Yesterday, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani expressed approval of the decision by New York School Chancellor Ramon Cortines to deny anti-Semitic students from Norman Thomas High School the right to attend graduation ceremonies.  He also voiced approval of the same penalties that were given to anti-black students at Connecticut’s Greenwich High School. By contrast, the best he can do is to label as “inappropriate” the anti-Catholic bigotry that took place during last year’s illegal Gay Pride Parade, a parade that allowed for public nudity and deliberate provocation of Catholics.

Commenting on the Mayor’s selective indignation is Catholic League president William A. Donohue:

“The Mayor of the City of New York apparently feels that all expressions of bigotry are not equally reprehensible.  Either that, or he feels that it matters who the offenders are. How else does one explain his duplicity in condemning anti-Semitism and anti-black incidents while speaking ever so gently about the anti-Catholicism that regularly attends the Gay Pride Parade?

“Mayor Giuliani wants the authorities to throw the book at those who target Jews and blacks but can’t find it within himself to throw the book at those who target Catholics. He is more worried about scribbling high school bigots than he is about adult bigots who masturbate in the street in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

“On Sundays, many families attend Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and many come from out of town to do so.  If they are targeted for abuse by anti-Catholic gays this Sunday, the only acceptable response from Mayor Giuliani will be to order the police to enforce the law to the fullest extent possible and for him to personally exit the parade upon word of Catholic-bashing incidents.

“If writing anti-Semitic notes merits arrest for aggravated harassment, then surely the kinds of obscenities and provocations that Catholics endured last year during the Gay Pride Parade would qualify for much more than aggravated harassment.   If Catholic-bashing takes place again this Sunday outside St. Patrick’s, Mayor Giuliani will have no choice but to demand punitive sanctions against the offenders.  Either that or he can risk his political future on it.”

The controversy over the New York Board of Education has unnecessarily drawn attention to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s decision to send his children to a Catholic school. Noreen Connell of the Educational Priorities Panel said yesterday that the Mayor’s decision made the public school system an “abstract” institution for him. Her statement was made in reference to the Mayor’s desire to impact on the selection of the next school Chancellor. Mayor Giuliani was incensed by the comment and said that he thought it was “unfair” to constantly make an issue of his decision to send his children to a parochial school.

William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League, offered the following remark regarding this incident:

“The effect, if not the purpose, of Noreen Connell’s comment was to question the legitimacy of Mayor Giuliani’s decision to send his children to a Catholic school.   The Mayor’s decision no more disqualifies him from addressing issues that bear on the public school establishment than it would disqualify a female Senator from addressing issues that bear on combat in the military.  Connell’s Catholic-baiting remark should bring disgrace to her reputation as a spokesperson for the public good.

“When Mr. Giuliani ran for Mayor in the summer of 1993, he was assailed for attending Catholic schools by City Councilperson Ronnie Eldridge.  The Catholic League defended Giuliani from Eldridge’s bigoted remark and is glad to defend him again today, this despite our disappointment with his decision to allow the Gay Pride Parade to proceed past St. Patrick’s Cathedral this Sunday.”

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 Catholic League applauds today’s decision (Hurley vs. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston) by the U.S. Supreme Court to sustain the right of the South Boston Allied War Veteran’s Council to determine who should be permitted to march in Boston’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  The Catholic League, which had initially filed an amicus brief in the case, has been watching the case closely and is delighted by the decision.

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, issued the following comments regarding the parade:

“This Supreme Court decision is a victory not only for Irish Catholics, it is a victory for all those who believe in free speech and freedom of association. Every racial, ethnic and religious group that wants to maintain the integrity of its heritage has a right to insulate its parades from those who would insult and degrade its culture.  This decision will also do much to provide for public order by limiting the rights of those who would use their rights to abuse the rights of others .

“This victory comes at a most opportune time.  On Sunday, June 25,  New York’s Gay Pride Parade is scheduled to begin just one block north of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Gays have every right to march, but they have no right to parade naked through the streets, provoke Catholics with their obscenities and engage in acts of aggravated harassment.  It is hoped that the New York gay leadership will receive this decision by the Supreme Court in a responsible manner and do nothing to inflame religious bigotry.”

