Catholic League president Dr. William A. Donohue announced today the beginning of a New York subway ad campaign that challenges the accepted wisdom on condoms. Responding to subway ads this past winter of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Dr. Donohue emphasized that the Catholic League’s ad seeks to change the nature of the debate about the utility of condoms. The Gay Men’s Health Crisis featured ads that showed persons of the same sex kissing each other while holding condoms. The inscription on the ad read “Young, Hot, Safe!”; some showed pictures of dental dams as well as condoms. The Catholic League’s ad, on the other hand, reads as follows:

Want To Know a Dirty Little Secret?
CONDOMS DON’T SAVE LIVES.
But Restraint Does.
Only fools think condoms are foolproof.
Remember, better safe than sorry.

The MTA has approved the ads and all 2500 of them (llx28) are scheduled for installation June 1st. Dr. Donohue offered a statement on the ads today:

“The purpose of these ads is to directly challenge the irresponsible message of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis ads. The problems of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases will not be solved by gadgets and devices. The root cause of illegitimacy and AIDS (at least in most instances) is moral irresponsibility. Therefore any resolution of these problems must first and foremost address the moral dimension. It cannot be said too often that values govern behavior. What young people need to be taught is abstinence. There is something terribly perverse about a society that tells young people to abstain from smoking but doesn’t have the moral courage to tell them to abstain from sex.

“The Catholic League hopes that these ads trigger a debate on the wisdom of condom distribution. We expect support from all quarters, non-Catholic as well as Catholic. Furthermore, if there is one form of abstinence that we reject quite vigorously it is the suggestion that Catholics should abstain from engaging in public dialogue about moral issues. Catholics have as much right to speak to moral issues as anyone else and we will not be intimidated, much less silenced, by the bigots who think otherwise.”

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. It defends the right of Catholics—lay an clergy alike—to participate in American life without defamation or discrimination.

On April 19th, Carnegie-Mellon University admitted that it made a “mistake” in charging Patrick Mooney with harassment. The charge was made after Mooney conveyed to a visiting professor his outrage over the distribution of a vile portrait of John Cardinal O’Connor. Mooney was also charged with the offense of removing one of the unauthorized posters (it was removed so it could be shown to administrators). For this, he was initially placed on “disciplinary probation.” CMU has now reversed its sentence by downgrading the penalty to a “disciplinary warning” and has promised that upon Mooney’s expected graduation this May, it will remove any mention of this from his records.

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, which had threatened a lawsuit against the university, was pleased by the decision. Commenting on this was Catholic League president Dr. William A. Donohue:

“We are pleased that CMU came to its senses and found that Mooney was not guilty of’ harassment’ for merely stating his objections to vile and bigoted anti-Catholic propaganda. By bringing charges of harassment against a student for the mere exercise of his constitutional right to freedom of speech, CMU placed itself in very unseemly company. Free speech is central to liberty and no category of speech is deserving of more protection than political discourse. This is especially true of speech that is conveyed in a temperate and respectful fashion, as was the case with Mooney.

“The reduction of charges for removing one of the posters marks progress. However, it is still fair to wonder whether any penalty would have been forthcoming if the vicious poster in question had offended the sensibilities of gays instead of Catholics. The fact that CMU still seeks to muzzle the free speech of Mr. Mooney by—denying him the right to discuss this matter—indicates that tolerance and free speech are nothing more than empty platitudes at CMU, at least when it comes to Catholics.

“The Catholic League is pleased that it did not have to seek justice in the courts for Mr. Mooney. And it is especially pleased that Mr. Mooney’s record will bear no imprint of this affair once he graduates. But the Catholic League will not be satisfied until CMU officials are fully sensitized to the pain that Catholics feel when persons like Cardinal O’Connor are viciously portrayed by unrepentant bigots. The time is ripe for CMU to introduce campus workshops on Catholic-bashing; from the looks of things, they will need a very large conference room to accommodate the overflow crowds that need to attend. The Catholic League will continue to monitor CMU’s treatment of Mr. Mooney until he graduates and will not shy away from going to court if further instances of injustice are forthcoming.”

