WARHOL FOUNDATION SCOLDS SMITHSONIAN

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responds to a letter written yesterday by Joel Wachs, president of the Andy Warhol Foundation, to Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough:

The Warhol Foundation is threatening to cut funding to the Smithsonian unless the vile video of ants crawling all over Jesus on the Cross is restored. Its president, Joel Wachs, shows nothing but contempt for Christians, justifying this outrageous exhibition by branding its critics “bigots.” Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

This is all so typical: every time some so-called artist offends Christians—dunking a crucifix in a jar of urine or throwing elephant dung and porn pictures on Our Blessed Mother—the artistic community rushes to the defense of this trash, never once indicating that just perhaps Christians might be offended.

Wachs calls the “Hide/Seek” exhibition “brilliant, revelatory and educational.” It’s not certain what part of the exhibition he was referring to. The ant crawlers? The S&M boys with their bullwhips? No matter, he sounds downright silly when he vents that critics of these masterpieces have “trivialized” the exhibition. No, sir, we couldn’t do a better job of trivializing the “art” that you funded.

In 1959, New York Times art critic John Canaday stunned the artsy crowd when he wrote that “freaks, charlatans and the misled” had surrounded the truly creative, thereby giving legitimacy to phonies. “We’ve been had,” he concluded. And so has the Andy Warhol Foundation and the Smithsonian.

Contact The Warhol Foundation: info@warholfoundation.org

CATHOLICS, JEWS, BLACKS AND MUSLIMS

Catholic League president Bill Donohue offers the latest evidence of duplicity on the part of the media and civil libertarians:

A nun is accused of embezzling $1.2 million from Iona College, a Catholic institution outside New York City. A rabbinical court in Brooklyn orders its members not to report crimes to the police. Two New York stories: one about Sister Marie Thornton, the alleged thief; the other about the Beth Din of Crown Heights. Which one interests the media?

The story on the nun is being carried on the front page of Google’s “New York” section, and has been picked up by Yahoo!, the AP, UPI, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, USA Today, Huffington Post, and dozens of other media outlets. The story on the rabbinical court has been picked up by the New York Daily News and Gothamist.com. That’s it. The story about the Jewish court is a week old; the one on the nun broke today.

In an edict to its 10,000 members, the Beth Din of Crown Heights warned against creating bad relations with the police. Fine. But it also said [click here and see #4] that “No one shall bring to any media outlet, information about any resident that could, if publicized, lead to an investigation or intensified prosecution by any law-enforcement agency.” In other words, if a rabbi rapes a kid, no one is to report it to the cops.

I am writing to Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes asking him if he would have any objections if the Diocese of Brooklyn adopted the same policy.

Moreover, since it is okay during election years for African-American ministers to endorse politicians in their churches, and it is okay to spend public funds for prayer rugs and foot baths for Muslims, the time has come for Catholic bishops to a) order their priests not to report crimes to the police b) endorse politicians at Mass and c) demand public monies for kneelers and holy water receptacles.

Contact the Brooklyn D.A.: hynesc@brooklynda.org

BROOKLYN D.A. OFFERS HONEST RESPONSE

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on an e-mail he received from Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes regarding an earlier news release on the edict by a rabbinical court in Brooklyn instructing its members not to report crimes to the police:

I am happy to report that Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes responded quickly and honestly to my news release on the Beth Din of Crown Heights controversy. He said, in part, “In the 21 years I’ve served as Brooklyn’s District Attorney I have never been deterred by anyone including the various Beth Dins in Brooklyn from fulfilling my responsibilities as the Chief Law Enforcement Official of Kings County.” He went on to say that “nothing can interfere with my authority to investigate and prosecute any allegation of crime in my County.”

This is reassuring. I want to make it clear that D.A. Hynes has the support of the Catholic League—we very much appreciate his forthrightness.

Feel free to convey your thanks, as well.

Contact: hynesc@brooklynda.org

PETA EXPLOITS POPE IN AD

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has embarked on a campaign encouraging the spaying and neutering of animals. The leaflet that it is distributing, “Pope Condom,” shows an obviously doctored picture of Pope Benedict XVI throwing a condom to a crowd [click here].

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on it today:

There are two problems with this campaign: the leaflet exploits the pope; and it demonstrates an incredible hypocrisy on the part of PETA.

Regarding the former issue, it is hardly news that PETA likes to hijack Christian figures and symbols to pander its message, but to do this to the pope shows how remarkably unethical this allegedly ethical organization really is.

Regarding the latter, the statement accompanying this campaign says, “It’s sinful that millions of dogs and cats are killed every year in animal shelters simply because there aren’t enough homes for all of them….” What is truly sinful is how PETA lies. In 2008, it was disclosed by the Center for Consumer Freedom that PETA kills 95 percent of the adoptable pets in its care. Indeed, PETA delivered the death sentence to 21,339 cats and dogs between 1998 and 2008 at its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.

There is something perverse about an organization that has to rip off the pope while violating its own mission on a daily basis, just to stay in business.

Contact PETA VP Bruce Friedrich: BruceF@peta.org

SEBELIUS’ ARCHBISHOP WEIGHS IN

Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph Naumann has written a column for his archdiocesan newspaper that will appear in tomorrow’s edition; to read it, click here. It is a lengthy and pointed statement concerning the nomination of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of health and human services (HHS).

