Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on efforts to censor Christmas:

“We haven’t hit December yet and already the politically correct police are out in force trying to censor Christmas. Here’s a sample:

· For 75 years, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce sponsored the ‘Hollywood Christmas Parade.’ When it refused to sponsor the parade this year, the L.A. City Council took over, renaming it the ‘Hollywood Santa Parade.’

· The Department of Housing and Urban Development has censored Christmas religious symbols from its housing complexes.

· No Christmas decorations are allowed on school buses in parts of Vermont.

· A public official in Wisconsin wants to rename the State Capitol Holiday Tree the Christmas Tree, but is being opposed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

· Chattanooga has banned a live nativity scene from its public festivities.

· Sonoma City Council has nixed religious displays on the Plaza.

· Voters in Berkley, Michigan have forbidden a crèche at City Hall.

· Fort Collins, Colorado says it is okay to have green and red lights outside city buildings, but only secular symbols are allowed inside.

· After Briarcliff Manor, New York was ordered to erect a crèche next to a menorah, the village elected to ban all religious symbols.

· Residents in Olean, New York are fighting over privately owned nativity scenes being displayed in city parks.

· A nativity scene in front of the Ypsilanti Township fire hall in Michigan has been banned.

· No religious symbols are allowed in Seattle-Tacoma airport, but trees made of cardboard are legit.

· Nativity scenes at Texas Tech are not permissible, but a tree is okay. The official in charge says, ‘We’re not saying it’s a holiday tree, because it’s a Christmas tree, but we choose to do a tasteful tree that really anybody can embrace.’ Great idea!

“There you have it. The multicultural monsters are rearing their ugly heads once again, showing what they really mean by tolerance for diversity.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today as follows:

“The spin doctors for ‘The Golden Compass’ are working overtime to rescue the movie from Philip Pullman’s agenda. Here’s a sampling:

“In yesterday’s Boston Globe, the film studio’s house theologian, Donna Freitas, said Pullman’s books ‘are deeply Christian in their theology.’ Then how does she explain why the English atheist organization, the National Secular Society, loves Pullman’s books? And how does she explain Pullman’s statement that he agrees with his character Mary Malone who, in The Amber Spyglass (the third volume of his trilogy), says, ‘The Christian religion is a very powerful and convincing mistake’?

“In the current Newsweek, Pullman lashes out at me saying, ‘To regard it [his storytelling] as this Donohue man has said—that I’m a militant atheist, and my intention is to convert people—how the hell does he know that?’ That’s easy—I just quote him: ‘I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.’

“In his books, Pullman refers to ‘Dust’ as an invisible substance with mysterious qualities. To Dr. Spin, Freitas, ‘Dust is the Holy Spirit.’ Really? Then why did the screenwriter, Chris Weitz, tell Hanna Rosin of theAtlantic Monthly that the producers of the movie told him to take the following line out of the film: ‘Dust is sin’?

“Weitz recently said it is ‘wrongheaded’ to say Pullman wants to ‘kill God.’ Yet Pullman has admitted that ‘My books are about killing God.’

“Both Weitz and Pullman confess that their primary goal is to see that ‘The Golden Compass’ succeeds so that there will be a film version of books two and three. Weitz has said that the producer, New Line Cinema, has been concerned about the movie’s ‘perceived antireligiosity making it an unviable project financially.’ Thus, the need to water down the anti-Catholicism. Pullman says he needs to be careful talking about his motives lest he ‘talk the other two films out of existence.’ To which I say, ‘Keep talking and insert foot.’”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the Catholic League’s on-going complaint with the New York City Board of Education regarding the display of crèches in the schools:

“On October 24, I wrote to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein asking to meet with him regarding the City’s discriminatory holiday policy. ‘There is no constitutional prohibition, or court ruling,’ I said, ‘that disallows the display of nativity scenes in the New York City public schools.’ I am now in receipt of a letter from John DeMicoli of the Department of Education responding for the Chancellor. It is embarrassing to read.