The Catholic League is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. It defends the right of Catholics—lay and clergy alike—to participate in American life without defamation or discrimination.

On April 11, 1994, David Hubicki, a temporary employee at the Department of Civil Service in Albany, New York, was ordered by his supervisor, Ms. Imogene Bessette, to remove a 3×5 picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus from his desk. When he protested, he was told that there was a department-wide rule barring the display of religious symbols in the workplace. Mr.Hubicki quickly contacted the Catholic League asking for assistance. League president Dr. William A. Donohue then called the Director of Personnel at the Department of Civil Service, John Sossey, and asked to see a copy of the alleged rule. Within a few days, Mr. Sossey called Dr. Donohue to tell him that a “mistake” had been made and that Mr. Hubicki was free to put the picture back on his desk. In light of what happened, Dr. Donohue made the following comment:

“It is gratifying to know that there are fair-minded people in government who act quickly and decisively to combat bigotry when they see it. And it is particularly encouraging to know that there are people like Mr. Hubicki who will not compromise the exercise of their religion even when their livelihood is threatened. Had Mr. Hubicki lacked the courage of his convictions he would not have challenged his supervisor and certainly would not have contacted the Catholic League for assistance.

“Though this case ended without a legal battle, it is a stark reminder that no area of American life is without enduring patterns of anti-Catholicism. What is even more disturbing is the fact that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is presently considering new ways to punish religious expression in the workplace, all under the guise of ‘harassment.’ Indeed if the new rules are adopted, bigotry will be legalized and religious expression will be criminalized. If the kind of bigotry that Mr. Hubicki experienced is any indication of the degree of hostility that presently exists against Catholics, then any attempt to redefine ‘harassment’ in a way that victimizes people like Mr. Hubicki should immediately be scuttled.”

The Catholic League is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. It defends the right of Catholics—lay and clergy alike—to participate in American life without defamation or discrimination.

The recently concluded three week Preparatory Committee meeting of the International Conference on Population and Development was marred by several incidents of Catholic-bashing. In a statement released today, Dr. William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League, detailed his objections:

“The Preparatory Committee meeting of the International Conference on Population and Development was designed to facilitate the serious work that will take place at the U.N. Population Conference this fall in Cairo. While serious work was indeed done, the Conference suffered from an environment that was poisoned with the toxin of anti -Catholicism.

“It is not Catholic-bashing to vigorously disagree with the positions of the Holy See. But when anti-Catholic stickers are conspicuously displayed by representatives of non-government organizations, and anti-Catholic literature is widely distributed in the halls, it cannot be said that the atmosphere allows for serious dialogue. The sticker in question, a rendering of the ‘Ghostbusters’ symbol of a circle and diagonal bar superimposed over the words ‘Papal Control,’ was worn on the lapels of dozens of observers. This kind of Catholic-baiting is done expressly to delegitimize the standing of the Holy See. The literature, much of it found in the text and the cartoons of the publication Earth Times, is also an appeal to demagoguery.

“The ‘Letter To The Delegates At Prep Com III’—a document signed by the various Planned Parenthood and population control organizations around the world—went beyond atmospherics: it directly challenged the right of the Holy See to speak on the issue of population growth. ‘To impose one religious perspective on a whole continent or worldwide is imperious and unacceptable,’ the letter said. (Emphasis in original.) The Holy See, of course, can only do what all other representatives of the U.N. can do, and that is exercise the art of persuasion. It has neither the desire nor the ability to impose anything on any continent, never mind worldwide. What the Letter is all about is nothing more than an attempt to silence the Holy See. Others, like Francis Kissling of the anti-Catholic front group Catholics for Free Choice, went even further by urging delegates to challenge the right of the Holy See to a seat in the U.N.

“It is, of course, perfectly legitimate for those who disagree with the Holy See’s positions to lobby U.N. delegates and exercise their freedom of speech. What is unacceptable, however, is to impugn the right of U.N. representatives to disseminate their views. There is a line between dissent and disparagement and it was regrettably crossed by some at the Preparatory Committee.”

