The opening skit on the Saturday, September 28, episode of “MADtv” depicted priests as child molesters.  They were shown acting in a lewd manner towards boys in a cabin.  One of the lines in a song sung by the priests was, “We’ll just get switched to another parish.”

The priests stripped off their clothes wearing only bikini underwear and their collar.  They danced provocatively at this point and then played the game Twister.  The audience laughed heartily, though there was an audible gasp when the priests danced with each other in an obscene way.

Catholic League president William Donohue addressed this issue today:

“There is an article in today’s Washington Times that describes how gays are having sex in public in a Virginia park.  They not only have taken over the park, they have accosted and assaulted police.  But there will be no skit on ‘MADtv’ about this.  Nor will there be a skit that explicitly disparages gay priests.  Bashing all priests, however, is fair game.

“This is the way a sizable segment of our cultural elites think.  And they pride themselves on being tolerant, compassionate and inclusive.  Except when it comes to priests.  Now if only they thought of priests the way they do imams, the bigotry would end.

“David Salzman is the executive producer of ‘MADtv’ and thus bears responsibility for this priest-bashing skit.  We will register our complaint with him and will ask our members to do likewise.”

Over the past month, the Catholic League has been engaged in a campaign to persuade the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to drop its support for an anti-Catholic organization, Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC); the DNC website lists CFFC on its links page.

The league’s campaign has consisted of a series of ads placed in national Catholic weekly newspapers, the purpose of which is to implore Catholics to register their objections with the DNC.  The first two ads appeared in the National Catholic Register and Our Sunday Visitor, and the latest installment is in the current edition of the Wanderer.  There will be more ads in upcoming weeks but they will appear in secular publications.  League president William Donohue explained as follows:

“The Catholic League’s campaign aimed at getting the DNC to sever its ties with an anti-Catholic organization has forced the DNC to adopt a new strategy.  Today, for the first time, the DNC has added two new organizations to its ‘Catholic’ listing on the links page of its website: Call to Action and Network.  The DNC’s strategy is a failure.

“This is nothing more than a shell game.  When columnist Mark Shields protested the listing of Catholics for a Free Choice on the DNC webpage last July, its response was to add a legitimate Catholic umbrella webpage, Catholic-USA.com.  This resolved nothing.  Now the DNC is once again playing its inclusive card.  It thinks that by padding its ‘Catholic’ listing with two new organizations that this will legitimate CFFC.

“The two new groups, Call to Action and Network, are known for their lack of support for the Church’s teaching on abortion.  But they are not anti-Catholic.  Since our campaign began, the Catholic League has said that the DNC has every right to list pro-abortion organizations on its website.  What we object to is its association with anti-Catholic organizations.  Hence, our protest against the DNC-CFFC nexus.

“We will not be deterred by the DNC’s shell game.  Our focus remains fixed on getting the DNC to dump CFFC.”

The House of Representatives passed a bill today, 229-189, that would allow those hospitals and insurance companies that refuse to perform or pay for abortions to do so without penalties; they may maintain access to Medicare and other federal funding. This obviously has grave implications for Catholic hospitals.

Catholic League president William Donohue issued the following statement on this issue today:

“Abortion-rights advocates are not, ipso facto, anti-Catholic for making Catholic hospitals comply with their vision of public policy.  But it remains true that there are many in the pro-abortion community who seek to levy penalties on Catholic hospitals because they are anti-Catholic (e.g., Catholics for a Free Choice, a group supported by the Democratic National Committee).  That is why this bill is so important.  It protects real freedom of choice by insulating Catholic hospitals from those who would use the state to trump the doctrinal prerogatives of religious institutions.

“The Bush administration is to be particularly commended for its effort in this regard.  The free exercise of religion that Catholic institutions ought to enjoy without debate or rancor has now taken a giant leap forward.  We hope the Senate passes the bill without emendation.”

