Bill Donohue

Attacking men, especially white, Christian, heterosexual men, is a popular sport enjoyed by left-wing pundits and activists. This is driven home every Father’s Day. Normal people do not get exercised over this special day, but these folks do. 

In New York State, there is a bill, supported by Democrats, to replace “father” with “non-gestating parent,” and to call a “putative” father, meaning a deadbeat dad, “an alleged parent.” 

Why the adoption of “neutral” terms? Who is offended by calling fathers “fathers”? Radical gays and radical feminists object. They have long been at war with nature so this bill does not surprise. But why? 

Radical gays, especially those who claim to be “married,” object that terms like “father” and “mother” are exclusionary, leaving people like them out of familial conversations and governmental policies. They are right about that. But it is not men—it is nature—that has excluded them. To be blunt, nature has determined that people of the same sex cannot reproduce. That was part of God’s design.

The problem for radical gays is that they do not believe in human nature: they think everything that exists is a “social construct.” But male and female genital organs are not a “social construct”—they are an anatomical reality. Gays can carp all they want, but nature exists and they cannot change what it has ordained. It is a fight they cannot win. God has seen to that, and it is useless to try to defeat Him. 

Radical feminists deplore “patriarchy.” But there is a reason why it is universal: men are predisposed, as a function of nature, to rule. How so? Sociologist Steven Goldberg, who wrote a classical book on this subject, found that male dominance can be explained by hormonal factors such as the higher levels of testosterone that males have. As he noted, “the hormonal renders the social inevitable (italics in the original).”

Radical feminists like to point out that Goldberg’s thesis was contradicted by anthropologist Margaret Mead. Wrong. “Nowhere do I suggest that I have found any material which disproves the existence of sex differences.” She even went so far as to say, “It is true, as Professor Goldberg points out, that all claims so glibly made about societies ruled by women are nonsense. We have no reason to believe that they ever existed.”

In other words, radical gays and radical feminists can beat up on men, and especially fathers, all they want. But in the end, fatherhood is real and exclusionary, and so is patriarchy. The radicals may not like it, but most women throughout history have never had a problem with any of this. It’s only those with a fanciful ideological agenda who bitch about it. 

Happy Father’s Day!

In this episode of “Catholic League Report” Catholic League President Bill Donohue and Policy Analyst Sean Leigh discuss the cover-up by the mainstream media of the news that the Trump administration fired several agents who dealt with the anti-Catholic Richmond memo.

To watch, click here.

Bill Donohue

It is well known that the FBI under President Biden operated an anti-Catholic cell group within the Agency. Yet some in the media, especially the Associated Press, MSNOW and the New York Times, are trying hard to exonerate the FBI spy ring.

The most egregious attempt to cover-up for Biden’s FBI was committed by MSNOW and the Times: they focused their remarks on the Justice Department’s inspector general report. MSNOW said the report found “no evidence of anti-Catholic bias or malicious intent.” Similarly, the Times said the report showed “no evidence of malicious intent.”

These media outlets are referring to Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s conclusion that the probe of Catholics “lacked sufficient evidence” to establish a relationship between the extremists and Radical Traditionalist Catholic ideology, but “there was no evidence of malice.”

Had they not been so incurious they would have dug deeper and raised reasonable questions. I did. I addressed this issue in my letter of March 24, 2025 to Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

“This begs the question: Why did the Analysts think there was a relationship in the first place? It is one thing to concede that there are racial and ethnic extremists in every religious and secular organization; it is quite another to assume a nexus between a mainstream religious organization and violence, especially when the grounds for making such an assumption are spurious.”

It is important to note that the idea that the FBI was only interested in extremist elements within the Catholic community was proven false—the FBI targeted what it admitted were “mainline” Catholics. FBI Director Christopher Wray said he was “appalled” to learn of this. Similarly, Attorney General Merrick Garland said he was “aghast” at this news.

