Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a ban on the Eucharist in a Maryland county:

The Volstead Act, which enforced the 18th Amendment ban on alcohol, allowed for certain exemptions, among them being sacramental wine used by Catholic priests. Howard County Maryland Executive Calvin Ball wants to go beyond Prohibition and ban sacramental wine and the Eucharist.

Part II, section 4, of Executive Order 2020-09 is quite specific. “There shall be no consumption of food or beverage of any kind before, during, or after religious services, including food or beverage that would typically be consumed as part of a religious service.”

The Archdiocese of Baltimore plans to observe social distancing and is discouraging Holy Communion on the tongue, but is not in agreement with this executive order.

This is an issue of monumental importance, one that should trigger a strong response from Catholics no matter where they live. Howard County spokesman Scott Peterson said they are open to receiving feedback regarding the executive order; Phase 1 has not yet been fully implemented.

Contact: speterson@howardcountymd.gov

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on an amicus brief that was filed yesterday:

On May 27, the Catholic League, represented by the Pittsburgh law firm Jones Day, filed an amicus brief with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to support the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. The case involves alleged abuse to plaintiff Renee Rice that occurred in the 1970s and early 1980s by a now-deceased priest. It stands to be a landmark case.

Ms. Rice did nothing to investigate her claims for almost 40 years. Under clear legal precedent, Ms. Rice’s claims have been time barred since 1983. Yet, as an outgrowth of the badly-flawed Pennsylvania grand jury report that targeted Catholic dioceses, the intermediate appellate invented a wholly-new rule to allow the claims to proceed.

The court distorted decades of settled law, stripped away the diocese’s legal defenses, and ignored the Pennsylvania Constitution. This type of breathtaking judicial legislation resulted in waves of new case filings across the State by the eager plaintiffs’ bar and drove the Harrisburg diocese into bankruptcy.

We hope the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will follow the overwhelming number of courts around the country who have dismissed claims like these at the very outset. Indeed, it defies law and common sense to allow a plaintiff to seek damages for alleged harm that occurred decades ago, when they have done nothing in the interim. Only the plaintiffs’ lawyers, and the shameless Pennsylvania Attorney General, will benefit from bad results like these.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the death of Larry Kramer:

Most Americans have never heard of Larry Kramer, but he is an icon in the gay community. He made his name fighting for a cure for AIDS, often taunting Dr. Anthony Fauci. He died of pneumonia on May 27 at age 84.

We at the Catholic League know him well. He founded ACT-UP, an urban terrorist organization. In 1989, his thugs invaded St. Patrick’s Cathedral, interrupting Mass, chaining themselves to the pews, and spitting the Eucharist to the floor. New York Mayor Ed Koch was in the Cathedral that day and could not believe what he was witnessing.

Kramer often condemned the medical establishment for the health conditions of homosexuals, but he had moments of brutal honesty.

He admitted that “The movement of the 60’s and the 70’s legitimized promiscuity.” This had dire consequences for the gay lifestyle, which he once dubbed a “death style.” Similarly, he rightly observed that it was not heterosexuals who demanded that the bathhouses be kept open during the spike in AIDS, it was homosexuals. “How many of us have to die before you get scared off your ass and into action?”

Kramer also endorsed pedophilia. “In those cases where children do have sex with homosexual elders…I submit that often, very often, the child desires the activity, and perhaps even solicits it, either because of a natural curiosity…or because he or she is homosexual and innately knows it.”

Larry Kramer led a troubled life. He certainly lived longer than many others who shared his promiscuous lifestyle and medical history.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue is calling for a federal investigation of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo:

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik has called for an independent federal investigation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s response to the way he handled the coronavirus pandemic in New York’s nursing homes. We second that.

Cuomo is responsible for the nursing home scandal: nearly 6,000 men and women have died in New York State nursing homes as a result of coronavirus, and this doesn’t count those who were moved to a hospital before dying. Cuomo’s delinquent response to this tragedy is directly responsible for thousands of these deaths.

