During the 1988 presidential campaign, Bill Donohue was a Bradley Resident Scholar at The Heritage Foundation. His first book, The Politics of the American Civil Liberties Union, published in 1985, was the magnet that landed him the job. It was also a time when Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee for president, loudly proclaimed that he was [...]
When law enforcement agents act like bullies, justice is sundered. That's what happened last October in Michigan when police raided all seven Catholic dioceses—including the home of one bishop—in search of evidence of sexual abuse by the clergy. In late November local police, the Texas Rangers, the local D.A.'s office, and other agencies raided the Archdiocese [...]
Sexual misconduct is a ubiquitous phenomenon, sparing no institution. Moreover, it is hardly unique to our age. Yet by reading news stories this would not be so evident. They would have us believe that the Catholic Church is the worst offender. There is no evidence to support this claim. The Philadelphia Inquirer is a case in [...]
On December 19, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan released a report by her office on sexual abuse by the Catholic clergy in Illinois. Before addressing her report, consider the backdrop to her investigation. A few years ago, one teacher at a Northwestern Pennsylvania high school, Brother Stephen Baker, was reported to the authorities on grounds that [...]
The Boston Globe and the Philadelphia Inquirer published a 5400-word article on November 4 discussing how the bishops have handled sexual abuse matters since the Dallas norms were published on this subject in 2002. The front-page story in the Globe shows a photo of four bishops: Bishop Robert Finn, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop John Nienstedt, and [...]
A poll by CBS of American Catholics reveals that Pope Francis is no longer receiving the high marks he once enjoyed, especially with regards to his handling of clergy sexual abuse. Three years ago, roughly half of Catholics thought he was doing a good job dealing with this issue, but now only 29% feel this way. [...]
In the first paragraph of the November 13 editorial in the Washington Post, it says that the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church "raged unchecked for decades and, even after it was exposed in 2002 by the Boston Globe, has been met by the church hierarchy with denial, temporizing, stone walling and half-measures." That is [...]
On October 23, a public library in Portland, Oregon hosted an event for children 2-6 years old that featured perverts and Catholic bashers. The venue was the Multnomah County Library. "Drag Queen Storytime with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" was the name of the event. The "Sisters" have a long tradition of mocking nuns and bashing [...]
When giving the Commencement Address at the University of Notre Dame in 2009, President Barack Obama said, "Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause." His administration never did. Worse, it sought to violate conscience rights of pro-life Americans. When Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, [...]
Election night was good for Christians. In two of the three states that had ballot initiatives protecting the rights of the unborn, they won: Alabama and West Virginia affirmed the right to life of children in the womb, and they also banned public funding of abortion; Oregon made it easier for a woman to abort her [...]