It is also important to note that Biden’s FBI called Catholics “domestic terrorists” if they are “pro-life,” “pro-family,” and believe there are only two sexes. In other words, practicing Catholics are considered “domestic terrorists.” This at a time when true domestic terrorists, such as Antifa, were given a pass.

If malice was not evident in the FBI witch-hunt against practicing Catholics, what would the media call a large-scale spy operation that was based on just one person? Not only that, what if the one person had no affiliation with the group under scrutiny? That’s what happened under Biden’s FBI. I also addressed this aspect in my letter to Jordan.

The Horowitz report admitted that the entire probe was based on one person, Defendant A. That’s right—there was no Defendant B. Not only that, he did not even belong to the Catholic Church; he belonged to some splinter, break-a-way group.

To top things off, the report said that “he had been on the radar ‘as an unstable, dangerous individual’ before ‘any association with any Catholic related entity whatsoever.’” It added that “there was no evidence that Defendant A was being radicalized at the church he attended.”

As I said at the time, “That being the case, why was it necessary to investigate his fellow churchgoers? Since when does the FBI conduct an investigation of a world religion on the basis of one miscreant, who was not a member of it, and whom they admit was not radicalized by it?”

The media never addressed any of these matters.

If the Trump FBI was spying on Muslims on the basis of one crazy person who wasn’t even a Muslim, the media would be all over it. Moreover, they would find it risible to conclude that malice was not in play. But when the victims are Catholics, that’s a different story. Nice to  know whose side they are on.

In this episode of “Catholic League Report” Catholic League President Bill Donohue and Policy Analyst Sean Leigh discuss a growing number of so-called “progressives” running for office as Democrats who are increasingly calling for anarchy as well as the destruction of America and traditional values.

To watch, click here.

Bill Donohue

So-called progressives are expected to deliver progress, but these days most of those who describe themselves as such are more likely to deliver anarchy.

Darializa Avila Chevalier wants to unseat Democrat incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a New York congressman. She says “A world without borders—just like a world without prisons or police—is possible, necessary, and the only moral way forward.”

She wants taxpayer-funded abortion, an end to support for Israel, legalized prostitution, and the right of males to shower with females. She also hates America, saying it is a “f***ing disgrace.” She won the backing of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Maureen Galindo recently ran unsuccessfully in the Democrat runoff primary for a congressional seat in Texas. She said we need to imprison Zionists and castrate Jewish men.

New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver recently won 87 percent of the vote in her reelection bid for Congress, despite the fact—or because of it—she recently assaulted a law enforcement officer; she is facing up to 17 years in prison.

Graham Platner is running for Senate in Maine. He calls himself a communist, wears a Nazi tattoo, admits to taking cocaine while serving in the Marines, is accused by multiple women of sexually assaulting them, likes to masturbate in port o johns, sides with Hamas, calls Jesus a “zombie,” and labels Our Blessed Mother a “skank.”

Chris Rabb won the Democratic primary for a congressional seat in a Philadelphia district. He is an advocate of sex-reassignment surgery for children, is rabidly pro-abortion, wants to abolish Columbus Day, hates Israel, supports national grocery stores, says corporate CEOs “should fry,” and has campaigned with Hasan Piker (who says “America deserved 9/11”).

James Talarico is running for Senate in Texas. He claims to be a “deeply religious” Christian who supports genital mutilation, chemical castration and puberty blockers for disturbed young people, says there are six sexes (he now says there are two), wants to allow sexually explicit material—but not the Ten Commandments—in the schools, and says abortion-on-demand should be legal, claiming God gave the Virgin Mary the right to abort Jesus.

When I was in the Air Force, I had a chance to shake hands with presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. He was campaigning in northern California in 1968; shortly thereafter he was assassinated in Los Angeles. He was known as a “progressive.”

It is a sure bet that Kennedy would have absolutely nothing to do with those who call themselves “progressives” today. Indeed, he would be revolted by their behavior and their policies.

In this episode of “Catholic League Report” Catholic League President Bill Donohue and Policy Analyst Sean Leigh discuss the recent decline in public support surrounding the celebration of “Pride Month” and how there are many examples of states, cities, and organizations using June as a way to support traditional family values.