Catholic League president William Donohue dismissed as inadequate the response given by Columbia University president Lee C. Bollinger in the wake of the anti-Catholic incident that occurred on September 21 at a Fordham-Columbia football game.  Donohue sent a letter today to the presidents of select New York-area colleges and to the presidents of all Ivy League colleges expressing his concerns.  He contrasted Bollinger’s inaction to the meritorious response that was provided by Stanford’s past president Gerhard Casper when a like incident occurred at Stanford in 1997. 

It should be stressed that the offending Columbia student, Andy Hao, is unrepentant and has indeed made additional anti-Catholic remarks since this episode occurred.  His remarks were also approved by an administrator, Catherine Webster.  President Bollinger has said he is searching for “the appropriate institutional response.”  Below is an excerpt from Donohue’s letter that addresses this point: 

The past president of Stanford University, Gerhard Casper, provides an answer to President Bollinger’s predicament: denounce public displays of bigotry in public and take symbolic steps to sanction the offenders.   

In 1997, there was an anti-Catholic and anti-Irish incident during the half-time of a Notre Dame-Stanford football game.  Following complaints lodged by the Catholic League and others, President Casper publicly apologized for what happened and wrote a personal letter to me expressing his sincere regret.  Importantly, he also saw to it that the band and the athletic director made a public apology.  Indeed, he barred the band from field shows during the next three Stanford-Notre Dame games and ordered a review of its procedure for approving band scripts.

President Casper acted responsibly.  President Bollinger has not.  I hope you would agree and would therefore use the example of President Casper as a role model in the event that bigotry—of any kind—were to unfortunately strike your campus.

Fordham University’s football team played at Columbia University on September 21.  During the half-time show, Columbia’s game announcer shouted, “Fordham’s tuition is going down like an altar boy.”  The crowd loved it.

Catholic League president William Donohue issued the following statement on the episode today:

“Columbia’s president and athletic director should apologize to Fordham, and to area Catholics, without delay.  It is important to hear from Columbia University president Lee C. Bollinger because he sets the tone for the entire school.  In 1997, when the band at Stanford University triggered an anti-Catholic incident at a Stanford-Notre Dame football game, an apology was quickly forthcoming from Stanford president Gerhard Casper; sanctions were also taken against the offending students.  We await similar action on the part of Mr. Bollinger.  He is eminently qualified to do so: he is the author of The Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech in America.

“The comment that was made at the Fordham-Columbia football game was disturbing, but the crowd’s reaction was more so.  What this shows is that all the campus talk about multiculturalism, diversity, inclusion and tolerance means very little when applied to Catholics: indeed, it is politically correct to bash Catholics.  And not just at Bob Jones University.”

Catholic League president William Donohue issued the following statement today regarding the Democratic National Committee (DNC):

“Last week, we ran an ad in the National Catholic Register against the DNC.  Now we are running the ad again, only this time it will appear in the September 22 edition of Our Sunday Visitor; it is another influential Catholic weekly with a national readership.  At issue is the invidious relationship between the DNC and an anti-Catholic organization, Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC).  Below is the text of the ad.”

ANTI-CATHOLIC?

On the website of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), there is a link to organizations of interest.  Astonishingly, under the “Catholic” banner is a notoriously anti-Catholic organization, Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC).  The head of this group, Frances Kissling, has said it is her goal to “overthrow” the Catholic Church.  Moreover, she has sought to silence the voice of the Vatican in the U.N. and has twice been denounced by the bishops as a fraud.

We have asked the DNC to stop its association with CFFC but it refuses.  That is why we are asking you to join our campaign.  Let the DNC know of your outrage by calling them at 202-863-8000; fax at 202-863-8174; email at dnc@democrats.org.

Actor Christopher Reeve has issued an apology to Catholics for his remarks implying that President Bush and the Catholic Church conspired to obstruct research governing stem cells and therapeutic cloning.  The Catholic League criticized Reeve yesterday for his comments.  League president William Donohue addressed Reeve’s statement today:

“It was commendable of Christopher Reeve to extend an apology to Catholics for his unfortunate remarks.

