Catholic League president Bill Donohue questioned today whether Senator Barack Obama wants the U.S. to become a theocracy:

“If the same standard that was applied to President George W. Bush were to be applied to Senator Barack Obama, then Obama must be considered a theocrat who shows no respect for separation of church and state. What else is one to conclude after seeing a color photo of him today on the front page of the New York Times preaching from the pulpit of a Christian church? The article itself is even more indicting.

“Obama’s spiritual mentor is a radical minister who blames the U.S. for the war in Iraq. So controversial is Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. that Obama shunned him when he announced his bid for the presidency. It makes one wonder how the media will follow up on this: after all, when Mel Gibson was being criticized for making ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ his foes constantly demanded that he denounce his father’s views on the Holocaust. Surely Rev. Wright—who has played a pivotal role in shaping Obama’s thinking—should be subjected to at least the same scrutiny. And surely Obama should be asked to denounce his radical views, including Wright’s position that white racism can be found in Zionism.

“Obama can begin his presidential campaign with ‘Giving all praise and honor to God,’ and it doesn’t raise an eyebrow among the guardians of church and state. But when Bush said that Jesus was his favorite philosopher, the guardians went ballistic. Indeed, Obama can compare himself to Joshua, and no one blinks.

“Yesterday, Obama blasted the Bush administration’s handling on the war in Iraq while preaching at a Christian church. Now imagine a pro-life Republican candidate speaking at a Catholic Church denouncing the Democrats for supporting partial-birth abortions. And imagine the reaction he would receive if there were a color photo of him on the front page of the New York Times speaking at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The double standard is nauseous, and it smacks of religious and racial prejudice.”

The controversy over St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke’s protest of abortion-activist Sheryl Crow has the media in a frenzy. Addressing this is Catholic League president Bill Donohue:

“The decision by Archbishop Burke to resign from the board of governors of the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation because of its unwillingness to cancel an appearance by pro-abortion activist Sheryl Crow at a fundraising event is a legitimate media story. What is not legitimate is the voyeuristic posture assumed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, KMOV (CBS affiliate) and others: they have invited the public to voice its opinion over Burke’s decision.

“The St. Louis Post-Dispatch had to apologize to Catholics in January 1999 for allowing a glossy anti-Catholic pamphlet to be inserted into its newspaper. It apologized for not making it clear to the reader that it was paid for by an advertiser, but it didn’t have the decency to apologize for allowing it to be inserted in the first place. The day before this happened, this same newspaper allowed another anti-Catholic group to take out a full-page ad in its newspaper. Now it’s inviting non-Catholics to opine about an internal matter of the St. Louis Archdiocese, beckoning the bigots to post their hatred on its website. It has even gone so far as to run a punch line cartoon on this issue, asking the public to submit a caption.

“KMOV now wants to know why Archbishop Burke did not raise questions over other fund-raising celebrities who were arguably offensive. The Archbishop is too mannerly to say what we’re not afraid to say, take a walk—it’s none of your business. KMOV is also playing voyeur by asking Protestants, Jews, Muslims, agnostics and atheists to stick their noses into the business of another religion. In fact, this station is so obsessed with Catholicism that it boasts four surveys on its website on the Catholic Church. No other religion is open for question, however.

“The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KMOV would like to manipulate the Catholic Church—that’s what’s behind their silly surveys. Guess they really don’t understand who we are and what they’re up against.”

Pop singer Sheryl Crow is coming to St. Louis on Saturday to perform at the Fox Theater in a benefit concert for the Bob Costas Cancer Center at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, who is chairman of the board of governors of the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation (which raises money for the Medical Center), has resigned from the board in protest of Crow’s participation in this event. Because Crow is an abortion-rights supporter, and because the other members of the board would not accede to his request to cancel her appearance, Burke felt that he could not in good conscience remain on the board.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue defended Burke today:

“Once again, practicing Catholics who do not live in St. Louis are envious of the privileged position that Catholics in that wonderful city enjoy. Time and again, Archbishop Burke has proven to be one of the most prominent voices of moral clarity inside and outside the Catholic Church in the United States.