To watch, click here.

Bill Donohue

Interest in celebrating homosexuality, and attempts to switch one’s sex—popularly known as the LGBTQ agenda—is waning. In some respects the fading interest is more of a yawn; for others, it’s more of a thumbs down. Whether Pride events have played out, or there is a pushback against them, is debatable, but the data clearly indicate that support for “Pride Month” is losing steam.

A Gallup poll that was recently released found that support for LGBTQ people peaked five years ago, and it has been downhill since. To be specific, support for gay marriage is down six percentage points since its peak in 2022 and 2023. The percentage of those who view gay and lesbian relations as morally acceptable has also taken a hit. Similarly, support for changing one’s sex (which technically cannot be done) is floundering.

There is a concerted effort underway on the part of those who support traditional moral values to take back June from homosexual and trans activists.

Three years ago, Princeton professor Robert George announced that June would be “Fidelity Month,” a time to celebrate why we are proud to dedicate June to God, our family and our country. I was happy to participate by taping a speech in recognition of “Fidelity Month.”

Several states are no longer recognizing June as “Pride Month.” Arkansas and Utah are celebrating “Fidelity Month”; Tennessee and Indiana are supporting “Nuclear Family Month”; Alabama is boasting “Strong Families Month.”

Tucson, Arizona has canceled its Pride events, as has Long Beach, California. The Texas Rangers baseball team has shelved “Pride Night” for “Faith & Family Night.” And the U.S. Department of Education has replaced “Pride Month” with “Title IX Month” (it commemorates equal opportunity for women—meaning real women).

Overall, these changes reflect a growing dissatisfaction with the moral state of America. The results of a Gallup poll, released in May, found that “A record-high 56% of Americans rate moral values in the U.S. as ‘poor,’ up 12 percentage points from last year, and 80% say moral values are ‘getting worse,’ up 14 points.”

The increase in “poor” ratings is found across the political spectrum—Republicans, Democrats and Independents all agree that our moral compass is broken. This widespread perception is no doubt due to many factors, but surely among them are concerns over marriage, the family and sexuality.

Those who value “free expression” over social stability will not be happy with these findings; conversely, those who put a premium on social stability will find reason to cheer. It boils down to a classic showdown between individualism and collectivism.

The question for those who favor the former is, “How much radical individualism can any society be expected to tolerate before the social order atrophies?” And then what?

It is a sociological truism that freedom is predicated on a modicum of social stability. Ergo, turning a blind eye to this reality is just plain stupidity.

Rebecca Virelles

(This story originally appeared on Beyond These Stone Walls)

Before you read about the two men named above, please know they are real people, living at the time of this writing, who are dear to many on earth and in heaven. Though you may never meet them in this life, please extend mercy with your heart and read their stories carefully.

Historical Context

Father Gordon MacRae is an American priest who is currently serving up to 67 years in prison. He was wrongly convicted of sexual assault in 1994. At the time of this writing, he has spent 32 years in prison for crimes for which he is wholly innocent, crimes that never took place. Because Father MacRae maintains his innocence, he will never receive parole and thus will serve the full 67 years, a life sentence, unless some other intervention materializes.

The Evidence

In 2005 and 2013, Dorothy Rabinowitz, an award-winning journalist wrote multiple articles for The Wall Street Journal covering this egregious injustice: “Trials of Father MacRae” (2013), “A Priest’s Story” (2005). Dorothy Rabinowitz was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the “Champion of Justice Award” from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

In 2022, Boston criminal justice and civil rights Attorney Harvey Silverglate also wrote for The Wall Street Journal in “Justice Delayed for Father MacRae.” His article revealed new information which came to light about the “falsification of records” of the lead detective behind Father MacRae’s case, James F. McLaughlin.

