Being ethically inconsistent is a trait that is universal, no matter how hard we try to be consistent. Usually, it doesn't matter too much, and that is because our shortcomings are limited to a small group, mostly family, friends, neighbors and work associates. But when it comes to public persons—those whose values and behavior affect a [...]
William A. Donohue No institution in American history has been more resolute in its opposition to abortion than the Catholic Church. Protestants and Jews were almost in lockstep praising Roe v. Wade in 1973, largely because our side was against it. Then things changed. In the 1970s, evangelical Protestants moved away from their reflexive anti-Catholicism and [...]
William A. Donohue When I was in the 7th grade, I was asked by one of my nun teachers who was the person I most admired. I said Walt Disney. When asked why, I simply said it is because he makes so many people happy. That was then. Over the years, beginning in large measure in [...]
William A. Donohue There have always been extremists on the right and the left who are completely intolerant, and while both sides need to be condemned, the real danger comes more from the left. Not because the right-wing extremists are less intolerant, but because those on the left are more numerous and they occupy the command [...]
William A. Donohue While doing the research for my book, The Truth about Clergy Sexual Abuse, I came to the conclusion that many of the Church's harshest critics were phonies. They didn't care a lick about the sexual abuse of minors. If they did, they would condemn it wherever it exists, but not only do they [...]
Bill Donohue Over the past several decades, there have been many reports on alleged wrongdoings by members of the Catholic community. Unlike most Catholics, I have had the time to read a good number of them—it's part of my job—and I am fortunate enough to have the training as a sociologist to read them with a [...]
In the May issue of Catalyst, I wrote how elites in our society are bent on dividing us. This month I want to look at technology's contribution to polarization. Not to be misunderstood, I am not against technology; my observations deal exclusively with its ineluctable effects on our culture. When I was growing up on Long [...]
William A. Donohue Following the debacle with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, I found it necessary to write a statement that would clarify what we do. There are some conservative Catholics, and others, who think we should give anyone in public life who is pro-life a pass, no matter what they say or do. If we did [...]
Pluralism is a good thing, just so long as it is not pushed to extremes, because when it is, it becomes a separatist threat to cultural cohesion. Unfortunately, we live in a time when our society is more polarized and segmented than ever before. For example, we should be encouraging new immigrants to learn English; it [...]
William A. Donohue Technically speaking, censorship is something that only the government can do: it has the power to stop speech before it is uttered and prohibit the distribution of the written word. In a free society, such instances must be limited and well defined. For the most part, our society has done a pretty good [...]
