Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a revealing news story about the upcoming movie, “Angels & Demons”:

“There will be no Muslim assassin in the film version of Dan Brown’s book,Angels & Demons; director Ron Howard has seen to that. But, of course, he has no problem culturally assassinating Catholicism. And it’s not just Howard who is the hypocrite: co-producer Brian Grazer, and the production studio, Sony, are guilty of giving Muslims a pass while sticking it to Catholics.

“After 9/11, NBC toyed with the idea of doing a mini-series on the events of that tragic day. Grazer was to produce the film, but it never materialized due to its controversial nature. More important, Grazer said it was his goal to ‘humanize’ Muslims, specifically denouncing any attempt to ‘demonize’ them. Evidently, it’s just Catholics who are worthy of being demonized: Grazer co-produced ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and now he is co-producing ‘Angels & Demons.’

“Last year, with less than four days to go before Sony released a video game, LittleBigPlanet, it recalled every copy before it hit the stores. Why? One of the background songs contained two Arabic expressions found in the Koran, and that was considered a no-no. ‘We have taken immediate action to rectify this and we sincerely apologize for any offense this may have caused.’ But there will be no action—immediate or delayed—to rectify the propaganda against Catholicism in ‘Angels & Demons,’ and there most certainly will be no apology.

“It’s all so sick. Radical Muslims fly our planes into our buildings, killing thousands, and Muslims across the board are afforded more respect than the rescue workers—most of whom were Catholic—who lost their lives on 9/11. The cultural inversions continue to multiply, and the level of hypocrisy is at a record high. If only Hollywood thought of Catholics as if they were Muslims! If it did, the Catholic League would fold in a New York minute.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue explains this unusual headline:

“The House of Representatives will vote this week, possibly tomorrow, on a hate crimes bill championed by gay groups that includes pedophiles under the rubric of sexual orientation. This is the ultimate confession: liberal Democrats think of pedophiles as indistinguishable from homosexuals.

“When this subject came up last week in the House Judiciary Committee, an amendment to the hate crimes bill that would have excluded pedophilia from the definition of sexual orientation was defeated by Democrats along party lines, 13-10. This was considered good news by gay organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, left-wing groups like the ACLU and various Jewish groups like the ADL.

“The debate is over: for liberals, child molesters should be given the same rights as homosexuals. Moreover, they should be given more rights than pregnant women and veterans; the latter two categories were explicitly denied coverage under the hate crimes bill. Even worse, an amendment that would bar prosecution based in whole or in part on religious beliefs quoted from the Bible, the Tanakh (Judaism’s sacred book) or the Koran was defeated by Democrats along party lines, 11-8. In other words, religious speech may be denied First Amendment protection.

“There would be national outrage over this if the media were to report on it and the public were allowed to weigh in on it. But the clock is ticking and freedom and morality are hanging in the balance.”

Rep. John Conyers is leading the supporters of this bill: contact john.conyers@mail.house.gov

Rep. Louie Gohmert is leading the opposition: contact louie.gohmert@mail.house.gov

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on President Obama’s selection of Dr. Eric Goosby to be the new U.S. global AIDS coordinator and director of the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief:

“The problem with this selection is not so much Dr. Goosby, it is the pressure he will be under to deny conscience rights to those who work for such agencies as Catholic Relief Services. Moreover, the progress that the Bush administration made in combating AIDS in Africa is now in jeopardy.

“Dr. Mark R. Dybul was in charge of this office under President Bush. An openly gay man, he worked to insure conscience rights for Catholic workers and made certain that abstinence programs were not gutted in the fight against AIDS. On January 9, he was told that he had been asked by President-elect Obama to stay on in this job. But as soon as Obama was sworn in, he was thrown out: on January 22, one day after Hillary Clinton was confirmed as secretary of state, he was notified by her staff to find another job. Why? News reports show that Dybul was accused of working too closely with the Catholic Church. Goosby’s name was then floated, but because it seemed like a rush to judgment, many complained that the process was unfair. So Goosby’s appointment was held up.

“Right now, agencies like Catholic Relief Services can opt out of programs that provide for condom distribution. But under Goosby, this may change. He will be under enormous pressure by radical feminists, gay activists and assorted sexologists to force faith-based organizations  to get on board or get out.

“The scientific evidence on AIDS prevention in Africa shows that nothing succeeds better than partner reduction; the Catholic Church has led the way in this effort. As recently demonstrated by Helen Epstein in The Invisible Cure: Africa, the West and the Fight Against AIDS, partner reduction has been more effective than condom use in fighting AIDS in Africa. Yet condom worship continues unabated, especially in the White House.”

Harvard Law Professor Mary Ann Glendon has written an open letter to Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins explaining why she cannot accept the Laetare Medal on Commencement Day, May 17.

Glendon took note of the University’s decision to award President Barack Obama an honorary degree, something which flies in the face of the express will of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): in 2004, the USCCB issued a document requesting Catholic institutions to not honor “those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles.”

