Catholic League president Bill Donohue explains why the Catholic League is filing a formal complaint in Minnesota and Wisconsin against attorney Rebekah Nett (she is licensed in both states):

On November 25, a legal memorandum was filed in the Bankruptcy Court in Minnesota by lawyer Rebekah Nett calling U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Nancy Dreher “a Catholic Knight Witch Hunter.” Nett’s client, Naomi Isaacson, wrote the memo.

“Across the country the court systems and particularly the Bankruptcy Court in Minnesota,” the memo said, “are composed of a bunch of ignoramus, bigoted Catholic beasts that carry the sword of the church.” Moreover, one trustee was called “a priest’s boy,” and another was branded a “Jesuitess.” For her part, Nett called Dreher and other court personnel “dirty Catholics,” adding that “Catholic deeds throughout the [sic] history have been bloody and murderous.”

Isaacson is president of Yehud-Monosson USA, named after a joint municipality in Israel; her company used to own gas stations and convenience stores in Minnesota.

Judge Dreher, who has never been a Catholic, is considering whether to fine Nett and Isaacson $10,000 each for the name-calling.

We hope that Judge Dreher proceeds with the fine. We are filing a formal complaint with the Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board and a formal grievance with the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation. Nett should not only be sanctioned, she deserves to be disbarred.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue explains why the Catholic League is starting a new initiative aimed at atheists:

Approximately 80 percent of Americans are Christian, and 96 percent celebrate Christmas. Of the 20 percent who are not Christian, non-believers make up the largest segment, though the number of self-identified atheists is tiny. David Silverman, president of American Atheists, knows this to be true, which is why he is frantically trying to inflate his base. “We want people to realize that there may be atheists in their family,” he told the New York Times, “even if those atheists don’t even know they are atheists.”

We think there is some merit in David’s idea, even if he has things backwards, as usual. Today we are launching our “Adopt An Atheist” campaign, the predicate of which is, “We want atheists to realize that there may be Christians in their community, even if those Christians don’t even know they are Christian.”

Here’s what our campaign entails. We are asking everyone to contact the American Atheist affiliate in his area [click here], letting them know of your interest in “adopting” one of them. All it takes is an e-mail. Let them know of your sincere interest in working with them to uncover their inner self. They may be resistant at first, but eventually they may come to understand that they were Christian all along.

If we hurry, these closeted Christians can celebrate Christmas like the rest of us. As an added bonus, they will no longer be looked upon as people who “believe in nothing, stand for nothing and are good for nothing.”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on an editorial in today’s Kansas City Star:

The editorial indicts the Catholic Church for allowing “child molesters” to “silence” their victims, and then speaks glowingly of Jon David Couzens for making “the wrenching decision to speak out.” It also says that “a few of the church’s more radical defenders are trying to impeach Couzens’ character.”

The lies abound. To begin with, it is a lie to imply that the Catholic Church has a problem with clergy sexual abuse. Indeed, no institution, religious or secular, has a better record today than the Catholic Church. It is true that the Church had a problem, but that ended a quarter century ago: almost all the cases of priestly sexual abuse occurred between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s. Furthermore, almost all the cases involved homosexual priests who hit on postpubescent boys, thus the charge of “child molesters” is a lie. The data are incontestable—none of this is a matter of opinion.

Jon David Couzens’ account is disputed by the only other person who can corroborate it. So why is Couzens’ story deemed believable, and the one who says it never happened is ignored? Also, why hasn’t the Star released the name of the person who says the whole story is bogus? More important, the Star needs to explain why it thinks that it is possible for a person who was allegedly abused several times to have no recollection of it.

Couzens may be a hero to the Star, but his character is indeed questionable: he was implicated in a murder. Why hasn’t the Star revealed this to its readers? Does it want to “silence” its critics? Why did Couzens wait 30 years before he told his “wrenching” tale? Because the time was ripe to cash in after Fr. Ratigan’s name hit the papers?

Contact Star publisher Mi-Ai Parrish: mparrish@kcstar.com

 “The Greatest Miracle” was shown this year at World Youth Day; it opens December 9 in select theaters. Catholic League policy analyst Marcus Plieninger previewed it and offered the following commentary:

This is a movie the whole family can enjoy. Perfect for the Christmas season, this 3D animated film makes an important religious statement that appeals to people of all ages. Children, no doubt, will clearly find it both entertaining and educational. The plot is inspiring and well crafted.

