In the October 19 episode of Fox’s “Family Guy,” characters Brian (the family dog) and Stewie (the family child) travel in a time machine to rescue Mort Goldman (a Jewish family-friend) from the Nazi invasion of Poland. After Brian and Stewie disguise Mort as a priest to get him out of the country, a Nazi officer asks Mort, “Are you sure you’re a real priest?” Stewie replies, “Yeah, yeah, I can vouch for him, he’s real. He’s molested me many, many times.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:

“To its credit, the Fox News Channel has criticized its broadcast sister station, Fox, for what happened on last Sunday’s episode. But the criticism only dealt with the implication that Nazis would have supported the McCain-Palin ticket. However, there is also the matter of slandering all gay priests. While it is true that most of the molesters in the Catholic clergy have been gay, most gay priests are not molesters.

“A disturbing pattern has emerged on ‘Family Guy.’ On at least three occasions, it has mocked the Eucharist, and now it is targeting gay priests. The brains behind these assaults is Seth MacFarlane. He is not only the show’s creator, he is a big Barack Obama supporter. This may explain his animus against McCain-Palin, but it is not clear why an Obama fan would find it necessary to beat up on gay priests. After all, Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden, just yesterday said he is against Proposition 8, the California resolution that would limit marriage to a man and a woman. Thus did he lay down stakes with the radical gay community.

“Whatever the motive, the juvenile scripts that MacFarlane is associated with could benefit from some fresh material. Make that material that doesn’t bash Catholicism, as well.”

Contact Scott Grogin, Senior VP for Communications:scott.grogin@fox.com

On today’s episode of “Ellen,” Joe Biden told Ellen DeGeneres “that if I lived in California, I would vote against Proposition 8.” This initiative reads, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Yet in his debate with Sarah Palin on October 2, Biden said that “Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue weighed in on this today:

“Proposition 8 is a civil initiative that would secure marriage as an institution that is exclusively between a man and a woman, and Joe Biden told Ellen DeGeneres that he is opposed to that measure. In other words, Biden did not tell the truth in his debate with Sarah Palin. He cannot logically be opposed to both gay marriage and Proposition 8, but that is exactly what he is trying to get away with. More important, Biden is openly defying both the pope and the bishops.

“Last year, in his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI pointedly said the following about people like Joe Biden: ‘Worship pleasing to God can never be a purely private matter…it is especially incumbent upon those who, by virtue of their social or political position, must make decisions regarding fundamental values such as respect for human life, its defence from conception to natural death, the family built upon marriage between a man and a woman….These values are not negotiable.’ (My emphasis.)

“Last year, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issuedForming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship wherein it said that the family based on marriage between a man and a woman ‘should be defended and strengthened, not redefined or undermined by permitting same-sex unions or other distortions of marriage.’

“Biden is in a major jam. He needs to hold a press conference explaining his irreconcilable moral positions, and why he has chosen to defy the pope and the bishops.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue exposes the nexus between George Soros and two left-wing Catholic groups, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United:

“In 2003, after left-wing mogul George Soros blamed Jews for anti-Semitism, the ADL branded his comments ‘obscene.’ Two years later, I accused him of anti-Catholicism when his group, MoveOn.org, posted a picture of a smiling Pope Benedict XVI holding a gavel outside the U.S. Supreme Court, along with the following inscription: ‘God Already Has a Job…He does not need one on the Supreme Court.’

“Why is this relevant? Because this same bigot is connected to two apologists for abortion rights, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United. In 2006, Soros’ Open Society Institute gave Catholics in Alliance $100,000 (double the amount he gave in 2005), and in the same year Catholics in Alliance listed Catholics United on its 990 as an organization with which it has a formal relationship. John Podesta, who runs the Soros-funded organization, Center for American Progress, admits that he works closely with Catholics in Alliance and Catholics United. The Center for American Progress is also the sponsor of Faith and Public Life.

“Why would any Catholic organization take money from a man like George Soros? Because legitimate sources of revenue aren’t available? And why would Soros have any interest in funding Catholic groups? He doesn’t give the Catholic League any money, and if he offered, I would refuse it.

“The reason Soros funds the Catholic Left is the same reason he lavishly funds Catholics for Choice, the pro-abortion group that has twice been condemned as a fraud by Catholic bishops: they all service his agenda, namely, to make support for abortion rights a respectable Catholic position. On October 17, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput accused Catholics in Alliance and Catholics United as doing a ‘disservice’ to the Catholic Church. He’s right. And now we know what really makes them tick.”

On October 15, Catholic League president Bill Donohue spoke with an official from YouTube’s headquarters about his news release of October 7 objecting to 40-plus videos depicting the desecration of the Eucharist. He explains what happened today:

“The conversation I had was productive, and the official with whom I spoke was reasonable and professional. She fully understood the gravity of our concerns and admitted that many Catholics have contacted YouTube registering their outrage. Here is where we’re at.

“The videos, posted by a young man, Dominique (he goes by ‘fsmdude’), have been ‘age-gated.’ What this means is that the videos are not available to the general public—age confirmation is required. Moreover, the viewer is informed that the material may not be appropriate. The YouTube official stressed that this was a ‘preliminary step,’ part of an ongoing review process. In other words, they are taking the complaints made by the Catholic League seriously, and may yet decide to implement stronger strictures.