“It would be remiss of me not to mention, however, my disappointment with that section of Reeve’s apology which speaks to his continued support for the principle of separation of church and state.  This was wholly unnecessary—only ignorant Americans would disagree.  What is troubling here is the implication: it suggests that it is improper for religious men and women to try to affect public policy.  But religious apartheid is always objectionable, even when dressed in constitutional cloth.

“This caveat notwithstanding, Reeve’s apology strikes us as sincere and therefore brings closure to the issue.”

Bill Buck, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), is now defending the link between the DNC and a notoriously anti-Catholic group, Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC).  In an interview he granted to the National Catholic Register, a weekly Catholic newspaper, Buck said there was nothing anti-Catholic about listing CFFC on the DNC’s website.

As a result of Buck’s support for the DNC-CFFC link, the Catholic League (which has an ad against the DNC in this week’s National Catholic Register) is now escalating its campaign.  Catholic League president William Donohue is sending every member of Congress today a copy of an article he has written on CFFC that conclusively demonstrates its anti-Catholic agenda.  Previously, Donohue wrote only to Democrats asking for their help, but since only Rep. Tom Lantos and Rep. Tim Roemer responded, he decided to blanket the Republicans as well.

Here is what Donohue had to say about this issue today:

“Bill Buck says that after perusing the website of Catholics for a Free Choice, he found ‘That [it] is not their stated policy’ to be anti-Catholic.  Wonderful.  Now if he checks out the website of the Ku Klux Klan, he will discover that the Klan not only does not list racism as its stated policy—it literally takes umbrage at those who accuse it of bigotry and hatred.  From Buck’s school of thought, this would seem to settle the issue: the KKK is not racist.

“Frances Kissling, the director of CFFC, declared war on the Catholic Church in 1991 when she admitted that it was her goal to ‘overthrow’ the Church.  It is this animus—anti-Catholicism—that drives her.  And it is her cause that drives the Catholic League to get the DNC to sever its link with her.  Thanks to Buck, our campaign has now escalated.”

On September 23, the Museum of Sex will open in New York.  Catholic League president William Donohue has a few words to say about it:

“A more apt name for the Museum of Sex (MoSex) would be Museum of Smut (MoSmut).  Not for nothing has the New York State Board of Regents refused to recognize its legitimacy, saying that its name makes ‘a mockery of museums.’  Moreover, many of those who are either featured as heroes by the museum, or are in one way or another associated with it, exhibit pathological characteristics.  Consider the following.

“Heroes include white racists (Margaret Sanger and Victoria Woodhull) and an advocate of man-boy sex (Al Goldstein).  The historian advisory board includes a defender of sadomasochism (George Chauncey), an author who glamorizes prostitutes (Patricia Cline Cohen), a professor who argues that transvestites and ‘street queens’ are pioneers (Martin Duberman), a scholar who has been implicated in research that gave pregnant women male hormones without their knowledge (June Reinisch) and a writer hailed as a ‘lesbian matriarch’ (Joan Nestle).

“Those listed as ‘Friends’ of the museum include pornographers (Betty Dodson, Candida Royalle, Annie Sprinkle and Veronica Vera), an ex-priest turned sexologist (Robert Francoeur), a minister who maintains that swinging is ‘family-forming behavior’ (Ted McIlvenna) and an author whose understanding of the cultural corruption of Weimar Germany still allows him to defend decadence (Mel Gordon).

“If the museum’s officials were honest, they would include a death chamber that would acknowledge all the wretched diseases that promiscuity has caused.  And they would give due recognition to the role that promiscuity has played in creating poverty (it’s called illegitimacy).  But instead we can look for the museum to celebrate public sex (see its website and click on ‘1001 Nights,’ the map of Manhattan and then Rockefeller Center to learn of the virtues of gays having sex in public).  In short, the museum celebrates smut as sex, hence the name MoSmut.”