“Mr. DeMicoli should be in school—there is no such word as ‘Chreche’ in the English language. Secondly, he says that the Department of Education’s policy ‘permits the display of holiday secular decorations with secular dimensions.’ That’s called a tautology: secular decorations can only have secular dimensions.

“Beyond that, he has the facts wrong: the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in 2006 that the Department’s policy of allowing the display of Jewish religious symbols (menorah) and Islamic religious symbols (star and crescent) was constitutional because it did not deny Christians secular symbols (the Christmas tree). However, it stressed that the federal district court erred when it declared the menorah and the star and crescent secular in nature—they are clearly religious (New York City claimed that the Jewish and Islamic symbols were secular). Ergo, the Department of Education is denying Christians parity with Jews and Muslims by not allowing them to display their religious symbols. Moreover, the circuit court explicitly said, ‘We do not here decide whether the City could, consistent with the Constitution, include a crèche in its holiday displays.’

“Accordingly, the Catholic League wants parity. We will contact Michael Best, General Counsel to the Chancellor, about this matter.”

Contact MBest2@schools.nyc.gov

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on how “The Golden Compass” is being criticized by friend and foe alike:

“Poor Philip Pullman—he’s getting it from all sides. In today’s U.K. dailyThe Telegraph, it states that the movie version of Pullman’s book, ‘The Golden Compass,’ has had ‘a troubled transition to the screen.’ To be specific, it says that ‘The adaptation has managed to upset both Christians and atheists, the former because of the book’s anti-religious themes and the latter because those very themes have been watered down and virtually excised from the film.’ The article also says that the ‘watering down’ has been condemned by the National Secular Society—they like their bigotry naked. Say what you want about the group, they’re at least honest, which is more than can be said about Pullman and his lackeys.

“Everyone should watch (click here) the interview that Pullman has with Donna Freitas, a Boston University professor who recently tried in vain to bail him out. It’s pathetic. Equally embarrassing is her comment about the film in the November 8 Chicago Sun-Times. She said it’s ‘a thrilling, cutting-edge work of Christian theology.’ It’s gets better: ‘What’s distressing about Donohue’s message is he’s talking about [the book] as if it’s this atheist manifesto geared at children. He’s forgetting this is a wonderful literary fantasy for children.’ This leaves me speechless.

“Not to be outdone, the official response from Scholastic, the mega-publisher of educational materials which is co-producing the movie, is to brag how the film ‘celebrates freedom, love, courage and responsibility.’ Guess they forgot about the atheism and the Catholic bashing.

“Best of all is movie critic Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel. ‘Pullman’s subconscious directs the novels not towards an all-out assault on Christianity. He didn’t set out, as he has glibly claimed, ‘to kill God.’ Really? So in the mind of this Freudian deconstructionist, Pullman really likes Christianity. Look for Moore to get a job teaching psychology or philosophy at a local college. They’ll love him.”

On November 15, Fox 2 pundit J.C. Corcoran slammed St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke and subsequently contacted the police when someone complained about his screed. We called Fox 2 news director Kingsley Smith for his position and learned that he stood by Corcoran.

Corcoran opened his remarks by saying he was not a practicing Catholic, admitting that “many years ago I gave up on religion basically because I thought it was silly.” Here is an excerpt of his remarks about Archbishop Burke and the Catholic Church today.

“Burke is old school, but I’m not convinced old school works right now. Too many things have changed. What I see, again from the outside, is the Catholic Church pretty much at the end of its public relations rope. The sex scandals continue to mount, the flock is thinning, and young men and women aren’t exactly knocking down the doors of seminaries and convents trying to get in. And locally, instead of a respected spiritual leader in the community, you have a guy who’s been stomping around, alienating, threatening, intimidating, excommunicating and carrying on since the day he got off the plane from Wisconsin.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:

“They have some serious problems at Fox 2 in St. Louis. They have a commentator whose insulting remarks are matched only by his ignorance of his former religion, and they have a news director who is equally irresponsible. Contacting the cops about a Catholic woman who merely registered a complaint suggests that thuggery is another quality of the Fox affiliate. Perhaps they’ll call a SWAT team about my statement.

