Bill in the News (Fox News): Catholic League President Bill Donohue told Fox News Digital on Monday that Harris’ snub of the Al Smith dinner sent “an unmistakable message to Catholics.” The campaign previously told the media that Harris would not attend the dinner in order to campaign in a battleground state.

Simultaneously to skipping the Al Smith dinner, Harris held a campaign rally in Wisconsin, where she told two pro-life student protesters that they were “at the wrong rally” when they yelled, “Jesus is Lord,” and, “Christ is King” last Thursday. READ MORE HERE

Bill Donohue

Can abortion be funny? Some think so. While most liberals would not agree that it is, it remains true that the only ones who do are secular liberals. Some are prominent Americans. If they are not mocking pro-lifers, they are joking about abortion.

On October 17, Vice President Kamala Harris mocked Christian students, much to the applause of her fans. When Harris began to defend abortion at a Wisconsin rally, two young people shouted, “Christ is King.” She could have let it go. Instead, she berated them.

“You guys are at the wrong rally.” As is her wont, she laughed heartily, and the crowd loved it. Yet when pro-Hamas protesters shout her down, she simply insists on her free speech rights. But on this occasion, that was obviously deemed inadequate. These were Christians—they deserved to be belittled.

Recently, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer insulted Catholics by going for the jugular—she ridiculed the Eucharist. We made sure everyone found out about it. Then she lied about what she did. What was not generally reported was how she reacted when the subject of abortion came up.

Liz Plank, the podcaster with whom Whitmer mocked Holy Communion, said to the governor, “Okay, and you have two daughters. When they come back home and they leave their Stanley Cups lying around, do you ever think about getting a post-birth abortion?” Whitmer broke out into uncontrollable laughter, saying, “Thank you for raising that because there is no such thing.”

In fact, there is. Babies are born alive as a result of a botched abortion. Some not only live to tell their story, they have organized to inform Americans about it. Yet Whitmer thinks it’s funny. If she had any guts she would confront these survivors face-to-face, and then share her sense of humor with them.

Less well known pro-abortion advocates think the same way. About a decade ago, some male students at Hunter College in New York City decided to play a game mocking abortion. They stuffed balloons under their shirts, pretending to be pregnant, and then used plastic forks and knives on each other to pop the balloons. Students yelled, “Kill that baby! Kill it!”

Four years ago a girl went on TikTok bragging about her second abortion. Two years ago she was outdone by Alison Leiby. She performed a comedy show, “Oh God, a Show About Abortion.” It was a celebration of her recent abortion. Why did she do it? “I wrote the show to help people understand and laugh about abortion.” That way more women will find it easier to make the decision to abort their child, and may even get a good chuckle out of it.

Almost as bad as these people are those with whom they live and work and refuse to confront them. Many of them know it is sick to laugh about abortion, but they don’t want to appear “judgmental.” But that in itself is a judgment.

Our society has become increasingly debased. When abortion is treated as legitimate comedic fare, the most vulnerable among us are next in line. History shows that desensitizing the population yields ugly results.

Michael P. McDonald

On October 25, Conclave will appear in movie theaters across the country. This thriller about a fictitious papal-election has garnered glowing reviews on the film festival circuit. In fact, the movie has garnered a 94 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

In its fawning review, the Hollywood Reporter notes, “The film raises timely issues of sexual and racist prejudices within organized religion, while also acknowledging the sexual scandals that have rocked the Church in recent years.” Entertainment Weekly adds that “much of the film interrogates the gap between the Catholic Church’s sins and the true meaning of faith….”

Since Conclave is about the intrigue surrounding the election of a new pope, one might wonder how these negative elements fit into the plot. Unfortunately, the reviews are scarce on specific details, but looking at the 2016 novel it is based on provides more insight.

Like the movie, the novel revolves around the political intrigue of a papal election. Of course, the leading candidates have some sort of moral failing.

• Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi from Africa who holds traditional views had an affair with a nun and fathered a child ruling him out of contention.
• Cardinal Joseph Tremblay a smooth Vatican insider is involved in a scandal of selling Church offices and appointments to bolster his support.
• Liberal Cardinal Aldo Bellini who favors modernizing the Church is a suffering hero rejected by the College of Cardinals.
• Foiling Bellini is the ultra-conservative Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco, a boorish man.

In the middle of the conclave there is an attack by Islamic terrorists prompting Tedesco to effectively call for a new crusade, ending his candidacy. Ultimately, the conclave selects Cardinal Vincent Benítez, a relatively unknown prelate from the Philippines who currently serves as the Archbishop of Baghdad. In a final twist, it turns out Benítez is intersex with what looks to be male reproductive organs but is female.

The author, Robert Harris, claims he has no real religious tradition. However, he is a devout British liberal, even authoring a novel to attack Tony Blair, which was made into a film in collaboration with sexual predator Roman Polanski. In fact, the pair worked on three films. Harris even defended Polanski from his critics saying his crimes are a problem of culture and fashion.

In the novel’s Acknowledgements, Harris cites a slew of dissident Catholic writers including John Cornwell, a British author known for the totally discredited book Hitler’s Pope.

