Just when we thought we had heard the last story about the “holiday wars” of 2002, a bank issued a statement that really caught our eye. At the end of January, HSBC USA apologized for altering the religious imagery of a fifth-grader’s holiday card submission. Gregory Paladino, a student at Our Mother of Sorrows outside of Rochester, New York,... [Read more...]
HSBC USA has apologized for altering the religious imagery of a fifth-grader’s holiday card submission. Gregory Paladino, a student at Our Mother of Sorrows outside of Rochester, New York, recently won $1,000 for his school when his card was declared the winner in the HSBC holiday card contest. But the card the student submitted—showing a dove... [Read more...]
The “Holiday Wars” controversy over the propriety of putting religious symbols on public property drew a response this past Christmas season from the Supreme Court. On November 29, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens ruled that the city of Cincinnati could not bar the display of a menorah on a downtown plaza during the holidays. The municipal... [Read more...]
William Donohue sent the following news release to all 134 parishes on Long Island: “Jimmy Breslin is out of control and Newsday is irresponsible for not firing him. It is one thing to write critically of the Catholic Church, quite another to slander the Church and its leaders. In 2002, Breslin wrote 31 articles mentioning the Catholic Church and... [Read more...]
Reactions to the sexual abuse scandal in 2002 ranged from legitimate criticism to wildly unfair generalizations; we have no interest in addressing the former. Most Catholics were understandably angry, hurt and dismayed by the news, which provoked some activists to speak and act irresponsibly. Regarding the media, newspaper and television reporting on... [Read more...]
February 5 Chicago, IL - Americans United for the Separation of Church and State executive director Barry Lynn objected to the slogan on the side of the new “Patriot USA” coach launched by the suburban Chicago bus transit system called PACE. The full sized, red, white and blue bus was wrapped in a decal that featured the slogan “God... [Read more...]
Hoboken, NJ - The greeting card company Noble Works publishes a series of cards under the title “Extra.” Some include a choir boy saying, “See Father; I’ve been practicing like you said I should, and I can get my mouth open really wide.” The punch line is, “Ready for your surprise?” Another is a picture of... [Read more...]
January Byron, CA - The Byron Union School District instituted a three-week intensive course on Islam, which drew criticism from many parts of the country. According to one report, students had to “learn the tenets of Islam…wear a robe, adopt a Muslim name and stage their own jihad.” They also had to “memorize many verses in the... [Read more...]
January 9 Omaha, NE - On the opening day of the Nebraska legislative session, state senator Ernie Chambers distributed a packet of unusual Rosary beads to his colleagues. All of them had the crucifix chopped off. Chambers justified his decision to disfigure the Catholic devotional object by arguing that people of many religious beliefs find peace in... [Read more...]
In addition to sending this news release to those on the Catholic League’s media list, this one is being faxed to all 134 Catholic parishes in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island. Catholic League president William Donohue explained why he is taking this unusual step: “Jimmy Breslin is out of control and Newsday is irresponsible for not... [Read more...]