Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on President Obama’s position on abortion restrictions in the health care bill:

On September 30, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter to the U.S. Senate saying, “So far, the health reform bills considered in committee, including the new Senate Finance Committee bill, have not met President Obama’s challenge of barring use of federal dollars for abortion.”

We now know that President Obama—who is lobbying to excise the abortion restrictions that the bishops wanted—has betrayed the bishops. Here is how New York Times reporter Robert Pear put it today: “President Obama suggested Monday that he was not comfortable with abortion restrictions inserted into the House version of major health care legislation, and he prodded Congress to revise them.” Although Obama spoke out of both sides of his mouth in his ABC News interview, Pear’s statement is an accurate reflection of the president’s position.

The manly thing for the president to do would be to state the obvious: his love for abortion rights brooks no compromise. But he won’t do so, choosing instead to play the same old shell game he’s been playing all along. And he is not alone. For months, we have been told that the bill does not cover funds for abortion, yet if that were true, there would have been no need for the Stupak amendment, and no resistance to it.

This has been a great moment for the bishops, and for Catholics generally, but the fight is not over. It’s important that those on both sides know exactly who the players are on each team.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

On November 3, we noted that the “War on Christmas” had begun. One piece of evidence that was offered was the decision to have a “Holiday Tree,” instead of a “Christmas Tree,” in Frankfort, Kentucky. But after getting pounded by outraged Christians, Gov. Steve Beshear has reversed himself: both he, and the state government, have now chosen to call the Christmas Tree the “Christmas Tree.”

Christians have every right to be insulted when agents of government refuse to acknowledge their holiday, and it matters not a whit if the stated purpose is inclusion. Indeed, the politics of inclusion is a malignant cultural cancer that needs to be wiped out, along with its parent ideology, multiculturalism.

Congratulations to Gov. Beshear can be extended by contacting his director of communications, Jill Midkiff: Jill.Midkiff@mail.state.ky.us

Catholic League president Bill Donohue says that he and Christopher Hitchens have settled their recent dispute:

On November 2, I criticized Christopher Hitchens for saying that Mother Teresa was “a fanatic and a fundamentalist and a fraud, and millions of people are much worse off because of her life, and it’s a shame there is no hell for your bitch to go to.”

At the end of the news release, we published his e-mail address, and he was roundly condemned, sometimes maliciously, by angry Catholics (he forwarded some of the e-mails to me). I subsequently e-mailed him, saying, “Seems like you’ve heard from the faithful.” I also took the opportunity to invite him for drinks the next time he is in New York. Why? Although we’ve had it out several times in the past—in person and on TV—and although I strongly disagree with him, the man is no phony, and that means a great deal to me. Unlike most of those whom I do battle with, Hitchens is intellectually honest.

Christopher wrote back to me today, saying, “The first thing to say is that I felt remorse for employing the word ‘bitch’ as soon as it was out of my mouth.” Forgiven. As I have always said, when someone apologizes, Christians have no choice but to accept it. Besides, anyone who fights for a cause, myself included, occasionally lets his emotions get the best of him. The difference is, Christopher admits it.

A few years back, Christopher wrote a piece in Vanity Fair on abortion that was so fair that it moved me to write a letter in praise of it; it was published. In other words, this is not the first time we have broken bread. But who needs the bread? Christopher and I have some serious drinking to do.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue speaks to the way Catholics and Muslims are treated in the upcoming film, “2012”:

When we got word recently that the movie “2012” depicts the Vatican being blown up, along with the famous statue from Rio, Christ the Redeemer, we were unmoved. Why? Because this occurs during the end of the world in a massive destruction. This kind of sensationalism, we reasoned, is standard fare for director Roland Emmerich: he is the guru of the “blow ‘em up” genre of movies. But now we’ve learned that while Catholics get theirs, Muslims are spared. Out of fear, of course.