“For a Catholic leader to give cover to someone who is not just incidentally pro-choice, but is a rabid abortion-rights activist would be morally unconscionable. To wit: Crow recently campaigned in Missouri for the right to clone human beings and destroy nascent human life, thus making her presence at a Catholic event morally incoherent. Those who are now criticizing Archbishop Burke—saying he should demur given the money being raised for a worthy cause—should explain how they would react if David Duke were scheduled to speak at a fundraising event to fight sickle-cell anemia in East St. Louis.

“What Archbishop Burke has done is unfortunately controversial. It is unfortunate because his courage stands in stark contrast to the moral lassitude that is exhibited on a daily basis by religious and secular leaders throughout the nation. It is so ironic to note that the very ones who are already blasting him for being too judgmental have absolutely no qualms about condemning him. Three cheers for Archbishop Burke.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the news that Rosie O’Donnell is leaving “The View” in June:

“O’Donnell says she’ll return as a guest co-host and is ‘not going away.’ Neither is the Catholic League. No matter how many times Barbara Walters tried to distance herself today from the alleged bickering between O’Donnell and ABC over O’Donnell’s contract, the fact remains that Walters is the co-owner and co-producer of the show she co-hosts. It is Walters, more than anyone else, who has allowed O’Donnell and Joy Behar to bash Catholics non-stop. On April 19, and again in April 23, I wrote to Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks, and President, Disney-ABC Television Group, asking that the Catholic bashing cease; I am awaiting a response.

“Our research discloses that no corporation advertises more of its products on ‘The View’ than Proctor & Gamble. Accordingly, I am putting them on notice today that they bear primary corporate responsibility for the constant mockery of the Catholic Church that O’Donnell and Behar have voiced. I am delighted to learn that James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family, is also fed up with the Catholic bashing that is tolerated by Walters, Disney, ABC and Proctor & Gamble. Maybe the time has come for a Donohue-Dobson one-two punch.

“Imus gets canned for a racist remark and O’Donnell and Behar are allowed to insult Catholics on a regular basis. This kind of disparity is intolerable and must not continue.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented on today’s edition of the ABC show, “The View”:

“Two angry ex-Catholics, Rosie O’Donnell and Joy Behar, teamed up with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a self-described ‘Christian,’ to mock the Catholic Church once again on a show run by a Jew, Barbara Walters. Walters professed ignorance today about all matters Catholic, but as it turned out, she was not the only ignoramus on the panel: none of the women had a clue about the subjects that were discussed. It was quite a spectacle. Though there never has been any Catholic doctrinal teaching on Limbo, O’Donnell, Behar and Hasselbeck presented it as if there were.

“Speaking of Limbo (which is never mentioned in the Catholic Catechism), O’Donnell made the point that ‘The Jews don’t understand this.’ The inanities went on like this for quite a while, with Hasselbeck ridiculing her own child’s baptism and Behar adding that baptism is ‘a nice little sponge bath.’ Behar also took a slap at the Church’s teaching on birth control.

“No other religion is ever mocked on this show. That’s because the panelists are respectful of Jews, fear Muslims and hate Catholics.

“On April 19, I wrote to Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks and President, Disney-ABC Television Group, about reining in Rosie O’Donnell. While O’Donnell may be the worst, Behar is an unrepentant bigot and Hasselbeck is increasingly coarse. But none of these women would ever be allowed to get away with their non-stop Catholic Bashfest without the guiding hand of Walters. Walters co-owns and co-produces the show, and is therefore ultimately responsible.”

Contact information:http://www.disneyabctv.com/web/MediaContacts/contact_form_2.aspx

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer’s decision to introduce a bill that would legalize gay marriage; the bill is expected to be submitted in a few weeks:

“On February 1, just one month after Eliot Spitzer became governor, I wrote a news release congratulating the new governor on his proposal to allow a $1,000 tax break for families who elect to send their children to parochial schools. But that proposal never made it into the budget.

