San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown is caught in a crossfire between Native Americans and Roman Catholics. The city’s Art Commission has approved a plaque for public display that blames Catholic missionaries for the deaths of half of California’s Indians. This event stems from the need to relocate an existing monument which depicts an Indian at the [...]
Last November, the Catholic League sent a letter to the president of Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California complaining about a display called, "H.I.V. and You." The poster, which was placed outside the administration office, showed a stern looking cleric (who happened to resemble a bishop) erasing a chalkboard which said, "I will use condoms"; [...]
The movie, The Last Supper, while not offensive to Catholics, nonetheless offended Catholics with its promotional material. The league, responding to many complaints, wrote a letter of protest to Sony Picture Releasing president, Jeffrey Blake. "Our position," said Dr. Donohue, "is unambiguous: the use of religious symbols by profit-making institutions should be treated reverentially, or not at [...]
The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun is a play that ridicules the life of the late singing nun, Jeanine Deckers. It was shown in April and May at the Grove Street Playhouse, in New York’s West Village. The play is vulgar and defamatory of Catholicism. Catholic League president William Donohue saw the play and [...]
The 1996 version of the original French movie, Diabolique, is vintage 1990s fare. In the original film, which was released in 1954, there was no nudity, vulgarity, gore or anti-Catholicism. The latest version has it all. The movie features a plot by the wife and lover of a diabolical man to kill him. In the original, Simone [...]
In a skit which aired on the April 9 episode of ABC’s Dana Carvey Show, Mr. Carvey performed different roles in "Rich Little’s Story of Jesus." Presented as a show to be presented on HBO by Mr. Little, the skit showed Carvey as various celebrities portraying Biblical figures. Nixon was the Archangel Gabriel, Johnny Carson was vulgar [...]
Toward the end of Lent, religious controversy swirled around decisions made by the Los Angeles Times about which cartoons it chose to run. The controversy involved the Times’publishing on March 28 a cartoon in its "Commentary" section. It showed Bob Dole crucified with the words "Christian Coalition" around his head similar to the crown of thorns. Instead of "INRI" [...]
Chabad House, a Jewish educational institute in Columbus, Ohio, advertised in its Spring catalog a May 17 lecture on anti-Semitism. The ad stated, WHEN IT COMES TO ANTI-SEMITES, IT’S SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO DISCERN A PATTERN. Shaped in the figure of the Star of David, the ad listed several prominent historical figures and groups as anti-Semites. Among those [...]
The following article by William Donohue appeared in the New York Daily News on April 21, and is reprinted with permission. Imagine someone putting a needle into the brain of a baby and sucking out his brains. It’s legal, as President Clinton affirmed last week when he vetoed a bill that would have barred this barbaric procedure. That’s [...]
Home Box Office (HBO) featured the notorious George Carlin on its Comedy Hour as part of its Original Programming for the month of April. His special, George Carlin: Back in Town, was not only vulgar from beginning to end, but it also took aim at Cardinal O’Connor, Catholics, pro-lifers and Jesus Himself. He said he was Catholic [...]