Emmerich is more than a coward—he is a liar who has it out for Catholics. Last year, he was quoted saying, “I would like to erase all nations and religions.” Not true. He is quite content to live with Islam, even though he readily admits it is a religion of terror. When asked why he did not show the destruction of Kaaba, the religious structure in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, he said, “I wanted to do that, I have to admit. You can actually let Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have…a fatwa.”

So why was the Sistine Chapel designated for destruction? “We have to show how this gets destroyed….I am against organized religion.” Emmerich lies again. He is not against Islam.

After bragging that the movie shows the Sistine Chapel falling on people’s heads, Emmerich explains the moral of the story: “Never pray in front of a big church. Pray by yourself.” He lies again: Muslims who want to pray in front of a mosque are safe. That’s because, as Emmerich sees it, they’re known to kill those who offend their religion.

Every time I say Hollywood hates Christianity, especially Catholicism, my critics cringe. But they never offer evidence that I’m wrong.

Contact Sony Pictures Entertainment chief Amy Pascal:
amy.pascal@spe.sony.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue addresses the flap over an article New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan submitted to the New York Times:

The New York Archbishop submits an op-ed article to the New York Times, citing recent instances of anti-Catholic bias by the newspaper. The newspaper refuses to print it. The archbishop subsequently posts the piece on his blog. Though that is the extent of Archbishop Dolan’s role in this issue, he comes under fire anyway.

Andrew Rosenthal, editorial page editor of the newspaper, says, “The idea that when you criticize the bishops, or the hierarchy of the church, that you’re attacking the church itself, or, as Dolan implies, the religion itself, is just false.” What is false is this characterization.

Dolan made four complaints: 1) he cited the “selective outrage” by the Times regarding clergy sex abuse scandals—a news article featuring abuse by Orthodox Jews was not followed by a call for more investigations, legal probes, etc. 2) a contrived news story about a troubled priest who had a consensual affair with a troubled woman appears on the front page 3) reports of Catholic outreach to Anglicans is treated as exploitation, and 4) Maureen Dowd writes a screed against the Church. In other words, Rosenthal’s response is wholly without merit.

Commonweal, a Catholic magazine on life support, faults Dolan for responding in a way that is “not fruitful.” Nice to know that these writers object to the archbishop for writing. Maybe they prefer throwing bricks.

Someone from IrishCentral.com defends Dowd by saying the columnist is “one of the most Catholic people I’ve ever met.” She did not say how many Catholics she has met, nor did she disclose her measuring stick.

Finally, WCBS-TV closed its report with a snide remark about the Church mistreating women. The station is an expert about mistreating employees: people are still talking about the 1996 “Massacre”—the mass firing, without prior notice—of seven stalwart employees. The motive? Money.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue offers the following observations on yesterday’s electoral results:

The Catholic Church led the fight in Maine against those seeking to reinvent marriage, and won: the vote was 53-47 to repeal the state’s gay marriage law. Bishop Richard Malone deserves credit for fighting against those who sought to restructure this vital institution. Those who favor the right of two men to marry are now 0 for 31 in the states. The people have spoken. The time has come for homosexuals to pack it in.

Those who champion gay marriage and abortion-on-demand lost in New Jersey and Virginia, posting more wins for Catholic values. Jon Corzine supports the right of two men to marry and is a radical on the question of abortion. Creigh Deeds is worse: he once opposed partial-birth abortion but later switched in favor of it; similarly, he said he was opposed to gay marriage but then campaigned against a state constitutional amendment to ban it. At least Corzine was honest. In any event, the defeat of Corzine and Deeds is a victory for marriage and children.

There is one piece of unfinished business: the defeat of health care legislation that forces the public to pay for the killing of children in utero, and eliminates conscience rights for doctors and nurses. The bishops have spoken clearly on this subject. While they want health care reform, and are especially vocal about the need to help the poor, they will not support any bill that funds abortion. Nor will they support any legislation that vitiates conscience rights. President Obama, who says he is opposed to any health care bill that funds abortion, and is against nixing conscience rights, has never once registered any displeasure with current bills that do just that. Deeds tried to fool the people, and look what happened to him—he got creamed.