“We are blanketing the media outlets in St. Louis—print and electronic—letting them know about their colleagues at KTVI. To say that Corcoran and Smith are unprofessional is an understatement—they are disgrace to journalism and should be disciplined for their unethical behavior.”

Contact ktvinews@foxtv.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue wrote the following letter to Scholastic Corporation CEO Richard Robinson; copies of the letter were also sent to all the bishops and school superintendents in the Catholic community. Here is the body of Donohue’s letter to Robinson:

As someone who spent 20 years in education, I am aware of Scholastic’s stellar reputation. This is all the more reason why I am profoundly disturbed by Scholastic’s role in co-producing “The Golden Compass.” It is not the movie, per se, that is the problem, it is the book—and the other volumes that comprise His Dark Materials—that is the issue.

The author of these books, Philip Pullman, does not disguise his hatred of Christianity, especially the Roman Catholic Church. Why, then, would Scholastic be associated with such bigotry? As pointed out in our booklet on “The Golden Compass,” producing such a movie would seem to violate Scholastic’s own Credo, one part of which says, “To help build a society free of prejudice and hate, and dedicated to the highest quality of life in community and nation.” Moreover, Scholastic professes a belief in “High moral and spiritual values,” something which surely sounds odd given the Pullman connection.

Christians need to be convinced that Scholastic will never again work with militant atheists who have an animus against their religion. Catholics, in particular, want to be certain that purchasing Scholastic materials does not indirectly fund campaigns against them. To this end, we look for Scholastic to pledge that in the event a movie version of Pullman’s other two books, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, is launched, it will have nothing to do with them. This would reassure Christians that the “Golden Compass” venture was an anomaly.

Contact Kyle Good, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Media Relations, kgood@scholastic.com

Two national Catholic organizations, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, are working in a joint effort to petition Pope Benedict XVI to expedite the cause for the beatification of Pope Pius XII.

It is our strongly held conviction that Pope Pius XII has been unfairly portrayed as someone who stood silent during the Holocaust. Indeed, we know of no world leader who did more to resist the Nazis and rescue Jews than this great man. To depict him otherwise is to slander him, and this is not something Catholics will ever accept.

Petition to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
for the Beatification of Pope Pius XII

With profound respect and sincere devotion, We, the undersigned, humbly request that the cause for the beatification of Pope Pius XII proceed without delay. Pius XII’s virtuous life speaks for itself and is supported by an abundance of incontestable documentary evidence. The truth regarding his service to the Church and the World, as a diplomat and during his pontificate, prior to and through the World War II period, is also historically established. He has been the victim of an unjust smear campaign for fifty years. Now, however, overwhelming evidence has been amassed that proves beyond doubt that he labored without pause for peace, that he sought to assist in every way possible the victims of war, especially Jews, hundreds of thousands of whom were spared through his efforts, and that he constantly warned the world of the horrors of Nazism and Communism. We urge that you honor this holy and brave Pontiff at the soonest possible date.

To sign this petition, click here.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue discussed what he is doing about the Chinese government’s decision to ban athletes from bringing Bibles to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games:

“I am writing today to the 15-member Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Switzerland asking for an immediate investigation into allegations that the Communist Chinese government plans to violate the Olympic Charter by banning athletes from bringing Bibles to the 2008 Olympic Games.