“In the course of the conversation, I made it clear that we do not object to making fun of Catholics, or for that matter Catholic beliefs and practices, just so long as they are made in good taste. Nor do we object to those who might vigorously reject the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. What we object to are situations where it is obvious that the whole purpose of the communication is to deliberately insult Catholics. It is one thing for an avowed atheist to lecture Catholics about their beliefs, quite another for someone to throw the Eucharist down the toilet, put it in a blender, etc. The latter represents malice, having nothing to do with discourse.

“As part of the Catholic League response to this issue, we are posting avideo on YouTube that further explains our position. We appreciate the seriousness that YouTube has shown to our concerns and hope they conclude that these videos violate their guidelines.”

Contact editor@YouTube.com

On the October 8 episode of the Fox program, “Bones,” the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation was ridiculed. The show, which features a female forensic specialist called “Bones,” and a male detective, Seeley Booth, began with an exchange regarding a female Protestant minister who is missing. Here is how it went:

· Booth: “She’s a pastor. Yeah. Looks like one of those grassroots community churches.”
· Bones: “Huh. She was preparing for a sermon.”
· Booth: “A pastor with augmentation and veneers.”
· Bones: “So?”
· Booth: “A spiritual leader shouldn’t be so vain.”
· Bones: “The pope sits on a throne. He wears robes worth hundreds of dollars. Isn’t that vanity?”
· Booth: “Oh, really? You’re going after the pope now?”
· Bones: “One pastor gets her teeth whitened, and the other drinks wine on Sunday mornings and tells everyone that it’s been miraculously transformed into blood. Which of those is more outlandish?”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented as follows:

“We had complaints about this show following the episodes that aired on March 28, 2007, and on April 19, 2006, but we decided not to make a public protest because we didn’t think the incidents in question were clear-cut cases of bigotry. But for two reasons, this one is different: a) it cuts to the heart and soul of Catholicism and b) it was entirely gratuitous.

“It does not matter that non-Catholics may not accept what happens at Mass. What matters is that they show respect. And to just throw this line in while the opening credits are running—about a minister, no less—shows how mean-spirited the writers are. If only they thought of Catholics as if they were an indigenous people, we’d be fine.”

Contact Scott Grogin, Senior VP for Communications, atscott.grogin@fox.com

Under the name fsmdude, a Canadian man, Dominique, has posted over 40 videos on YouTube desecrating the Eucharist. Catholic League president Bill Donohue responds as follows:

“On September 29, I wrote to YouTube CEO Chad Hurley asking him to take down these offensive videos. I left a phone message for him on October 3, but he refuses to respond. Accordingly, I have posted my ownvideo on YouTube calling attention to this matter.

“It was a professor from the University of Minnesota, Morris campus, Paul Z. Myers, who started the war on the Eucharist this past summer by intentionally desecrating a consecrated Host. Because Myers committed this act off-campus, the University did nothing about it. The latest copycat, however, has violated YouTube’s own ‘Community Guidelines.’ YouTube makes it clear that it does not ‘permit hate speech,’ defined as ‘speech which attacks or demeans a group based on race or ethnic origin, religion….’ It also says it ‘is not a shock site.’ Now if desecrating what Catholics believe to be the Body and Blood of Christ does not constitute hate speech, as well as expression designed to shock, nothing does.

“In August, YouTube took down a video of a teenager who urinated on the Holocaust memorial in Rhodes, Greece. That was not only the right moral choice, it was consistent with its own strictures. Catholics deserve the same sensitivity, and that is why we are asking YouTube to take down these unconscionable videos. It is not only right morally, it is in compliance with its own guidelines.”

Contact editor@YouTube.com

On November 26, Thanksgiving eve, Rosie O’Donnell will host a special on NBC, “Rosie’s Variety Show.” Reportedly, it has a strong chance of becoming a weekly show on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. next year.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue is giving NBC a heads-up:

“NBC wouldn’t dare hire one of its icons, Michael Richards, to do a special, never mind give him serious consideration for a weekly show on Sunday nights. That’s because the “Seinfeld” actor made bigoted remarksone night in 2006 while performing. By contrast, O’Donnell has made a slew of the most viciously bigoted remarks, year after year. But she’s okay.

“Moreover, Richards made his comments in a private comedy club; O’Donnell made her numerous comments on national television. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that African Americans were the target of Richards’ bigoted statements; O’Donnell’s repertoire is mostly limited to attacking Catholics and the Catholic Church. She once ripped Asians, but then quickly issued an apology. She has never apologized to Catholics for her non-stop bigotry.

“If Michael Richards were to be given the opportunity that O’Donnell is being given, the NAACP, Al Sharpton and others would be scheduling a protest. And by comparison, Richards is positively angelic next to O’Donnell.

“Sponsors had better beware. If O’Donnell resorts to her Catholic-bashing antics, one of them will pay. Bet on it. Ironically, it was on Thanksgiving eve of 2006 that NBC aired Madonna’s ‘Confessions Tour.’ Deleted from the show was the ‘Mock Crucifixion’ scene we objected to. That’s because NBC got the message about the boycott we planned with the Media Research Center (we said we would boycott one sponsor, to be identified after the show). NBC would be wise not to pick this show up in 2009.”

Contact NBC CEO Jeff Zucker at jeff.zucker@nbcuni.com