Additionally, a post-trial investigation by former F.B.I. Investigator James Abbott revealed that Detective McLaughlin threatened a defense witness, a therapist, with arrest if she did not change her testimony which would have helped to exonerate Father MacRae. The therapist had planned to testify that the accuser, Thomas Grover, had never accused MacRae of anything, though he accused several others of sexual abuse. This would have weakened McLaughlin’s case. She stated, “McLaughlin told me he would personally come to my home, drag me out of it bodily if necessary, and force me to appear in court and testify despite my information to him.” Her statement is here: Statement of Debra Collett.

Here is an excerpt of a letter dated October 24, 2013 by a media official for PBS to Judge Arthur Brennan, who sentenced Father MacRae to prison:

“My wife, Penny, and I were present in the courtroom throughout most of the trial of Fr. Gordon MacRae. For all these years, I have had many questions about this trial and much that I’ve wanted to clarify for my own peace of mind. I learned recently that both a superior court judge here in New Hampshire and the NH Supreme Court declined to hold a hearing on the evidence and merits of a habeas corpus petition in this case. Now that state courts seem no longer to be involved, I feel more inclined to approach you on what has been bothering me, as you were the presiding judge.

“We saw something in your courtroom during the MacRae trial that I don’t think you ever saw. My wife nudged me and pointed to a woman, Ms. Pauline Goupil [now Pauline Vachon], who was engaged in what appeared to be clear witness tampering. During questioning by the defense attorney, Thomas Grover seemed to feel trapped a few times. On some of those occasions, we witnessed Pauline Goupil make a distinct sad expression with a downturned mouth and gesturing with her finger from the corner of her eye down her cheek at which point Mr. Grover would begin to cry and sob on the stand. The lawyer’s questions were never answered.

“I have been troubled about this for all these years. I know what I saw, and what I saw was a clear attempt to dupe the court and the jury. If the sobbing and crying was not truthful, then I cannot help but wonder what else was not truthful on the part of Mr. Grover. If he was really a victim who wanted to tell the simple truth, why was it necessary for him and Ms. Goupil to have what clearly appeared to be a set of prearranged signals to alter his testimony? The jury was privy to none of this, to the best of my knowledge.

“Signed, Leo Demers”

His full statement is here: Statement of Leo Demers.

Here is an excerpt of a statement by Steven Wollschlager on October 27, 2008:

“McLaughlin asked me many times if Gordon ever tried to come onto me sexually or offered me money for any sexual favors. He had me believing that all I had to do was make up a story about Gordon and I could receive a large sum of money as others already had. McLaughlin reminded me of the young child and girlfriend I had and referenced that life could be easier for us with a large amount of money […] I was at the time using drugs and could have been influenced to say anything they wanted for money.

“A short time later after being subpoenaed to Court, I had a different feeling about the situation. I did not want to lie or make up stories. After speaking with the Clerk of Courts I was approached by another person. After telling this person that I did not want to be there and I stated Gordon had never done anything wrong towards me sexually or otherwise. I was told I could leave. This person seemed visibly upset that I had nothing to say.”

His full statement is linked: Statement of Steven Wollschlager.

The last to make a statement in support of Father MacRae’s innocence whom I will mention is Charles Glenn, Thomas Grover’s former stepson. An excerpt of his signed statement reads as follows:

“From 1993 to 1997 I was assigned to the Youth Development Center in Manchester, New Hampshire. During this period, my mother Trina Ghedoni was dating and later married to Thomas Grover. Almost every week my mother would visit me with Thomas Grover and on numerous weekends I would receive a furlough and be allowed to go to my home at 410 Prescott St. in Manchester where my mother and Thomas Grover lived.

“During these visits, and over a number of months and years, Thomas Grover discussed the sex abuse allegations against Gordon MacRae with me. Grover often stated to me that he was going to set MacRae and the church up to gain money for sexual abuse. Grover would laugh and joke about this scheme and after the criminal trial and civil cash award he would again state how he had succeeded in this plot to get cash from the church. On several occasions Thomas Grover told me that he had never been molested by MacRae.”

His full statement is here: Statement of Charles Glenn.