It was a big night for Catholic values. Hope everyone gets the message.

The following quote appears in today’s Los Angeles Times:

“Backed by some of the most powerful members of the Senate, a little-noticed provision in the healthcare overhaul bill would require insurers to consider covering Christian Science prayer treatments as medical expenses. The provision was inserted by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) with the support of Democratic Sens. John F. Kerry and the late Edward M. Kennedy, both of Massachusetts, home to the headquarters of the Church of Christ, Scientist.”

The following are past quotes from Sen. Kerry:

“There is a separation of church and state in America and we have prided ourselves about that all of my lifetime, all of our history.”

“I believe that I can’t legislate or transfer to another American citizen my article of faith.”

The following are past quotes from the late Sen. Kennedy:

“The separation of church and state can sometimes be frustrating for women and men of deep religious faith. They may be tempted to misuse government in order to impose a value which they cannot persuade others to accept.”

“I do not assume…that my convictions about religion should command any greater respect than any other faith in this pluralistic society.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue had this to say:

Finally, Kerry and Kennedy found a religion they could publicly endorse and whose beliefs they find worthy of a federal subsidy.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue notes that the 2009 war on Christmas has begun:

For almost three decades, there has been a Christmas parade in Amelia, Ohio, a village outside Cincinnati. But this year there will be none. Fearing that the dreaded word “Christmas” may trigger a lawsuit, the village changed the name to the “Holiday Parade,” though it did not say what holiday was being celebrated. Understandably, this dishonest scheme created a furor, the result being—just to play it safe—there will be no parade.

There will be no Christmas tree this year on the Capitol lawn in Frankfort, Kentucky. The word “Christmas” was deemed offensive. Instead, there will be a “Holiday Tree.” The official line is that the “Holiday Tree” is inclusive of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s, though no one has ever heard of a “Thanksgiving Tree,” “Hanukkah Tree” or “New Year’s Tree.”

When World War II ended, a local resident from Warren, Michigan decided to erect a nativity scene on a public median; the same family has privately maintained this tradition ever since. But there won’t be one this year because a lawsuit argues it is discriminatory.

In Olympia, Washington, religious displays have been banned inside municipal buildings. But outside the buildings, it is okay. Well, not really—atheists are already protesting that decision.

Arizona is supplying this year’s Christmas Tree in the nation’s Capitol. Attempts to bar students from making religious ornaments were defeated, but only because of a threatened lawsuit.

Make no mistake about it: The declared enemy of these cultural fascists is religious speech, and they will stop at nothing to censor it. Stay tuned—we’re only in early November.

On October 30, atheist Christopher Hitchens appeared on Dennis Miller’s Internet radio show condemning Mother Teresa, yet again. Here is one of his choice statements: “The woman was a fanatic and a fundamentalist and a fraud, and millions of people are much worse off because of her life, and it’s a shame there is no hell for your bitch to go to.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded today:

I once told Hitchens that one of the real reasons he hates Mother Teresa has to do with his socialist ideology: he believes the state should care for the poor, not voluntary organizations, and he especially loathes the idea of religious ones servicing the dispossessed. Indeed, he sees in Mother Teresa the very embodiment of altruism, a virtue he cannot—with good reason—fully comprehend.

The fact of the matter is that socialism is the greatest generator of poverty known to mankind, and Mother Teresa did more to heal and rescue its victims than anyone in the modern era. This explains why she is adored by the people who knew her best—the men and women of India (she is second only to Gandhi as the nation’s most revered person).

Hitchens is positively obsessed by Mother Teresa, and that is a very telling commentary on his psyche. She is a constant reminder that reason without faith is a dark hole.

Contact Hitchens at chitch8003@aol.com