Now that the “The Passion of the Christ” has run its course, the record will show that not one act of violence against a Jewish person occurred anywhere in the world, thus confounding those who made such dire predictions. Indeed, the movie played in literally scores of countries, all without violence. Those who predicted that the movie would... [Read more...]
“BARE” WITH US
The musical “Bare” first debuted on October 25, 2000 in Hollywood and was included in the league’s 2000 Annual Report on Anti-Catholicism. The play has recently been resuscitated in New York for a run in an off-Broadway theater. The kitschy, self-indulgent “pop opera” revolves around a gay love affair between two high... [Read more...]
RELIGION AND POLITICS: BISHOPS SPEAK WITH CLARITY
When the bishops recently assembled in Colorado, they overwhelmingly approved a policy statement on “Catholics in Political Life.” Presented on June 18, the position that the bishops staked out on what to do about pro-abortion Catholic politicians was greeted with enthusiasm by the Catholic League. From our point of view, the bishops spoke... [Read more...]
PLEDGE CASE VICTORY
Last year, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights filed a joint friend-of-the-court brief with the Thomas More Law Center supporting the right of public school students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The June 14 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, though made on grounds that the plaintiff lacked standing, upholds the constitutionality... [Read more...]
THE TRIUMPH OF THE BANALITY OF EVIL
If you haven’t read pages 8-9 yet, please do so before reading this article; it will facilitate what I’m about to say. The late philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote brilliantly on the causes of totalitarianism, especially as it occurred in Nazi Germany. Perhaps her most memorable phrase—used to describe the way in which Germans became almost... [Read more...]
JUSTIFYING INFANTICIDE
After President Bush signed a law banning partial-birth abortion last year, Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry sued to have the law overturned. This past spring, several doctors who have performed such abortions testified before judges in various parts of the nation. The following is an excerpt of their remarks. The Procedure April... [Read more...]
KERRY’S “RELIGION OUTREACH” DIRECTOR QUICKLY SILENCED
It took less than a week for the Kerry camp to silence Mara Vanderslice, its Director of Religion Outreach. This intriguing story began when the Catholic League broke a news story on June 14. The following statement by the league explains how the process unfolded: “Here’s what we know about John Kerry’s religious outreach person. Mara... [Read more...]
JEWISH NEWSPAPER RIPS CATHOLIC BISHOPS
The lead editorial in the June 25 edition of the Forward, a prominent Jewish weekly newspaper, accused Catholic bishops of being a threat to democracy. William Donohue then let loose with the following statement to the press: “Never have I read a more anti-Catholic editorial in my life. It is the height of arrogance and intolerance for a Jewish... [Read more...]
AMERICANS UNITED ATTEMPTS TO SILENCE BISHOPS
Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State recently sent a letter to the IRS asking the agency to investigate what he termed “electioneering” by the Diocese of Colorado Springs. Referring to Bishop Michael Sheridan’s pastoral letter about politicians receiving Communion, Lynn accused him of using “code... [Read more...]
DURBIN’S SCORECARD GETS AN “F”
On June 2, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois released a report, “Evaluating the Votes and Actions of Public Officials from a Catholic Perspective,” which ranked the twenty-four U.S. Catholic senators based on their votes in three areas: domestic, international and pro-life. The issues were taken from a publication issued by the United States... [Read more...]