In her letter, Glendon also took exception to official statements by Notre Dame on this issue. “President Obama won’t be doing all the talking. Mary Ann Glendon, former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, will be speaking as the recipient of the Laetare Medal,” said one statement. In another, it was noted that it would be “a good thing for the President” to hear Glendon’s address.

Glendon referred to Obama as “a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice.” She also said her decision to reject the offer was motivated by “recent news reports that other Catholic schools are similarly choosing to disregard the Bishops’ guidelines.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:

“Mary Ann Glendon is a friend and a member of the Catholic League’s board of advisors. As usual, she made the right choice. The decision by Father Jenkins to honor a man who is the hero of Planned Parenthood is delinquent enough, but the ultimate insult was the specious moral reasoning used to justify it. Playing off Glendon against Obama—as if her legitimate presence legitimates his illegitimate presence—is simply outrageous.

“If Father Jenkins thinks it is important for President Obama to learn from Professor Glendon, then let him audit one of her classes. Alternatively, she can send him a tape.”

On her radio show of April 24, Dr. Laura Schlessinger engaged a caller on the subject of priestly sexual abuse. Dr. Laura said she was “stunned” that the penalties for abuse “were not more severe.” She continued by saying, “So because of that I no longer, you have not heard me in all these years tell anybody to send their kids to Catholic school, where in the past I did that all the time.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented as follows:

“I will not lose faith in Dr. Laura simply because she is not up to speed on this issue, but I cannot sit back and indulge her cluelessness. Quite frankly, as anyone who has read the John Jay Reports on this subject knows, the vast majority of abuse took place between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s, at the height of the sexual revolution. The bill may have come due in 2002—the year the Boston Globe exposed the Boston Archdiocese as the epicenter of the problem—but this hardly justifies the conclusion that nothing has been done to correct the situation in recent times.

“Indeed, I would challenge Dr. Laura to name a single institution—private or public—that has instituted a ‘zero tolerance’ policy, save for the Catholic Church. Every staff person and volunteer who works for the Church has had to undergo the most rigorous training seminars on the subject of the sexual abuse of minors, something unmatched by any other organization. Indeed, if Dr. Laura wants to know which institution is responsible for the lion’s share of this problem today, she needs to take a serious look at the public schools. And then she might investigate why so little reform has been instituted. I can save her the time—it’s called the teachers unions.

“Here’s the number of credible accusations made against the over 40,000 priests in the last few years: 2008 (10); 2007 (4); 2006 (14); 2005 (9).

“Dr. Laura’s moral compass remains one of the finest indices of sanity in the nation. Indeed, we are big fans of hers. But she does need to correct the record.”

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, nominated to be the next secretary of health and human services, vetoed a bill yesterday that would have placed new restrictions on third trimester abortions. Catholic League president Bill Donohue spoke to this issue today:

“The veto by Sebelius was a political kickback to Dr. George Tiller, the infamous abortion doctor who specializes in killing kids just before they are born (and in some cases when they are mostly born). It was also a clear rejection of women’s rights.

“Tiller is a long-time donor and friend of Sebelius, having greased her with so much dough that she can’t even remember how much he has forked up. All along he was buying protection from lawsuits, and yesterday he got what he wanted. Sebelius, like all pro-abortion Catholics, says she wants to reduce abortions, yet what she just did was to shield abortionists like Tiller from publicly stating why it is necessary to kill a kid after the 22nd week of pregnancy. Now he can go about his death trade willy nilly, without any accountability. Moreover, the bill would have allowed a woman to sue if she believed the abortionist lied to her about the need for a late-term abortion. So much for women’s rights.

“Sebelius seems incapable of shame. She waited until the 11th hour yesterday to deliver her body blow: she vetoed the bill at 4:45 p.m. on the 10th and last day before the clock ran out. And President Obama wants to put a person like this in charge of the nation’s healthcare? It just doesn’t get any dirtier than this.”

Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, supports a bill by New York State Assemblywoman Margaret Markey that addresses the sexual abuse of minors. In today’s Newsday, he blames the Catholic Church for opposing it. Evans says, “It is a shame we have to fight against the [Catholic] church in this. It breaks my heart.”

Yesterday, State Senator Thomas Duane explained why he supports the Markey bill. He said that “for one year after the passage of this bill, adults who were abused years or even decades ago as children could bring charges against the abusers…Not allowing victims to do that is a continued perpetration [sic] against them.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented as follows:

“There are two bills before the New York State Assembly that address the sexual abuse of minors. The legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, and the one by Assemblyman Vito Lopez. The Markey bill leaves unamended the 90-day period wherein a minor who was abused in a public school must file suit; it opens the door for one year to those victimized in a Catholic school to file suit, even if the crime occurred decades ago. The Lopez bill does not discriminate between public and parochial schools.

