The selection of Pope Benedict XVI was hailed by American Catholics as a great choice. One poll showed that more than 80 percent supported the selection of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, and most of those did so with enthusiasm (no doubt the figure would be much higher if only practicing Catholics were sampled). However, the selection has not sat well with... [Read more...]
HACK ATTACK
On Sunday, May 8, the Catholic League was bombarded with phone calls informing us that someone was able to “hack” into our website, replacing our homepage with a vile statement. Apparently, it was the work of Islamic extremists. The heart of what was said was as follows: “F— BUSH – F— SHARON — FREE PALESTINE —... [Read more...]
THEY MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE
The day before he was elected pope, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger gave a homily before the College of Cardinals warning of a “dictatorship of relativism” that was sweeping much of the world. Obviously, they liked what they heard, otherwise he would still be a cardinal. It is also obvious that there are many in the U.S. who reject this notion.... [Read more...]
JEWS AGAINST ANTI-CHRISTIAN DEFAMATION
On April 20, 2005, a new organization was established, Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation (JAACD). The president, Don Feder, held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and was joined by several members of the group’s advisory board. Feder was a Boston Herald writer and syndicated columnist for 19 years. He is the... [Read more...]
YES—ONCE AND FOR ALL— AMERICA IS A CHRISTIAN NATION
by Don Feder Rabbi Shmuley Boteach wrote an article in the Jerusalem Post (February 10, 2005) charging that some well-known Jewish conservatives are doing incalculable harm to their people by affirming that America is a Christian nation. In a rather kvetchy column about Jews who defend the public celebration of Christmas and Mel Gibson’s “The... [Read more...]
STICKING THEIR NOSES WHERE THEY DON’T BELONG
As the lead story in this edition of Catalyst indicates, non-Catholic reporters and pundits used the election of Pope Benedict XVI to inject themselves into the affairs of the Catholic Church in an unprecedented fashion. What follows is a sample of just how bad things got. In April 21, the New York Daily News printed two articles under the banner,... [Read more...]
CATHOLIC LEAGUE BACKS “JUSTICE SUNDAY”
On April 24, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins staged a major event in Louisville, Kentucky, “Justice Sunday.” Held at Highview Baptist Church, the program was an effort to rally pro-life Protestants against efforts to block people of faith from sitting on the federal bench. Perkins was supported by Protestant leaders such... [Read more...]
CONGRESSIONAL AIDE APOLOGIZES
Scott Bloch, who heads the Office of Special Counsel, has been the subject of an on-going campaign to discredit him. At issue are his policy decisions and hiring practices. Regarding the latter, Bloch has actually been attacked for hiring Catholics! Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse, the campaign got even uglier when Pete Leon,... [Read more...]
STRING OF VICTORIES
he Catholic League scored four recent victories, and did so without costing its members a dime. The Catholic League supports the right of public schools to have dress codes, provided, of course, that they are reasonably written. One we thought unreasonable was the one being proposed by the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas. The code... [Read more...]
WHY WE WILL NOT SUE SAN FRANCISCO
On May 10, the San Francisco board of supervisors unanimously passed a gag rule that violates the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech. Aaron Peskin, one of the board members who advocates banning free speech, spoke for the other 10 censors when he said, “The intent of this resolution is to make a clear statement that discrimination... [Read more...]