These statements are not the only evidence of wrongdoing, manipulation, and fraud in the case against Father Gordon MacRae, however for the sake of brevity I will conclude with linking Father MacRae’s own synopsis of the case against him: Synopsis of the Case.

Where To From Here?

Now that we have covered this injustice, we can turn our attention to what Father MacRae has done with his time and talents within those stone walls. He has successfully encouraged many prisoners to seek and complete higher education, and he has helped multiple prisoners prepare for deportation to countries where they had few or no connections or means of assistance. Some of the best work Father Gordon MacRae has done is not material: he has cooperated with the Holy Spirit to bring people, in and outside of prison, to hope and to God despite what they have endured or what they have done. Pornchai Max Moontri, one of Father MacRae’s closest friends, and a free man now living in Thailand, says of him:

“Father Gordon MacRae freed me from the evil inflicted on me. He taught me that this evil is not mine to keep. What do I do with such a story? If Father G had not been here, what would have become of me? He freed my mind and soul from the horror inflicted by a real predator. It breaks my heart that the man responsible for my freedom will now be left behind in prison.” — Statement of Pornchai Maximilian Moontri in a post written from Thailand: “On the Day of Padre Pio, My Best Friend Was Sigmatized.”

Father MacRae has a blog, Beyond These Stone Walls, in which he posts weekly reflections about Faith, Science, current events, and updates on the lives of his friends. Two of my favorites of his posts are: Science and Faith Are Not Mutually Incompatible and In the Absence of Fathers: A Story of Elephants and Men.

Here is a link to a post written on September 26, 2018, about his friend Pornchai Max titled: Pornchai Moontri: Bangkok to Bangor, Survivor of the Night.

My Analysis: Finding Light in the Dark

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” — Joseph to his brothers who sold him into slavery, Genesis 50:20

The purpose of this essay is to share the literature and lives of those who chose freedom of the soul over physical freedom. Other lives I have recounted and written about were courageous for facing death, but it is inspiring to see two people not give up after so much injustice and years of confinement. It is also wonderful to see how the effects of this hope have spread to others. At the end of Pornchai Max’s sentence in 2020, he faced five months in ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detention and deportation to a land he had not seen or spoken the language of for many years. This was due to Richard Bailey’s meaningful choice not to allow Pornchai Max’s mother (Wannee) to apply for U.S. citizenship, as he knew it helped him to keep a higher control of the mother and sons. It is likely Bailey threatened Wannee that if she did not do what he said that she would be deported to Thailand without means or assistance, as this was one of the reasons Wannee pleaded with Pornchai Max not to testify against his stepfather, Bailey.

However, what man intended for evil, God used for good. Thanks to Divine Providence, Beyond These Stone Walls readers, the “bridge” Father MacRae and Pornchai Max built, and the hard work and faithfulness of Pornchai Max in meeting these challenges, he was able to find housing and meaningful employment. He now lives in Thailand and volunteers to help those less fortunate. If Father Gordon MacRae had taken the lenient plea deals offered to him, he would not have met him and Pornchai Max would likely have never seen any measure of justice for what he endured.

“ ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ ” — Revelation 21:5

Pornchai Max’s triumph over the past is also evidenced by his accomplishments: earning his diploma and graduating as class Valedictorian in 2012, completing social work and psychology academic certificates at Stratford Career Institute “with highest honors”, and completing Theology courses at Catholic Distance University through a scholarship with all “A’s”. The late Clare Dion, who interviewed, visited, and befriended Pornchai Max during his imprisonment wrote, “What Pornchai has accomplished is nothing short of amazing given that he learned English in prison. He and ‘Father G’ encourage other prisoners to become educated, and Pornchai spent time mentoring and tutoring them, especially in mathematics in which he excels. He also spent his days in the woodworking and Hobby Craft shop where he taught safety training to other prisoners on the use of carpentry tools and machines.”

