seriously—they have discredited themselves by engaging in a witch hunt against Bishop Murphy.
“We answered the accusations of Voice of the Faithful with a point-by-point refutation of their charges; our report is available on our website at www.catholicleague.org. We proudly stand by that report.
“It is amazing to see the names of thousands of priests, brothers, nuns and lay people who signed the petition and wrote letters of support. Like other Catholics, they are outraged at those responsible for the scandal. But what makes our supporters different is their ability to discern the difference between innocence and guilt. That is why they are justly angry at those who seek to exploit the scandal to further their own political agenda.”