“Principle #5 of the Fundamental Principles of Olympism in the Olympic Charter reads, ‘Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.’ Under Chapter Two, Rule 23, Paragraph 1.6 of the Charter, the Executive Board of the IOC has the power to withdraw the right of the host city to organize the Olympic Games if the Charter is violated. However, Paragraph 3 says, ‘Before applying any measure or sanction, the competent IOC body may issue a warning.’ Accordingly, I am asking the IOC to do just that. If the warning fails, then the Catholic League will petition the IOC to deny China the 2008 Olympic Games.

“In addition to violating religious liberties, the Chinese government is guilty of gross hypocrisy. On the website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, there are several comments lauding religious rights. For example, it says, ‘China is a country with religious freedom and respects every religion.’ It also posts a statement of October 17, 2007 titled, ‘Beijing Olympics Will Provide High-Level Service on Religion.’ Moreover, just four days later—for the first time in its history—the Communist Party of China amended its Constitution to guarantee religious liberty. Indeed, Ye Xiaowen, China’s Director of the State Administration of Religious Affairs, boasted that the Beijing Olympics would respect religious liberties. Yet he is the same person who now says Bibles have been banned! But no matter, we won’t let them get away with this.”

Beginning October 20, the Associated Press (AP) ran a three-day series on sexual abuse in the public schools. Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented on it today:

“In its first installment on this issue, the AP called sexual abuse by public school teachers ‘a widespread problem.’ The news wire service, which spent seven months gathering information, pulled no punches: ‘Students in America’s schools are groped. They’re raped. They’re pursued, seduced and think they’re in love. An Associated Press investigation found more than 2,500 cases over five years in which educators were punished for actions from bizarre to sadistic.’ Indeed, it said that on any given school day, three educators are actively hitting on students, thus speaking to ‘a much larger problem in a system that is stacked against victims.’ And as we’ve known for some time, this is because the teachers unions are more interested in the rights of accused teachers than they are the welfare of alleged victims. Who speaks for the kids is a mystery.

“Complicating the cause of justice is the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification. It keeps tabs on guilty teachers but only shares the names among state agencies. No wonder suspended teachers are commonly passed from one school district to another, or from one state to another. So frequent is this phenomenon that it’s called ‘passing the trash’ or the ‘mobile molester.’

“Just as outrageous is the media’s reaction. Even though two weeks have elapsed since the AP story broke, a Nexis search shows that only five newspapers carried the entire series: Daily Breeze (CA), Richmond Times Dispatch (VA), Statesman Journal (OR), Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) and Inside Bay Area (CA); it was also carried by Connecticut Post Online.

“So where was the Boston Globe, which broke the Catholic scandal, and all the other big media outlets? Just goes to show that it was never the molested who counted, just the identity of the molester.”

On this morning’s “Today” show, English atheist Philip Pullman was questioned by Al Roker about his trilogy, His Dark Materials, and the movie which opens December 7 that is based on his first book, The Golden Compass. Roker mentioned that the Catholic League is charging that Pullman’s work is selling “atheism for kids.” Here is Pullman’s response:

“Well, you know I always mistrust people who tell us how we should understand something. They know better than we do what the book means or what this means and how we should read it and whether we should read it or not. I don’t think that’s democratic. I prefer to trust the reader. I prefer to trust what I call the democracy of reading. When everybody has the right to form their own opinion and read what they like and come to their own conclusion about it. So I trust the reader.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue replied as follows:

“The last thing Pullman trusts is the people. That is why he tries to sneak his atheism in back-door to kids. If he had any courage, he’d defend his work, but instead he continues to do what he does best—practice deceit. This is the same man who boldly exclaimed a few years ago, ‘I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.’ Now he says that it is undemocratic of us to issue a consumer’s alert (we’ve published a bookleton his work) that exposes his hatred of all things Catholic.

“We at the Catholic League never had to run from our work. How pitiful it is to see a grown man slip kids his poisonous pill and then pretend he trusts the reader. We are so happy to have ripped the mask off his face. And the movie doesn’t even open for another five weeks! This is going to be a good ride. Hope Pullman is up to it.”