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on it today:

“Left-wing Catholics who have rallied to Kathleen Sebelius’ side are now in a jam: their support pits them against her Ordinary, Archbishop Joseph Naumann. He regrets that he is not experiencing the ‘joy and pride’ he normally would of a Kansas Catholic being chosen for such a top post in a presidential administration. What troubles him, but not her Catholic supporters, is her relentless opposition to Church teaching on abortion.

“Naumann mentions that Sebelius has long been associated with organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL, the two most radical pro-abortion groups in the nation; they are also decidedly anti-Catholic. He mentions her willingness to accept cash from Dr. George Tiller, a man known for killing tens of thousands of unborn children, many of whom were partially born. He mentions that in her role as the head of HHS, she ‘will have to make many decisions that will in all probability continue her personal involvement in promoting legalized abortion and her cooperation in this intrinsic evil.’ (My italics.)

“It is painfully obvious that those who support Sebelius not only disagree with Archbishop Naumann’s characterization of abortion as intrinsically evil—they disagree with the teachings of the Catholic Church on this fundamental human right. The Catholic League is proud to stand with Archbishop Naumann and calls on Catholics everywhere to support him with vigor.”

Contact Archbishop Naumann’s Communications Director, Carroll Macke, to show your support. E-mail her at CMacke@archkck.org

PLANNED PARENTHOOD SHOULD HIRE AIDS EX-CON

Catholic League president Bill Donohue wonders why the media are not focusing on Planned Parenthood:

The media are all aglow these days with stories of sex abuse in the Catholic Church, yet not a single reporter appears to have the slightest interest in discussing recent revelations showing that the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is actively advising young persons with HIV/AIDS not to disclose their sickly status to unsuspecting sex partners. Indeed, this same group has a formal policy condemning laws that make it illegal for those with HIV/AIDS to knowingly transmit their deadly disease without full disclosure.

Just today, a New York man who was convicted of knowingly infecting at least 13 women with HIV/AIDS completed his prison sentence. If Planned Parenthood’s international arm had its way, Nushawn Williams would never have spent a day in prison; God only knows how many other innocent women might have been infected (we know of at least one woman who wound up with full-blown AIDS).

It’s time for the media to go after the misogynists at Planned Parenthood who intentionally put innocent women at risk. Moreover, if Williams is considered a victim, then he ought to be hired to work in the New York office of IPPF.

Contact the Western Hemisphere Region office of IPPF in New York: info@ippfsar.org

DEBUNKING THE MYTH-BUSTERS: ABORTION IS IN HEALTH BILLS

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the health care bills:

In today’s New York Daily News, there is an article seeking to debunk various myths about the health care bills. Unfortunately, the two reporters were guilty of floating the myth that “None of the bills working their way through Congress provides any federal funds for abortion.” Thus does the Daily News join a list of other media outlets that have disseminated this nonsense; AP had the decency to reverse itself.

Abortion is in the bills. Here’s the proof: Amendments to explicitly exclude abortion from the bills have been sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak, Rep. Joe Pitts, Rep. Eric Cantor, Rep. Sam Johnson, Sen. Mike Enzi and Sen. Orrin Hatch. In every case, they lost. Want more proof? When Rep. Pitts asked Committee Counsel about whether the amendment by Rep. Lois Capps would allow the secretary of health and human services (HHS) to cover abortion in the public plan, he was told it did. And since HHS head Kathleen Sebelius supports partial-birth abortion, is there anyone in his right mind who thinks she would balk at authorizing abortion? Want more proof? On Aug. 10, when Rep. Zoe Lofgren was specifically asked about this subject, she said, “Abortion will be covered as a benefit by one or more of the healthcare plans available to Americans, and I think it should be.”

Let’s be frank: abortion is no more mentioned specifically in these bills than appendectomies are, but because both are legal, both are understood to be included. That is why attempts to exclude abortion were made. That they failed should settle the issue. Yet the following pro-abortion groups continue to lie and say abortion isn’t covered: NARAL, Planned Parenthood, Center for American Progress and People for the American Way. Interestingly, MoveOn.org is firing e-mails all over debunking five myths about the bills. It is correct on all five. Noticeably absent from its list is abortion. That’s because they know it’s in the bills.

GAY ACTIVISTS BULLY D.C. PRIESTS

Catholic League president Bill Donohue addresses a serious issue involving gay activists in the District of Columbia:

A new homosexual website, ChurchOuting.org, is intent on publicly disclosing who the gay priests are in the Archdiocese of Washington. The goal of this outing is to intimidate gay priests, as well as heterosexual priests who may be “romantically involved,” into voicing objections to the Catholic Church’s opposition to gay marriage.

This initiative is the work of Phil Attey, self-described as “Liberal-Gay-Ardent Obama Supporter”; he was active in the Obama Pride Metro-DC campaign. According to one news report, “Attey is going to approach priests he thinks are gay, and warn them that they better stop lobbying against gay people, seeing how gay they are…or…else?”

Catholic priests are also being pressured to sign the “Declaration of Religious Support for Marriage Equality,” a statement by Clergy United for Marriage Equality. The statement, while it is not one we support, is respectfully written. Accordingly, we will write to members of the Steering Committee of this group asking them to dissociate themselves from this attempted hijacking of their effort.

The Catholic League is prepared to assist any priest in the Archdiocese of Washington who is the victim of harassment, intimidation or stalking. Whatever resources the priest needs, we will see to it that he is served. If radical gay activists want a showdown with the Catholic League, we will not disappoint them.