It is equally instructive to consider what some of the people associated with the movie have said:

• Director Edward Berger—”If the Catholic Church wants to survive and take a step into the future it needs to change quickly….”
• Leading actor Ralph Fiennes—”When religious things become so codified, so doctrinal and extreme, then they become for me very frightening.” He then criticized Pope Benedict XVI, “I don’t think anyone who considers themselves an enlightened Catholic can like him.”
• Supporting actor Stanley Tucci played the anti-Catholic Boston lawyer Mitchell Garabedian in Spotlight, lauding his work. That tells us volumes about Tucci’s real agenda.

Given what we know about Conclave from the fawning critics, the novel, and what people associated with the film have said, Conclave is more a piece of anti-Catholic propaganda than it is a work of art. It might have stunning cinematic sequences and a star studded cast, but those things do not redeem the underlying ugliness of the project, namely it aims to paint the Catholic Church in the most negative light possible.

Bill in the News (The Washington Stand): Roman Catholic commentators offered another explanation for her absence: “None of us like to go to a party where we feel out of place. This explains why Kamala Harris decided to stiff New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan and skip the Al Smith Dinner,” said Bill Donohue of the Catholic League in an email sent to The Washington Stand. READ MORE HERE

Bill in the News (Pro America Report): Bill Donohue discusses the Al Smith Dinner and what it means that VP Harris skipped it this year with Ed Martin. To listen, click here.

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Bill in the News (Catholic Connection): Bill Donohue talks with Teresa Tomeo about Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s non-apology for the anti-Catholic “Dorito” video. To Listen, click here. (Bill’s Segment Begins at 34:50)

Bill Donohue

The literary credentials of Kamala Harris and Jill Biden are quite a spectacle. Not sure who is more impressive.

Harris claims to be the author of a 2010 book, Smart On Crime. Jill Biden claims to have a doctoral degree. But there’s more there than meets the eye.

It’s a sure bet Harris didn’t write Smart On Crime. On the book’s cover it identifies Kamala Harris “with” Joan O.C. Hamilton. Real authors know what that means—“with” wrote the book. This is acceptable if the “author” is a celebrity or an athlete, but when politicians, or TV personalities for that matter, sell themselves as real authors—when “with” wrote the book—it is simply dishonest.

But this doesn’t excuse Harris from the charge of plagiarism. It has now been revealed that several passages in the book were lifted, word for word, from the Associated Press and Wikileaks. Harris put her name on it so she has to be held accountable. I begged off from buying it because it is selling on Amazon for $395.

Her oral skills are no better. Known as the “Word Salad Queen,” Harris has a penchant for scrambling her thoughts. Much of what she says is so incoherent, or just plain dumb, as to make heads spin. For example, when she says, “I grew up understanding the children of the community are the children of the community,” it suggests that others grew up understanding the children of the community are not the children of the community. Would love to meet them.

Harris’ understanding of what culture means is equally profound.

“Culture is—it is a reflection of our moment and our time. Right? And present culture is the way we express how we’re feeling about the moment and we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment. That is a reflection of joy. Because, you know…it comes in the morning.” For some reason, I thought it was after lunch.

An Ed.D. is not like a Ph.D. The former is a degree in administration; the latter is a research degree. Most Ph.D.s, myself included, don’t identify themselves as Dr., though they have every right to do so. To be awarded the degree, they have to write a dissertation, or what is regarded as an original contribution to research. This is not a requirement for an Ed.D. Therefore, when someone with an Ed.D. identifies as Dr., it makes those with a Ph.D. wince.

Jill Biden, armed with her Ed.D., insists on being called Dr. Jill, and the media dutifully comply (some people actually think she’s a physician). After perusing what the University of Delaware calls her “dissertation/executive position paper” (never heard of an “executive position paper”—must be unique to Ed.D. candidates), it is clear that her “Dr.” status is an embarrassment.

News reports say that her paper, which was on student retention in community colleges, is 137-pages long. Actually, the text is only 79 pages (the rest are introductory notes and the bibliography). It reads more like an encyclopedia than serious scholarship.

Readers can’t get by the first two pages without wondering how any educator would sign off on it. Yet seven did, including the Provost. Then again, the Bidens are god in Delaware.

“Dr.” Jill got off to a bad start. She writes, “The needs of the student population are often undeserved, resulting in a student drop-out rate of almost one third (my italics).” She obviously meant “underserved.” This was the second sentence on p. 1.

On p. 2, she proves her mathematical illiteracy. Commenting on the demographic characteristics of the students at Delaware Tech, she writes, “Three quarters of the class will be Caucasian; one quarter of the class will be African American.” She should have stopped there. But evidently she can’t count. She added, “one seat will hold a Latino; and the remaining seats will be filled with students of Asian descent or non-resident aliens.”

Sometimes she simply makes no sense. “Although students make friends through their classes and their technologies….” What’s that? Students make friends through “their technologies”?

Even better are her childlike constructions. She makes such pedestrian points that it makes the typical pub conversation sound Shakespearian.

