The Catholic League did not call it bigotry, but it did say that it was tendentious. This was our take on a segment of “60 Minutes” that ran on January 3. Entitled “Magdalen Laundries,” this piece focused on the plight of dysfunctional young women who sought care in Catholic convents in Ireland. Most of the women had lived on... [Read more...]
1998 ANNUAL REPORT—HOT OFF THE PRESS!
The Catholic League’s 1998 Annual Report on Anti-Catholicism is now available. The biggest annual report ever published, the report offers a comprehensive look at anti-Catholicism in 1998. It records Catholic- bashing incidents that emanated from the activist organizations, the artistic community, business, education, government and the media; a sample... [Read more...]
BALANCING BIGOTRY
On February 8, the Richmond Times-Dispatch raised the following question: “What explains the Catholic church [sic] being so desperate for priests that it is trying to recruit them through billboard ads?” What caught our eye is that this wise-crack was placed as a box insert in a favorable editorial on Israel. The curious juxtaposition... [Read more...]
BIASED AD DRAWS FIRE
Over the past few years, the Catholic League has complained to several newspapers regarding their willingness to publish full-page ads, paid for by the Eternal Gospel Independent Church Seventh-Day Adventists, that attack Catholicism. Fortunately, our complaints have typically resulted in a pledge by the editor not to run the ads again. Unfortunately,... [Read more...]
BUFFALO (JUNK) NEWS
When we’re upset with some newspaper column or editorial, we usually just write a letter to the editor. But in the case of a recent remark by a columnist for the Buffalo News, we also took our complaint to the editor and senior vice president, Murray Light. On February 4, Mary Kunz wrote a short comment on the significance of the feast of St. Blase.... [Read more...]
CATHOLICISM AND “THE GREATEST GENERATION”
William A. Donohue In a new book, NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw argues that those Americans who came of age during the Depression and the Second World War constitute our “greatest generation.” Though I was not of that generation (I am one of those “baby boomers”), I would agree: there was something very special about that generation,... [Read more...]
CHEAP SHOTS
We don’t complain about criticism of the Catholic Church, but we do complain about cheap shots. Here are a few recent examples. Newsday columnist Cheryl McCarthy doesn’t like the way Republicans have conducted the impeachment proceedings against the president. Fine. But why was it necessary for her to repeat what her friend told her about this?... [Read more...]
CLINTON’S VIEW OF HITLER IS FLAWED
On February 4, at the 47th annual National Prayer Breakfast, President Clinton said that “throughout history people have prayed to God to aid them in war.” He also said that “No faith is blameless in saying that they have taken up arms against others of other faiths, other races—because it was God’s will that they do so.” These... [Read more...]
COMPUSERVE PULLS DISPUTED FORUM FROM WEBSITE
CompuServe, one of the nation’s leading computer companies, withdrew a disputed forum from its website after a protest by the Catholic League. Thanks to league member Lisa Bastian of Cincinnati, Ohio, we got a tip that the CompuServe website featured a “Transgender Forum” that was laced with anti-Catholic commentary. All it took to find... [Read more...]
DIARY OF AN ATHEIST
Madalyn Murray O’Hair, who succeeded in censoring prayer in the schools, but who failed in her attempt to get “In God We Trust” removed from coins, may be dead or alive—no one seems to know. But if she’s alive, she probably is wearing that mink coat she always wanted, and is no doubt driving that Cadillac she always longed for: her... [Read more...]