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. It defends the right of Catholics-lay and clergy alike-to participate in American life without defamation or discrimination.

According to news reports, senior officials in the New York Republican party have determined that the Republican party gubernatorial nominee must fit a certain demographic mold. The candidate must be Catholic, pro-choice and fiscally conservative. The plain effect of this test is to exclude people like Herb London, who is both Jewish and pro-life, from consideration for public office. Responding to these reports is William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

“The Catholic League is appalled that any religious test would even be considered, never mind seriously so, by high-ranking operatives in either the Republican or Democratic parties. That a Catholic would be the beneficiary of this GOP calculation makes it no less acceptable. The Catholic League condemns all religious litmus tests as unconstitutional.

“Just as disturbing is the audacity of Republican power-brokers to assign a pro-choice status to their hand-picked ‘Catholic’ representative. Anyone is free to dissent from Catholic teaching on abortion, but no one has the right to falsely appropriate the Catholic label just to score quick political points. Moreover, abortion is the exercise of one person’s choice at the expense of an innocent person’s life, and that is not the kind of ‘choice’ that the Catholic Church recognizes as legitimate.

“Whether Herb London deserves the nomination of the Republican party should turn on a host of criteria, among them being his position on abortion. But under no circumstances should his candidacy be determined by his religious and ethnic identity.”

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. It defends the right of Catholics–lay and clergy alike—to participate in American life without defamation or discrimination.

Carnegie-Mellon University has placed a student, Patrick Mooney, on probation for removing an anti-Catholic poster from the school. The poster, which featured a picture of John Cardinal O’Connor with the inscription “Know Your Scumbags” alongside it, was posted by the gay campus organization, cmuOUT. On a related matter, harassment charges were levied against Mooney for simply conveying his criticisms of the poster to a visiting professor; he was found not guilty of that charge. Now, however, Mooney has been warned by school officials not to talk to anyone about this matter and no one, including Mooney’s lawyer, is allowed to obtain a tape of the hearings, thus blunting the prospects for a successful appeal. Everything has now been declared “confidential.” The Catholic League has conveyed its position, which is critical of CMU, to Dean Michael Murphy. And as the League informed Dean Murphy, this is not the first time that CMU has punished Mooney for his Catholicism. The League is now considering a suit against the university.

 Dr. William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League, made the following statement on the Mooney affair.

“Over the past few years, Patrick Mooney has endured repeated assaults on his religion by CMU administrators. In 1991, Mooney was victimized for his refusal to wear a pro-lesbian button during the in-service training period for RAs (resident assistants). Mooney, a Roman Catholic, cited religious convictions for refusing to wear the button; he was stripped of his RA status for doing so, causing a considerable loss of financial assistance.

“More recently, Mooney has been charged with harassment for disagreeing with a visiting professor over the propriety of anti-Catholic posters. Had the inscription ‘Know Your Scum bags’ been written alongside pictures of Rev. Martin Luther King, students who removed such posters would no doubt have been congratulated by CMU administrators and the offending parties who posted them would be attending sensitivity training workshops on the heritage of African-Americans. But because the posters (all of which violated school policy by not listing the sponsors) targeted Cardinal O’Connor, the student who merely removed one of them (for the purpose of showing it to the administrators) has been placed on ‘disciplinary probation’ and the offending party, namely cmuOUT, has escaped with impunity.

“The fact that Mooney was found not guilty of harassment for simply conveying his convictions to a visiting professor does little to change matters. Mooney has been ordered by CMU officials not to discuss this affair with anyone. His lawyer has been denied a tape of the hearing, thus impairing the chances of a successful appeal. The word ‘Confidential’ appears all over the letter sent to Mooney by school officials and every attempt is being made to muzzle coverage of this incident. In short, not only is anti-Catholicism alive and well. at CMU, so too is fascism.

“The Catholic League is presently considering court action against CMU. At a minimum, the League will broadcast this matter all over the country, via newspapers, radio, television and in its own journal, Catalyst.”

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. It defends the right of Catholics–lay and clergy alike–to participate in American life without defamation or discrimination.