We’ve had a busy time this fall dealing with an eruption of priest-bashing incidents. One of the worst took place in Seattle. After a protracted struggle, we got the apology we initially sought. On September 29, Ken Schram, a commentator for the ABC-TV affiliate in Seattle, KOMO, sarcastically complained about a piece of public art that the Seattle... [Read more...]
PADRE PIO DEFAMED
In the November issue of the Atlantic Monthly, there is a brief article by Tyler Cabot titled, “The Rocky Road to Sainthood.” Of Padre Pio, one of the most revered priests in recent history to have been canonized, Cabot writes, “Despite questions raised by two papal emissaries—and despite reported evidence that he raised money for... [Read more...]
NOTHING JUSTIFIES COLLECTIVE GUILT
How many times have we been told—rightly so—that it is wrong to say that all Jews are like Shylock? Or that it is wrong to cast all blacks as Sambo? Or that it is wrong to say that all gays are promiscuous? Or that it is wrong to brand all Italians as gangsters? Or that it is wrong to portray all Irishmen as drunkards? Or that it is wrong to depict... [Read more...]
SEX ABUSE AND SIGNS OF FRAUD
By Gordon J. MacRae Three years before the latest wave of clergy sex abuse claims rippled out of Boston across the country, Sean Murphy, age 37, and his mother, Sylvia, demanded $850,000 from the Archdiocese of Boston. Sean claimed that three decades earlier, he and his brother were repeatedly molested by their parish priest. In support of the claim,... [Read more...]
BARBARA WALTERS: MADAM MEDDLER
ABC personality Barbara Walters seems to have a thing about matters Catholic these days. For some reason, she finds it necessary to offer her pronouncements about issues that don’t concern her and about which she knows nothing at all. Our final straw came when she and her girlfriends sat around a table slamming the Catholic Church about sexuality.... [Read more...]
NOSTRA AETATE
When the Catholic League was asked by Congressman Rush Holt’s office whether we would endorse his resolution commemorating the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate (“In Our Time”), we did so without reservation. This definitive declaration on Catholic-Jewish relations was accepted by the Magisterium in 1965 and remains the touchstone... [Read more...]
PHILADELPHIA D.A. EXPLOITS CHURCH
On September 21, Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham released a grand jury report on cases of alleged sexual abuse by priests in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Here is what we told the media: “The incredible amount of time and money that Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham has wasted in her fanatical crusade against the Archdiocese... [Read more...]
PHILLY LAW FIRM HUSTLES CATHOLIC VICTIMS
An advertisement that was recently run in the Philadelphia Inquirer shows how bold the bigots have become. The following ad was placed in the A section of the newspaper on October 5: Legal Counsel To VICTIMS OF PRIEST SEXUAL ABUSE Printed below the headline was the contact information. The law firm is Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Schleifer, Weinstein &... [Read more...]
TV ELITES BASH PRIESTS
The elites are in full gear this fall bashing Catholic priests, especially on TV. For example, consider this totally gratuitous cheap shot made during the October 10 episode of the CBS show, “Two and a Half Men.” Here was the question: “Do Catholic priests make good babysitters?” Here was the sarcastic reply, “Is the pope... [Read more...]
DECATUR DISGRACE
Decatur, Alabama was the venue of an ugly scene that took place on October 2 inside the Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church. After Communion at the 11:00 a.m. Mass, a man and a woman rushed the altar and turned over the century-old marble altar. The altar was thrown down the steps and smashed onto the floor. Men from the congregation subdued the... [Read more...]