On June 26, at a ceremony to commemorate the cracking of the genetic code, President Clinton said, “Today we are learning the language in which God created life.” At his side was Dr. James D. Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA. Now it is well-known that the president is largely responsible for keeping partial-birth abortions legal. ... [Read more...]
AL ROKER’S BRAND OF HUMOR OFFENDS CATHOLICS
NBC’s weatherman, Al Roker, has written a book about parenting and fatherhood, Don’t Make Me Stop This Car. In making the rounds on TV talk shows in June, he repeatedly told a story about his wife’s use of a fertility drug, perganol, making the claim that the drug is made by a company that is a subsidiary of the Vatican. Roker contended... [Read more...]
THE “AUTHORITARIAN” CATHOLIC CHURCH
One of the more common complaints about the Catholic Church is that it is an “undemocratic” institution. Indeed, many go so far as to label the Church “authoritarian.” While the first charge is true, the second is false. If by democracy it is meant what Lincoln meant, government by, for and of the people, then the Catholic Church is not... [Read more...]
BOGUS CHARITY: CATHOLICS FOR A FREE CHOICE
The Catholic League is attempting to weaken the power base of the anti-Catholic group, Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), by challenging its status as a legitimate charity. The league’s initiative was triggered by a newspaper report that said the pro-abortion entity was eligible to receive funds from the Connecticut State Employees’ Campaign... [Read more...]
CATHOLICISM THRASHED IN CINEMAX MOVIE
On May 26, Cinemax TV aired a movie starring Woody Allen, “Picking Up the Pieces,” that thrashes Catholicism from beginning to end. The plot revolves around a butcher (Allen) who slices up his wife and buries her in the desert. One of the hands is found (giving the finger) by a blind woman who brings it to a priest. The woman, now cured of... [Read more...]
“FATHER” RASI REDUX
In the June Catalyst we urged members to contact the producer of “Larry King Live!” to complain about the selection of Father Richard Rasi on the May 2 show. Father Rasi was critical of King for introducing him as a “gay defrocked priest” and then proceeded to misrepresent Catholic teaching on homosexuality. We reported that there is no... [Read more...]
FORMER MONK BASHES CHURCH ON TV
MSG Metro, a cable channel owned by Cablevision, aired a program in June that drew a quick response from the Catholic League. As part of its “Unblinking Eye” series, the station featured “The Monk at the Duplex,” a play by Christopher Hennelly. Hennelly, who spent five and a half years in a Franciscan monastery, is known for his Catholic... [Read more...]
GOBER ART IS MORE THAN QUEER—IT’S A HOAX
The June 13 edition of the San Francisco Examiner ran a story on an art display at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art featuring the work of Robert Gober. The exhibition, which runs through September 5, was described by the newspaper as being “queer in both senses of the word,” an obvious reference to the homosexual credentials of Mr. Gober... [Read more...]
GORE’S RESPONSE TO DONOHUE BOMBS BADLY
On June 1, William Donohue wrote to vice president Al Gore asking him to support the Vatican’s request that the World Gay Pride march either be postponed or moved to another location (the event took place July 1-July 9 in Rome). On July 3, Gore faxed a letter to Donohue explaining why he would do nothing; he also took the occasion to urge tolerance... [Read more...]
HATE MAIL
It never fails: whenever we put an op-ed page ad in the New York Times, we get hate mail. Here’s a sample of our latest, stemming from our ad in the June 5 edition of theTimes. “You really hated and feared your Mother’s power, eh? that she was able to do what you can never do. You trulyhate women, don’t you? You want POWER, you hateful... [Read more...]