“Now Governor Spitzer wants to push for the right of two men to marry. In doing so, he shows how wildly out of touch he is with New Yorkers: in 2004, a New York Daily News poll found that by a 47-40 percent margin, Manhattanites were opposed to gay marriage. It stands to reason that if the most liberal men and women in New York State don’t want it, no other borough—and no other part of the state—wants it either.

“By reneging on his pledge to help parochial schools, and by supporting gay marriage, Governor Spitzer has alienated Catholics, as well as the faithful from other religions. If he thinks he can ‘steamroll’ this issue by running roughshod over religious conservatives, he’s got another thing coming.”

NB: Here is the letter Bill Donohue sent today to every member of the New York State Legislature. 

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on those who are unhappy with Catholics on the Supreme Court:

“On Wednesday, when the U.S. Supreme Court said no to partial-birth abortion, I wrote, ‘We are waiting for the anti-Catholic bigots to go bonkers over the fact that all five of the justices who voted against infanticide are Roman Catholic.’ I didn’t have to wait long before Rosie O’Donnell made yet another splash bitching about all the Catholics on the high court. Now she has been joined by American Atheist bloggers, Tony Auth and Julianne Malveaux.

“American Atheist bloggers are saying that outlawing some instances of infanticide is ‘very bad news for all women in the United States, all gays and lesbians in the United States, and of course, anyone else not Catholic, especially Freethinkers, Agnostics, and Atheists.’ Blogger Dave assumes that everyone who is not Catholic is upset with the Supreme Court’s decision. Has he not heard of Nancy Pelosi? And don’t gays want gay kids to live?

“Tony Auth is a Pulitzer Prize winning bigot for the Philadelphia Inquirer. His cartoon today—which is also posted in the New York Times online—shows the five Catholic judges wearing a papal hat. He evidently forgot to put a yarmulke on Ginsburg and Breyer.

“The only thing Julianne Malveaux likes better than abortion is Catholic bashing. ‘You’re taking us back to the Catholic days of you kill the mother to bring the baby into the world,’ said the NPR screamer. What this black woman cannot explain is why more black babies lived during those awful Catholic days than is true today. Makes one wonder if she is a self-hating black.

“We need more, not fewer, Catholics on the Supreme Court. But not of the Ted Kennedy kind. We need more loyal sons and daughters.”

On today’s edition of the ABC show, “The View,” the discussion turned to the Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday affirming the partial-birth abortion ban. In an angry tone, Rosie O’Donnell asked, “You know what concerns me? How many of the Supreme Court judges are Catholic, Barbara?” Walters responded, “Five.” O’Donnell: “Five. Five are Catholic. Separation of church and state, America.” Walters then said that when the Catholic justices were vetted, they said they would not vote in a particular way because of their religion. But she then said, “It is interesting they’re Catholic.” After others spoke, Walters said she thought the justices were able to separate their faith from everyday life. To which O’Donnell replied, “From your everyday life but not hopefully from the foundation of our government. Separation of church and state.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue addressed this issue today:

“This is O’Donnell’s eighth attack on Catholics since September. She has said there is no difference between radical Christians and radical Muslims (9-12-06); she has ridiculed the Eucharist (9-28-06); she has falsely claimed that the pope was in charge of policing miscreant priests since the 1980s and did nothing about them (10-2-06); she repeated the lie about the pope again (10-27-06); she has mocked priestly celibacy (2-7-07); she ridiculed the Eucharist again (2-27-07); she mocked Catholic teaching on the Bible and the Virgin Birth (3-26-07); and now she is complaining about too many Catholics on the high court.