“A faculty mentoring program can go hand-in-hand with the advisement process.” Isn’t that what mentoring programs are all about? Then we learn that “The best mentors are the faculty or staff with whom a student seems to connect.” Very insightful.

Furthermore, she says, “The mentor should be genuinely interested in helping the students succeed or meet their goals.” Extraordinary observation. Also, “The student retention committee should formulate a plan to increase retention.” Great idea.

On the conclusion page, we learn that “Because community colleges are education institutions, the most important focus must center on the academic success of the students.” Go to the head of the class, Dr. Jill.

Kamala and Dr. Jill are proof positive that anyone can make it in the USA.

Bill Donohue

None of us like to go to a party where we feel out of place. This explains why Kamala Harris decided to stiff New York Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan and skip the Al Smith Dinner on Oct. 17. It would be uncomfortable for her, and, quite frankly, for everyone else. She has a lot in common with dissident Catholics (to the extent they can realistically be called Catholic), but not with practicing Catholics.

Harris was raised in a confused religious household. Her father was a Christian and her mother was Hindu. She attended a Baptist church but she says very little about her religious upbringing. Nor does she say much about her faith today.

The Religion News Service, a secular-leaning media outlet, says two things about her religious status. She likes to talk about the Good Samaritan and she likes to invoke liberation theology.

What does the Good Samaritan New Testament verse mean to Harris? It means helping our neighbor. Fine. But her comments are so pedestrian as to be childlike in their innocence. “Neighbor is not about having the same ZIP code. What we learn from that parable is that neighbor is someone you are walking by on the street.”

I’ll have to remember that the next time I see hookers and drug dealers hawking their wares in front of Penn Station.

Religion News Service tries to help her by offering a sanitized understanding of liberation theology, saying it is a “strain of Christian thought that emphasizes social concern for the poor and political liberation of oppressed peoples.” Not really. It is a Marxist-driven ideology with a Christian veneer, just the kind of “theology” that secularists are okay with.

To be sure, Harris is not that different from the man she serves. While the media call Joe Biden a “devout Catholic,” a survey by Pew Research Center found that only 13 percent of Americans think he is “very religious.”

Her running mate, Tim Walz, is no better. His parents were nominally Catholic and he bolted the Catholic Church long ago to join the most liberal mainline Lutheran denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He wanted nothing to do with the more orthodox Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. During the debate with JD Vance, he admitted, “I don’t talk about my faith a lot,” which is certifiably true. He then quoted a passage from the Bible.

The religion problem is deeper than the candidates. The Democratic Party has been thoroughly secularized for some time.

In 2012, the Democrats deleted the word “God” from their Platform (they had to restore it after a pushback). Four years later, the 2016 Democratic Party Platform had 14 sentences on specific rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People, and two vague sentences on “respecting faith” at home.

The only time the 2024 Platform mentions God is in a throwaway reference speaking about the need for all of us to “live up to their God-given potential.” That’s it. Though it does make mention of Jews and Muslims, it makes no mention of Christians or Catholics. It’s as though we don’t exist.

People of faith don’t even merit their own section on religious liberty. Instead, there is a small section on “Combating Hate & Protecting Freedom of Religion.” It condemns anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, but says not a word about all the violence directed at Christian churches and crisis pregnancy centers. Nor does it comment on attempts to stifle Christian speech or punishing Christian foster parents. Maybe that’s because those engaged in anti-Christian bigotry are part of their base.

Kamala’s decision to blow off the Al Smith Dinner may seem insulting to some, but given who she is, and what the Democratic Party has become, it’s best for everyone that she takes a pass.

Bill Donohue

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer dug herself a new hole when she offered a fundamentally dishonest apology, and then had her press secretary lie about what happened.

Whitmer said she would “never do something to denigrate someone’s faith,” which, of course, she did. Indeed, it is the very reason she was forced to say something. She also said the video that she shot with podcaster Liz Plank was supposed to be “about the importance of the CHIPS Act.” This is risible on the face of it—no one is buying it. We all know what she was doing: mocking the Eucharist.

Stacey LaRouche, Whitmer’s press secretary, lied when she said, “Liz is not kneeling in the video.” Plank also lied when she said, “No one was on their knees. I’m sitting on a couch that’s visible in the shot.”

The picture doesn’t lie. To see it click here.

Plank was sitting on a couch for the interview, but when she pretended to be receiving Holy Communion, she got on her knees. Whitmer then placed a Dorito chip on her tongue. This is not debatable.

The only reason Whitmer said anything is because we contacted every parish in the state of Michigan, as well as every state lawmaker. We also blanketed the media. News stories exploded on radio and TV, and it was covered by newspapers and internet news and commentary sites across the nation. Michigan Catholics took it from there and let their voices be heard. Good for them.

Whitmer could have put her anti-Catholic stunt behind her by issuing a sincere apology. Instead she decided to lie about it. Doubling down on her bigoted attack—ridiculing the most sacred aspect of the Mass—is a decision that will come back to haunt her. Bet on it.

Contact Whitmer’s office of communications: Press@Michigan.gov