“The real shame is that Rev. Evans and Sen. Duane are interested in punishing Catholic schools while exempting public schools. It’s time to call them out on this issue. Since they maintain that the Markey bill applies equally to public and Catholic schools, Duane should introduce a bill that would simply reverse the rules: give those who were abused in a Catholic school 90 days to file a claim, and put no time limit on those who were abused in a public school.

“A reverse Markey bill would also make more sense: most of the abuse has taken place in the public schools.”

Ron Howard, director of “Angels & Demons,” the movie version of Dan Brown’s book by that name, attacked Catholic League president Bill Donohue yesterday on the Huffington Post.

Referring to a booklet on the movie that Donohue authored, “Angels & Demons: More Demonic than Angelic,” (click here) Howard wrote: “Mr. Donohue’s booklet accuses us of lying when our movie trailer says the Catholic Church ordered a brutal massacre to silence the Illuminati centuries ago. It would be a lie if we had ever suggested our movie is anything other than a work of fiction….” Howard also said that “most in the hierarchy of the Church” will enjoy his film; he denies being anti-Catholic.

Donohue responded today:

“Dan Brown says in his book that the Illuminati are ‘factual’ and that they were ‘hunted ruthlessly by the Catholic Church.’ In the film’s trailer, Tom Hanks, who plays the protagonist Robert Langdon, says ‘The Catholic Church ordered a brutal massacre to silence them forever.’  Howard concurs: ‘The Illuminati were formed in the 1600s. They were artists and scientists like Galileo and Bernini, whose progressive ideas threatened the Vatican.’

“All of this is a lie. The Illuminati were founded in 1776 and were dissolved in 1787. It is obvious that Galileo and Bernini could not possibly have been members: Galileo died in 1647 and Bernini passed away in 1680. More important, the Catholic Church never hunted, much less killed, a single member of the Illuminati. But this hasn’t stopped Brown from asserting that ‘It is a historical fact that the Illuminati vowed vengeance against the Vatican in the 1600s.’ (My emphasis.)

“Howard must be delusional if he thinks Vatican officials are going to like his propaganda—they denied him the right to film on their grounds. Moreover, we know from a Canadian priest who hung out with Howard’s crew last summer in Rome (dressed in civilian clothes) just how much they hate Catholicism. It’s time to stop the lies and come clean.”

On April 22, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark-up a hate crimes bill sponsored by Rep. John Conyers. Serious questions have been raised by religious leaders about this legislation, especially as it pertains to religious pronouncements against homosexuality.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue addressed this issue today:

“The idea of being prosecuted for reading Scripture may seem delirious, but it is just as crazy to think it couldn’t happen. Consider the facts. When this bill was being considered in 2007, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas asked Alabama Rep. Art Davis (his amendment is in the bill) the following question: ‘If a minister preaches that sexual relations outside of marriage of a man and a woman is wrong, and somebody within that congregation goes out and does an act of violence, and that person says that that minister counseled or induced him through the sermon to commit that act, are you saying under your amendment that in no way could that ever be introduced against the minister?’ Davis, who supports the bill, replied, ‘No.’

“In other words, if a deranged person hears a priest, minister or rabbi quote Leviticus 18:22, ‘Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination,’ and he then proceeds to assault a homosexual at a gay event—telling the arresting officer he was just following through on what he heard in his house of worship—the clergyman could arguably be charged with a hate crime. The very prospect of something like this happening should be enough to make any reasonable person wonder what is going on.

“The problem in general with hate crimes legislation is that it invites the government to probe way beyond motive. And in instances like this, it trespasses on free speech and religious liberty. This is a road no defender of liberty should ever want to go down.”

Catholic League president William Donohue commented today on the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new pope:

“Orthodox Catholics have cause for great celebration—the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as our new Holy Father sends an unmistakable message: the College of Cardinals wants a man who will continue the theological legacy of Pope John Paul II.  There can be no greater tribute to John Paul the Great than this.

“In 1986, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote a letter to an insubordinate priest, Charles Curran, saying, ‘The authorities of the Church cannot allow the present situation to continue in which…one who is to teach in the name of the Church in fact denies her teaching.’  In 1998, as John Paul II’s enforcer of orthodoxy, he said that the Church’s prohibition against ‘priestly ordination of women’ had ‘been set forth infallibly.’ It is for reasons like these that the New York Times recently called him, ‘the Vatican’s hard-line defender of the faith.’

“Yesterday, in his homily before the men who would elect him pope, Ratzinger said, ‘We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.’  This is straight out of John Paul II’s encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, one of the most powerful statements on morality ever written.  In short, the new pope, like his predecessor, understands the grave danger that awaits a society wherein each individual makes up his own morality.  It may not sell in the U.S., but it is nonetheless true that a society that refuses to acknowledge that  morality is a social attribute—not an individual one—is bound to culturally implode.

“The Catholic League is delighted.  Those who are not need to do some real soul searching.”