Beginning March 4 and ending March 14, there will be 12 performances of the play, “‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore,” at New York Performance Works, a downtown New York theater. The play was written by John Ford in 1633 during the English Renaissance. It has been called a “bloody revenge tragedy” that features incest, stabbing and poisoning. The play is being produced by the Wide Sky Theatre Company in association with the New York Performance Alliance.

The postcard that was sent to prospective theater-goers advertising the play shows an illustration of the Virgin Mary with the Immaculate Heart; the inscription, “‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore,” is written across her. It was sent by the Actors Equity Association.

Catholic League president William Donohue commented as follows:

“New York Performance Works told me that the play is not about Catholicism. Indeed, I was told that the decision to put an illustration of the Virgin Mary on the postcard was ‘the personal choice’ of the company. Not surprisingly, their friends at Actors Equity disclaimed any responsibility for the advertisement.

“In the recently released Catholic League’s 1998 Report on Anti-Catholicism, I commented that ‘There is something perverse going on in the artistic community.’ What the New York Performance Works has now done adds to the legacy of anti-Catholicism that marks this community.

“The fact that this sick play is being shown in some dump for just a few weeks suggests that it isn’t worth getting too excited about. But the postcard illustration is worth noting: there is something about Our Blessed Mother that the depraved can’t stomach.”

The Catholic League’s 1998 Annual Report on Anti-Catholicism is now available. The report contains a ten-page preface and executive summary and sixty pages of evidence.

The findings include incidents of anti-Catholicism that emanate from activist organizations, the artistic community, business and the workplace, education, government and the media. The report also features some of the most offensive cartoons that appeared in 1998; the league’s op-ed page ads in the New York Times are also included.

The report is designed to educate the public, and provide evidence to researchers, of the nature and ubiquity of anti-Catholicism. Those who work in law, education, government and the media will especially find this volume useful.

Copies of the report have been sent to many in the media, and those in journalism and broadcasting who did not receive a copy, or would like additional copies, should contact the Catholic League. Every bishop and congressman in the nation has also received a copy.

Copies are available to the public for $10; this includes shipping and handling.

The Corporate Affairs Department of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. has just sent to the Catholic League a statement by Ted Turner. It reads, “Mr. Turner regrets any offense his comments may have caused while in Washington, D.C. and extends his heartfelt apologies.”

Mr. Turner’s apology comes in the wake of yesterday’s news release by the Catholic League criticizing Mr. Turner for his ethnic joke about the pope (“Ever seen a Polish mine detector?”) and his comment that Pope John Paul II should “get with it. Welcome to the 20th century”; those remarks were made on February 16 at the 27th annual meeting of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, in Washington, D.C.

Catholic League president William Donohue responded as follows:

“Mr. Turner’s apology is accepted and thus it brings closure to this incident. But what will not go away is the knowledge that his offensive remarks about the pope were greeted with such enthusiasm by his audience. Anyone who has studied the population control movement knows that anti-Catholicism has unfortunately marred its record. If Ted Turner is dead serious about his regrettable comments, he should lead the way by imploring his ideological kinfolk to rid themselves of anti-Catholic bigotry once and for all.”

TV-mogul Ted Turner received an award yesterday at the 27th annual meeting of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. According to a report in the Washington Times, he drew laughter and applause with remarks about sex, the Ten Commandments and Pope John Paul II.

Turner, who has five children, commented that everyone should promise to have no more than two children. He said he came to this conclusion years ago after talking to doomsayer Paul Ehrlich; this was after Turner contributed to the “population explosion.” He also dubbed the Ten Commandments “a little out of date,” adding that “If you’re only going to have 10 rules, I don’t know if prohibiting adultery should be one of them.” Of the pope, Turner showed his idea of ethnic humor: “Ever seen a Polish mine detector?” He then said the pope should “get with it. Welcome to the 20th century.”

Catholic League president William Donohue took note:

“Ted Turner embarrassed himself yesterday with his silly remarks, though it is doubtful he even recognizes what he did. Any man who thinks that the pope needs to ‘get with it’ while quoting Paul Ehrlich is a true embarrassment. Thirty years ago Ehrlich predicted that pesticide-induced cancers would soon cause life expectancy in the U.S. to plummet to 42 years (he was off by about 34 years—it’s now 76). ‘If I were a gambler,’ he said back then, ‘I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000.’ If that wasn’t bad enough, in 1980 Ehrlich wagered a $1,000 bet with economist Julian Simon over the availability of scarce commodities in the year 1990; Simon collected the money in 1991. But no matter, Ehrlich is the same guy that Turner continues to quote as a reliable source.

“In the end, it is the pope who should welcome Turner to the 20th century, and not the other way around. Now as for his reservations about the adultery taboo, perhaps someone ought to bring that up with Jane.”

At this morning’s 47th annual National Prayer Breakfast, President Clinton said that “throughout history people have prayed to God to aid them in war.” He also said that “No faith is blameless in saying that they have taken up arms against others of other faiths, other races—because it was God’s will that they do so.”

These comments by the president are, of course, true. But what was not true was his statement that Hitler preached a perverted form of Christianity. “I do believe,” President Clinton said, “that even though Adolf Hitler preached a perverted form of Christianity, God did not want him to prevail.”

Catholic League president William Donohue thinks the president erred:

“In an otherwise excellent address, President Clinton made a remarkably ignorant comment about Hitler and Christianity at the annual Prayer Breakfast. If Hitler had invoked Christ in his writings or speeches, and had referenced Christ as the source of his crusade, then it could fairly be argued that he had adopted a ‘perverted form of Christianity.’ But anyone who has studied Hitler knows that this is pure nonsense.

“Hitler was a neo-pagan terrorist whose conscience was not informed by Christianity, but by pseudo-scientific racist philosophies. By asserting that Christianity, no matter how distorted by Hitler, can somehow be linked to the politics of genocide is irresponsible. Hitler hated the Catholic Church, made plans to kill the Pope, authorized the murder of thousands of priests and nuns, and did everything he could to suppress the influence of the Church.

“In 1933, Hitler said, ‘It is through the peasantry that we shall really be able to destroy Christianity because there is in them a true religion rooted in nature and blood.’ It is difficult to square comments like this with the president’s remark this morning. He should apologize for his mistake.”