Testimony

A recent comment on the “Book of Tobit: The Angel Raphael on the Road with Pornchai Moontri” reads:

“What a beautiful faith-filled story! What left me with goosebumps is the fact that I know that every word of it is true. I have known Father Gordon and Max for many years. I was a lost 17-year-old when I was sent to prison, and I spent many years in hopelessness before meeting these two incredible guys. Though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, they were at my side bringing light to my very dark journey. I am a different person today because of them. I have wept over Max’s journey and the continued challenges he faced even in freedom. But Father G was there for him, even from a distance, and that is true of me as well. I also love dogs and this is the best dog story ever! I treasure you guys.
God bless you.
Bobby T”

A comment on a different post reads:

“WOW! I spent a couple of years in that prison. Because of overcrowding, there were no cells available for me. So I was stuck in an overflow bunk right outside cell #1 on Bravo Pod in Hancock Building. In time I came to see that I was the luckiest person in the world because the two prisoners living in cell #1 were Father G and Pornchai. When the gangs tried to recruit me, they weren’t having it. When a predator tried to extort me, they sent him packing. I felt so exposed going to prison at a very young age that these two guys made me feel perfectly safe. They weren’t taking any BS from me either. In exchange for looking after me, they made me go to school and I earned my high school diploma. That is a miracle because I have always been a dumbass. My worst enemy was Math, but Pornchai was a whiz at Math and got me through it. These two guys were seen by everyone as a team and I was fortunate enough to be their gatekeeper. I was popular by default. I have a lot of gratitude toward them both, and I thank them for their patience with me. I admire Pornchai so much more now to see that he is a man of deep faith. God bless them both.
With love from Ralph”

According to “Mercy Inside These Stone Walls,” a chapter in a book by Felix Carroll, fellow inmate, Donald Spinner, a Catholic convert, says his faith took root through Pornchai’s example. “Pornchai, especially, has influenced so many people here,” he says. “We all expect Father G. to be a good person, but Pornchai’s life of grace is inspiring to everyone. … The cost of discipleship for me has been the loss of my selfishness. No one can be selfish in such company.”

Conclusion

Evil and injustice are the hardest things to grapple with, especially as we witness our own struggles with light and dark. As others have written before, in our lives we cannot control the evil that happens to us, but we do always have the choice in how we respond. Even after meeting Father Gordon, Pornchai Maximilian could have chosen not to trust in him — he had every reason not to. Yet his courage and hope in setting aside the past propelled him forward, to freedom and to seeing some measure of justice served. Father Gordon could have chosen the easy way out, yet he would not have touched many lives, as several of the comments on his posts attest.

In an echo of one of his writings quoting St. Padre Pio: We often do not see how things are being woven together in God’s tapestry; we only see what looks like a tangled mess on the back. Yet, if we trust and do our part, even in the dark, even in pain, we will do what is right and one day understand it all. That is the essence of choosing the freedom of your soul over convenience, over your family, even over your life. True freedom comes from choosing to do the right thing, the will of God written on our hearts, and returning to it again when we stumble and fall. Our lives look different in the light of eternity.

Rebecca Virelles is a Senior at Arizona State University’s Bachelor of Arts in English degree program online. She served on active duty for nine years and is now a stay-at-home wife and mother. When not studying, she enjoys reading, baking, and traveling with her family. She aspires to write children’s literature one day in the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

In this episode of “Catholic League Report” Catholic League President Bill Donohue, Director of Communications Mike McDonald, and Policy Analyst Sean Leigh discuss letters that Bill wrote to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao. He wrote to them in response to Kao’s decision to not prosecute the radical leftists that busted into a worship service at Cities Church in January to protest ICE.

To watch, click here.

Bill Donohue

It is now legal for protesters to invade a house of worship in St. Paul, Minnesota, provided there are no palpable acts of violence. Church services can be interrupted, children can be taunted and attendees can be blocked from leaving.

We await the same church invaders who stormed a Protestant church in St. Paul to invade a mosque, but somehow we doubt that will happen.

To read my letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about this matter, click here.

To read my letter to the person who made this decision, St. Paul Attorney Irene Kao, click here.

Contact Kao: [email protected]