by William A. Donohue (5/20/1998) Testimony of William A. Donohue, Ph.D., President, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights before the United States Civil Rights Commission on May 20, 1998 during a Public Hearing on Schools and Religion. I very much appreciate the opportunity to testify today on the subject of schools and religion. As president... [Read more...]
Pope Pius XII was not a German collaborator nor was he pro-Nazi. Neither was he inactive nor silent. As a member of the Catholic Church, I resent the blatant accusations against the diplomacy of the Pope and the Church during World War II. This is not only indecent journalism but it also an injustice toward a man who saved more Jews than any other person,... [Read more...]
In many parts of the country, this past Christmas was marked by conflict over its public celebration. The Catholic League was engaged in battles over the public display of crèches, winning some and losing some. In Lorain, Ohio, the ACLU threatened to sue city officials for erecting a crèche in Veterans Park; the ACLU director who led the charge is... [Read more...]
In a story that received national attention, the Catholic League protested a painting that hung in the front window of the Art Students League in New York City. The painting, by Robert Cenedella, showed Santa Claus nailed to a cross, hovering over New York. The artist claimed that his work was designed to protest the commercialization of Christmas. The... [Read more...]
Travelers Insurance Company trespassed on the rights of Robert Cospito and lost. The Catholic League saw to that. On December 17, the New York Times ran a remarkable story by David Gonzalez on the decision of Travelers to deny further coverage to Cospito on the grounds that his house was a church. Cospito, who lives in Forest Hills, Queens, called... [Read more...]
Offenses against Catholicism tend to emanate from activist organizations, the artistic community, commercial establishments, government and the media. Here’s a sample drawn from each quarter. In 1997, Oregon was home to one of the most unashamedly anti-Catholic campaigns in recent history. The battle over assisted suicide raged in Oregon with a fury,... [Read more...]
January Edison, NJ – More than 20 Jewish families in Edison and neighboring towns received anonymous mailings of “Smokescreens,” a notorious anti-Catholic book from Chick Publications which claims that the Vatican financed Hitler’s extermination of Jews. Chick Publications is the publishing arm of anti-Catholic activist Jack Chick.... [Read more...]
Winter Hawaii – The off-Broadway show Tony and Tina’s Weddingventured to Hawaii to tell the tale of an Italian American wedding that features a pregnant bride on drugs and foul language. The wedding ceremony is a mock rendition that includes a crude characterization of nuns and priests. It also defames Catholicism. January-February Louisville,... [Read more...]
Winter New York, NY – A note card, “Out of the Garden,” produced and distributed by Creatrix Cards, featured an image of the Virgin Mary juxtaposed on the nude body of a woman. January 28 Omaha, NE – An employee of One Star Long Distance attempted to defend the Catholic Church to a very loud employee who was ridiculing Catholics,... [Read more...]
Winter Central Florida – A professor at the Continuing Education Department of the University of Central Florida used e-mail to send “humorous” statements to her students and others. Among the offensive comments were: “When Jesus broke the bread at the Last Supper he said, ‘Take this all of you and eat it, for this is my body….’... [Read more...]