In this country, coronavirus started in Washington state. It didn’t start in a school or in a salon: it started in a suburban Seattle nursing home. This should have been a red flag to governors across the nation: protecting those in nursing homes must be a priority. Some governors acted responsibly, such as Florida’s Ron DeSantis; others, such as Cuomo, were a disgrace.

In March, DeSantis and Cuomo both issued executive orders on how to proceed with managing nursing homes during the pandemic. Their strategies were polar opposites. So were their results.

On March 15, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, under the direction of DeSantis, mandated that entrance to nursing homes be narrowly limited, subject to specific criteria. Everyone, including staff, had to submit to temperature checks, and those who were symptomatic were not allowed into the facility. PPE was mandated for all staff.

Most significantly, nursing homes patients who tested positive were sent to special COVID-19 nursing facilities; they were not allowed to stay in regular nursing homes. Moreover, hospitals were not permitted to send these patients back to their nursing home.

Ten days after DeSantis acted, Cuomo ordered nursing home patients treated in hospitals back to where they came from, thus infecting staff and patients. On March 25, his order read, “No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH [nursing home] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19.”

Cuomo’s edict was the most monumentally irresponsible act committed by any governor in the nation. When nursing home operators asked to transfer patients, they were summarily denied. To top things off, he authorized a “don’t even try to resuscitate” mandate.

The “let them die” order was later rescinded. Cuomo’s decision to force nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients was also rescinded, but not until May 10. It was too late, in both instances, for some patients.

Florida has a bigger population than New York and has a big elderly population, yet it has only a fraction of the number of nursing home deaths as the Empire State. Leadership matters, and when it falters, innocent persons die.

It is not as though Cuomo wasn’t warned. On March 26, the day after his infamous edict, the American Medical Directors Association announced that “admitting patients with suspected or documented COVID-19 infection represents a clear and present danger to all of the residents of a nursing home.” His failure to listen defies reason.

Worse, Cuomo had places to put these patients. Thanks to the Trump administration, the USNS Comfort ship, with 1,000 beds, was available, and so was the Javits Center, with 3,000 beds. But both of these enormous facilities were closed to nursing home COVID-19 patients. When it was obvious that these venues were not being used by hospitals for other patients—most of these beds were empty—Cuomo could have stepped up and changed course. But he did not.

Cuomo did not lack for decisiveness when he recently declared that “nobody” should be prosecuted for the way nursing homes were managed. “Older people, vulnerable people, are going to die from this virus. That is going to happen. Despite whatever you do.”

Wrong, Gov. Cuomo. What Gov. DeSantis did saved lives. What you did lost lives.

Feeling the pressure, Cuomo has asked his Attorney General, Letitia James, to conduct an investigation of the nursing home fiasco. I have dealt with her and found her honorable. Still, this investigation needs to be done by someone not associated with the state government. That is why we agree with Rep. Stefanik that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services conduct the probe.

Stefanik’s reasoning is sound. “The governor [Cuomo] took executive action, forcing positive COVID cases back into nursing homes. There was zero transparency in terms of informing the seniors, the workers, or the family member whether there were positive cases.”

After the Child Victims Act passed last year, allowing for old cases of sexual abuse to be prosecuted, Cuomo was delighted. “I think the bishops have worked to protect the church over doing justice.” He blamed them for “not taking responsibility.” He added that “The Catholic Church was not aggressive in stopping it [sexual abuse] when they knew about it.” He was referring to the conduct of some bishops from the last century.

Now it is Cuomo who is protecting himself “over doing justice,” and his wrongdoing is happening in real time. It is he who is “not taking responsibility.” And it is he who was “not aggressive” in stopping nursing home deaths when he knew about it. He needs to be investigated, and it is the feds who should do the job.

If you support Rep. Stefanik’s call for an investigation, let her know: Elise.Stefanik@mail.house.gov

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on why he is writing to the board of directors of ViacomCBS:

Trevor Noah is out of control. An unrelenting bigot, his jokes about Catholic priests are mean-spirited and slanderous. His latest attack was May 18.