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 June 8, Catholic League president William A. Donohue sent a letter to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani requesting that he intervene to move the starting point of this year’s Gay Pride Parade from 52nd Street and 5th Avenue (which is one block north of St. Patrick’s Cathedral) to 42nd Street and 5th Avenue.  The request was made in light of last year’s ugly anti-Catholic demonstration that took place in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral during an illegal gay march that was allowed by the Giuliani administration. Last year, gays went naked in the streets pointing their middle fingers at the Cathedral while screaming obscenities on command.

Dr. Donohue has asked New York Attorney General Dennis Vacco to send observers to the march.  He offered the following remarks at a press conference today:

“Last year’s Gay Pride Parade was the most incredibly anti-Catholic exhibition that I ever witnessed. What happened in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral was obscene, inexcusable and illegal. And it happened with impunity.

“The Catholic League does not object to the right of gays to parade or hold demonstrations. What we are requesting is that the starting point of the Gay Pride Parade be moved from 52nd Street and 5th Avenue to 42nd Street and 5th Avenue.  Doing so would allow Catholics to practice their First Amendment right to freedom of religion without the threat of provocation or harassment.  Given that the exercise of free speech has always been conditioned by time, place and manner, the Catholic League’s request is both reasonable and unexceptional.

“If those who are to march in the Gay Pride Parade seek only to demonstrate their pride-­ and not to bash Catholics–then our request should pose no problem.  Unfortunately, we have good reason to believe that assaults against Catholics are not tangential to the parade, rather they are central to it.  Indeed, when the parade’s co-chair, Janice Thom, was asked about my charge that the parade was arranged to target St. Patrick’s, she cavalierly replied ‘That’s an interesting idea,’ thus sustaining the basis of my accusation.

“To allow Catholic-bashing gays to begin a parade by St. Patrick’s Cathedral is tantamount to allowing the Klan to assemble near a Harlem Baptist church or the Nazis to start near a Jewish synagogue.  If Giuliani allows this to happen, it will be the biggest mistake of his political career.”

On Sunday, June 18, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights will hold a press conference at noon in front of the Atlas statue at 630 5th Avenue, across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  The subject of the press conference is Mayor Giuliani’s refusal to alter the starting site of the Gay Pride Parade of June 25 from 52nd Street and 5th Avenue to a spot below St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  The request was made in light of last year’s anti-Catholic exhibition that occurred in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral during the illegal gay parade that the Giuliani administration allowed.  This year’s parade is scheduled to begin at noon (at precisely the time of the Sunday noon Mass at the Cathedral).

Catholic League president William A. Donohue will offer a brief statement and will distribute copies of the League’s news release on the subject.  No comments regarding this matter will be issued by the Catholic League until the press conference.

In the June 13 airing of NBC’s “Dateline,” Jane Pauley interviewed Scott O’ Grady, the U.S. pilot who was recently rescued in Bosnia. In the course of the interview, the subject turned to religion. Here is how the exchange went:

Pauley:  Do you believe in destiny?

O’Grady:  Oh, definitely.  I believe in God wholeheartedly.  ‘Cause if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. If it wasn’t for God and, the miracle that…he basically blessed with me with,  as far as being…

Pauley [OVERTALK] :  God has long been Captain O’Grady’s co-pilot. A devout Roman Catholic, O’Grady made his confirmation at age thirteen, and unlike many of his peers never left the Church.  [Emphasis added.]

Catholic League president William Donohue issued the following statement concerning Pauley’s comment:

“Pauley’s remark was a snide, gratuitous, editorial remark that reveals volumes about her approach to Catholicism. She would never say of a young black man that ‘unlike many of his peers he’s never been arrested,’ nor would she say of a young gay man that ‘unlike many of his peers he’s doesn’t have HIV.’

“Jimmy the Greek and Al Campaneris were thrown off the air for making remarks about blacks that many read as racist. For Pauley to survive this incident with impunity would be to sanction a double standard.  Anti-Catholicism is no less an invidious form of bigotry than racism, and that is why I have written to Bob Wright, CEO of NBC, asking for disciplinary action against Pauley.”

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 Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is proud to announce that Bernadette Brady has been appointed Vice President of the Catholic League.  Ms. Brady, who is currently the Deputy Director of the Family Life/Respect Life office of the Archdiocese of New York, has worked in the New York Archdiocese for nineteen years. She is perhaps most noted for her managerial expertise: she currently administers ten major programs providing direct services to more than 20,000 persons. The success of Project Rachel, a program that services women who have had an abortion, is due largely to Ms. Brady’s efforts.