“On December 8, 2006, O’Donnell apologized for offending the Chinese after Chinese-American groups protested the way she ridiculed them the week before. On January 18, 2007, ABC said of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Isaiah Washington’s anti-gay slur, ‘We take this situation very seriously, and his actions are unacceptable and are being addressed.’

“Accordingly, we are asking Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair Disney Media Networks and President, Disney-ABC Television Group, to demand that O’Donnell apologize to Catholics and that O’Donnell be treated with as much seriousness as was shown Washington.”

Contact her at anne.sweeney@disney.com

NB:  It appears that the address above has been disabled due to a high volume of e-mails.  Please phone your complaints into 818-569-7700. 

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, spoke today about the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to ban partial-birth abortions:

“The late New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a supporter of theRoe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, once called partial-birth abortion ‘infanticide.’ So has former New York City Mayor Ed Koch. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court finally made the killing of innocent human beings who are 80 percent born illegal. The abortionists can now use their scissors to cut paper instead of cutting a child’s head to pieces.

“In 1995, Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, went on national television saying he ‘lied through [his] teeth’ when he ‘just went out there and spouted the party line’ about how rare partial-birth abortion was. Ever since, we’ve known that thousands of cases of infanticide occur each year, making the U.S. the only nation in the civilized world to allow this barbaric procedure. Until now.

“We are waiting for the anti-Catholic bigots to go bonkers over the fact that all five of the justices who voted against infanticide are Roman Catholic. Consider that when Samuel Alito was nominated, feminist Eleanor Smeal ominously warned that if he gets approved, ‘the majority of the Court would be Roman Catholics, which would underrepresent other religions, not to mention nonbelievers.’ NPR’s Dahlia Lithwick opined that ‘People are very, very much talking about the fact that Alito would be the fifth Catholic in the Supreme Court if confirmed.’ And when John Roberts was nominated before Alito, his Catholicism was batted around by the bigots to such an extent that the Catholic League devoted an entire section in its 2005 Annual Report on Anti-Catholicism to all the vicious remarks made against him.

“Of course, being Catholic does not make one pro-life. Consider such Catholic stalwarts as Cuomo, Giuliani, Pataki, Kennedy, Kerry, Pelosi, Leahy, Durbin, Dodd….”

NB: The Catholic League filed an amicus brief in this case, and was represented by the Thomas More Law Center.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the latest attacks on Catholics by comedians:

“In the wake of the Imus controversy last week, CBS chief Les Moonves said that Imus ‘has flourished in a culture that permits a certain level of objectionable expression that hurts and demeans a wide range of people. In taking him off the air, I believe we take an important and necessary step not just in solving a unique problem, but in changing that culture, which extends far beyond the walls of our Company.’ It was a great statement, but no sooner had Moonves spoken when Catholics learned that his words represented wishful thinking.

“Friday night on the HBO show ‘Real Time with Bill Maher,’ the comedian showed a picture of guitarist Keith Richards in his ‘New Rules’ segment and said, ‘New rules, snorting your father isn’t crazy’ (this was a reference to Richards’ hoax about snorting the ashes of his dead father). Maher then showed a picture of a Catholic priest giving Communion, saying, ‘Eating your father, that’s crazy.’

“The next day Seth Meyers read a news story on ‘Saturday Night Live’ wherein he remarked, ‘For the second consecutive year the number of sex abuse claims against the nation’s Catholic priests had dropped. Undisputable proof that fewer kids are going to church.’

“Even the TV Guide Channel got into the act on Sunday when John Henson questioned why anyone would want to blow himself up to get into heaven just to be with 72 virgins when you could have ‘72 naughty Catholic schoolgirls.’

“It is one thing when comedians like Maher label all religions ‘childish, destructive and nonsense’ (as he did today on ‘The View’), quite another when the Eucharist is mocked and priests are slandered. The Catholic schoolgirls’ remark was not offensive, per se, but it was entirely gratuitous in both forum and context. All in all, it goes to show that Catholic bashing will survive in a culture that penalizes race and gender bashing.”