The only ones who can rein him in—making him treat priests the way he does many protected classes of people—are those who sit on the board of directors of ViacomCBS, the parent company of Noah’s Comedy Central show. That is why I am writing to them today. Below is my appeal.

To:               ViacomCBS Board of Directors
From:          Bill Donohue
Date:           May 20, 2020
Re:               Trevor Noah

Almost a year ago, I contacted Viacom executives about Trevor Noah’s relentless anti-Catholic remarks. He pulled back initially, discontinuing his invective. But a few months ago, he started in again, the latest salvo coming on May 18.

We all know the negative stereotypes about African Americans, Asians, gays, Hispanics, Jews, and Native Americans. They offer much material for writers, potentially making for some really insulting jokes, quips that bigots would enjoy. We also know that Noah would never attack any of these demographic groups. I am glad he does not. The question is why he continues to assault the sensibilities of Catholics, smearing tens of thousands of Catholic priests.

Noah is cruel. You have a bigot in your employ. The evidence that is being forwarded to you is conclusive. You can do something about it. Please do.

Contact Shari Redstone, chairperson of ViacomCBS: Shari.Redstone@viacom.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a biased TV ad:

Many states have suspended the statute of limitations for sexual abuse crimes against minors, and some lawyers have seized the opportunity to single out the Catholic Church. It would be like fighting crime and focusing exclusively on African Americans. Both campaigns smack of bigotry.

One of the most egregiously biased TV ads on this subject is being promoted by California attorney Andrew Van Arsdale. It has been running on Fox News, among other places.

Here it is. “For decades, survivors of childhood sexual abuse were told it was too late for them to seek justice. No more. Statute of limitations prohibited organizations such as Catholic and Mormon churches, public and private schools, Boy Scouts and other youth organizations from being held accountable. No more.”

Why Catholic and Mormon churches? Why not Protestant churches and Christian schools? Why not Jewish synagogues and yeshivas? Is it because Catholic and Mormon institutions are known for their traditional values?

Why is there no interest in pursuing the one venue where most of the abuse takes place, namely, the family? Live-in boyfriends are particularly notorious. But there is no money to be made prosecuting single mothers, so these men get off scot-free. The decision to single out the Catholic Church is driven by bigotry, not the pursuit of justice.

Religious profiling is just as invidious as racial profiling, though they are treated differently by elites. This shows how utterly insincere their objections to profiling are. What matters is who is being profiled, not the practice itself.

Contact Andrew Van Arsdale Law Group: support@ava.law

Bill In The News (Breitbart):

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is seeking to “cripple Catholic schools” by cutting off needed funding while subsidizing “illegal aliens and sanctuary cities,” said Catholic League president Bill Donohue Monday.

Ms. Pelosi “boasts of her Catholic schooling,” Dr. Donohue notes in Monday’s statement, and yet “wants to rescind funding for Catholic schools that were granted money by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.” READ MORE HERE

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a controversy at an Ohio Catholic school:

It is not uncommon for employees, prospective or current, to sign a contract that binds them to conduct expectations, and this is especially true of jobs where workers are role models. Violations of moral turpitude are an example: if said conduct is deemed shameful or vile by the standards of the organization, the employee can be sanctioned, even dismissed.

What would we think of a professional football player who committed an act that violated his contract, was released from the team, and then threatened to sue the NFL? Did he not voluntarily sign the contract, knowing what was expected of him? What if after he is let go he decides to present the NFL with a proposal, the terms of which would negate existing strictures, saying he will go forward with his lawsuit unless the league plays ball with him?

Something analogous to this happened in a Cincinnati Catholic school, Alter High. Jim Zimmerman, who taught English at the school for 23 years, expressly violated his contract with the school when he married his boyfriend in 2016, a union which he kept secret. When the school recently found out, it decided not to renew his contract. He then threatened a lawsuit—not to get money but to force the school to change its contract.

Matt Deters is a former Alter High School teacher who supports Zimmerman. He quit his job in 2014 when he was asked to sign a contract, the conditions of which he found objectionable; he did not like the conduct clause. He did the right thing. But now he is showing his authoritarian side by siding with Zimmerman. He wants the government to police Catholic schools, telling them what norms they can institute. The two men do not believe in separation of church and state.