Bernadette Brady will oversee much of the daily operations of the Catholic League. She will begin July 10.

Catholic League president William Donohue offered the following statement regarding her appointment:

“Bernadette Brady is bright, seasoned and able.  She is a committed Catholic who is prepared to do battle in the public arena with those who would abuse the Catholic Church . That’s good news for us and bad news for our adversaries.  I look forward to working with her. “

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 May fund-raising letter of the Washington-based Population Institute refers to the Holy See as the “anti-contraceptive gestapo.” The statement, made in reference to the Holy See’s teachings on marriage and the family, was designed to mobilize members against the Vatican’s position at the upcoming U.N. event in Beijing, the Fourth Conference on Women.

Werner Fornos, president of The Population Institute, wrote the following: “The Vatican continues to undermine the advancements we’ve made in Cairo on issues of pregnancy prevention. The anti-contraceptive gestapo has vowed to double the number of its delegation to 28 and to turn once more to weaken the cause of reproductive rights.”  Listed on the Advisory Committee are several sitting Congressmen. As noted in the Washington Times, former President George Bush quit the National Rifle Association because its director sent out a fund-raising letter referring to federal agents as “jackbooted thugs.”

William A Donohue, president of the Catholic League, released the following statement today:

“The Population Institute proves once again that some of the anti-natalist forces are unquestionably anti-Catholic.  Not content, or able, to debate the issues on their merits, these activists seek to defame the Holy See and thereby discredit its influence.  Members of The Population Institute who share its politics, but not its bigotry, should make a clear and decisive break with the organization.

“Following the lead of former President George Bush, who broke with the NRA over an irresponsible fund-raising letter, those public officials who currently serve on the Public Policy Advisory Committee of The Population Institute should break with the organization.  Accordingly, the Catholic League calls upon the following advisors to The Population Institute to resign immediately: Sen. Paul Simon, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Rep. Jim Leach, Rep. Robert Torricelli and Rep. Sam Gejdenson.

“Not to resign would be to give tacit support to anti-Catholicism.  It would also show a lack of courage.”

The June 4 episode of the CBS show The Wright Verdicts was the most bigoted portrayal of Catholics and the Catholic Church to have appeared on any television program thus far in 1995. Every possible negative stereotype was used to convey the message that the Catholic Church is a despicable organization. Here is a partial list of the characterizations that were presented: a child abuse scandal and cover-up; sexism in the church; bishops as bullies; hypocritical and materialistic priests; alcoholic priests; the trivialization of papal infallibility; a nun accused of murdering a bishop; brutal nuns; guilt-ridden Catholic schools; a nun who had an abortion before entering the convent;  “silly” birth control position; a bishop as “a shark in a Roman collar”; corruption in the church; dishonest donors; ridicule of the confessional seal; persecution of a homosexual priest.

Catholic League president William A. Donohue made the following statement on the show:

“Notwithstanding the fact that Klansmen would surely endorse the June 4 episode of The Wright Verdicts, the hooded terrorists could not have made the show: they lack the sophistication of Dick Wolf, the show’s creator and executive producer. Unlike Klansmen, Wolf wants to do more than just bash Catholics, he wants to project a vision of Catholicism that promotes his politics. That is why the feminist nun who previously had an abortion and is now unfairly accused of murdering the New York Archbishop is seen as compassionate. The homosexual priest is, of course, another victim, and he is also compassionate.  But those who enforce the vicious rules of the church, namely the Archbishop and the Monsignor, are seen as evil (the latter is a pedophile who kills the Archbishop).

“Wolf, the creator and executive producer of the show, has a track record of bashing Catholics. In January 1991, Wolf’s show, Law and Order featured pro-life Catholics who were either violent fanatics, sexually repressed or hypocrites. In November 1993, a Law and Order episode showed a detective complaining that his Catholic-practicing mother was a child abuser.

“It does not matter that the show will not return next season. Our problem is with CBS, Dick Wolf Films, Universal Television, MCA and Seagram, all of whom bear responsibility for the show. Now that Senator Bob Dole has made Hollywood a target of criticism, we will appeal to him, and to every other presidential candidate–including President Clinton-­to  address the anti-Catholicism that is  evident in the industry.  This show will be exhibit A.”