Deters is very honest about his objective: His goal is to change the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “When the Church’s catechism says that homosexual acts are ‘acts of grave depravity,'” that has to go. The change would make him happy. Indeed, he would be as happy as adulterers would be if the Church changed its teaching on cheaters.

Deters’ problem, one which is widely shared, extends beyond the teachings of the Catholic Church: the ultimate source of his discontent is the Bible. It is the word of God that angers him.

Let’s be clear what the issue is. Homosexuals can teach in Catholic schools, just as heterosexuals can. Their sexual orientation is not an issue.

However, when homosexual Catholic teachers marry someone of the same sex, or when heterosexual Catholic teachers shack up with someone of the opposite sex—and their conduct becomes publicly known—they have no right to claim victim status when they are terminated for violating their contract. And they certainly have no right to beckon the heavy hand of the state to vitiate the doctrinal prerogatives of the Catholic Church.

Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr did the right thing. Contracts matter. They matter more when they are grounded in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the latest attack on Catholic schools:

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who boasts of her Catholic schooling, is now seeking to cripple Catholic schools. She has money in her bill, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, for illegal aliens and sanctuary cities, but wants to rescind funding for Catholic schools that were granted money by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops opposes her effort.

What Pelosi wants to do is immoral: She seeks to discriminate against taxpayers who send their children to Catholic schools, families who were equally impacted by the pandemic. She is also violating the Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) policy as outlined in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

In January 2018, FEMA released new funding rules that allowed direct funding to houses of worship damaged by natural disasters. The rules said that FEMA will not “exclude houses of worship from eligibility for FEMA aid on the basis of religious character or primarily religious use of the facility.” It said that “activities of community centers or houses of worship open to the general public” qualify for federal funding.

The new policy was written to provide relief to churches that were damaged by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Coronavirus has also impacted churches, as well as schools. It does not discriminate. Pelosi does. 

Contact Pelosi’s chief of staff, Terri McCullough: terri.mccullough@mail.house.gov

On April 6, Cardinal George Pell’s conviction on five counts of sexual abuse was unanimously overturned by Australia’s High Court. He was never guilty of these charges in the first place. The decision by the High Court cannot be challenged.

Pell has suffered greatly and has been the victim of outrageous lies. He has been smeared, spat upon, and forced to endure solitary confinement for crimes he never committed.

This was a sham from the get-go and should never have made its way through the Australian courts.

Pell was charged with abusing two boys in 1996. One of the boys overdosed on drugs but not before telling his mother—on two occasions—that Pell never abused him. The other boy’s accusation was undercut by the dead boy’s account: they were allegedly abused at the same time and place. There were no witnesses to an offense that supposedly took place after Mass in the sacristy of a church.

Here is what the High Court said about this matter. “The assumption that a group of choristers, including adults, might have been so preoccupied with making their way to the robing room as to fail to notice the extraordinary sight of the Archbishop of Melbourne dressed ‘in his full regalia’ advancing through the procession and pinning a 13 year old boy to the wall, is a large one.” That is putting it mildly. It is preposterous.

We at the Catholic League have been defending Cardinal Pell for many years. We released to the media the title of 24 news releases we issued in our defense of the beleaguered cardinal. Our first statement, “Cardinal Pell Should Sue For Libel,” was issued on March 12, 2013. Please see our website for more information.

This will go down in history as one of the most egregious instances of injustice ever visited upon a high-ranking member of the Catholic clergy. Pell is a decent man who tried hard to combat sexual abuse, yet he became the poster boy of Catholic haters seeking to hang any big named cleric. What they did to him is unspeakable. Some were still bashing him after the High Court ruling.

Bill Donohue summarized the Catholic League’s reaction to this story.

“This has been a terrible Lenten period with the coronavirus pandemic, but Lent 2020 will also be remembered by Catholics as one of great joy: Cardinal Pell has finally been exonerated. Those who tried to destroy him—and there were many all over the world—will have to answer one day for what they have done.”