One ordinary morning in an unnamed contemporary city, three people, all strangers to each other, go about their own lives. The story alternates among them, shows each encountering hardship of one kind or another. Monica is a widower anxiously doing all she can to support her young son, Diego, who is frustrated that she does not spend more time with him. Don Chema, a bus driver, learns that he has a gravely ill child, after which he tells everyone on the bus to leave before he breaks down in tears. Doña Cata, a weary old lady, misses her dead husband. Each is at a difficult crossroads and feels alone. But, they are not as alone as they think. Thanks to the intervention of their guardian angels, they find themselves on their way to the same Mass at a beautiful local parish.

At Mass, the angels encourage the three characters, instructing them on such things as preparing oneself for Mass, the existence of Purgatory, and how to pray. During the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, we hear a famous piece by J.S. Bach (the C Major Prelude from Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier). A fitting prelude to “the sign of peace,” and a reminder that Bach, himself composed a Mass in B minor.

The portrayal of Jesus, in particular, is refreshingly reverential. This movie deserves a wide audience.

As of 3:30 p.m. [ET] the following stories were listed on the homepage of the Kansas City Star as the most read and commented:

• Why Tim Tebow keeps smiling
• The altar boys’ secret: No longer alone
• Yost says he expects Royals to ‘play much better than .500’ next season
• KU will pay market value for next coach, but with incentives, less expensive buyout
• Missouri set for center stage at Madison Square Garden
• Missouri: Budget cuts played role in switch to SEC
• Haley says Chiefs coming around on defense
• Car crashes into house in Prairie Village; woman sustains minor injuries
• Light snow causes problems on area roads
• KU’s Withey starting to garner some attention

Catholic League president Bill Donohue made the following observation:

 In all but one of these ten stories, readers have an opportunity to comment. Guess which one it chose to put a gag order on?

It shows that the Catholic League is getting to them at the Star when even silly stories about light snow are allowed to garner commentary, but they will not permit anyone to comment on Judy Thomas’ latest hit job on the Catholic Church. Quite frankly, they don’t want an honest debate at the Star and that is why they choose to censor its critics.

  Contact: jthomas@kcstar.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

Responsible newspapers never run stories about alleged wrongdoing unless they can be corroborated. The Kansas City Star not only runs them, it gave Judy Thomas a three-part series on alleged priestly sexual abuse that took place 30 years ago. Sunday’s first story begins with a statement that is patently false: “Four Young Lives, Innocence Lost.” Wrong. Two of the alleged victims are dead, one says it never happened, and the priest denies the charges. In short, there is no story here, unless one uncorroborated account is sufficient to smear.

Thomas’ entire soap-opera yarn concerns the allegations of Jon David Couzens. He says that a priest molested him and three other altar boys back in the early 1980s. But why should we believe a man who only now is coming forward with his tale—he never told a single soul—especially given the fact that he has been implicated in a murder? Thomas never told readers that on the night Mark Trader was murdered about a dozen years ago, Couzens got into a fight with him over a botched drug deal, and although another man was convicted, on appeal it was alleged that Couzens and two other men had “motive to commit the murder and the opportunity to do so.” This is public record, so why the cover up?

Thomas would rather believe Couzens than the fourth altar boy who says none of the abuse ever happened (she will not disclose his name and did not respond to our request to do so). Moreover, at least one person who goes to the same Baptist church as Couzens says he is a notorious anti-Catholic bigot. Just the kind Thomas prefers.

One of the boys who is dead was killed with a 20-gauge shotgun (another later died in an accident). Two of the youths said this boy was doing fine at the time of the alleged suicide (which was two years after he was supposedly abused), but as usual Couzens has a different account. For Thomas, however, his damning story is the most credible.

Judy Thomas and the Star deserve each other.

Contact Thomas: jthomas@kcstar.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

Most people on the west coast have never heard of Gustavo Arellano, even though he is a writer based in California; elsewhere, he is invisible. He has come to our attention because we fight anti-Catholicism, and this is something he has learned to perfect. He’s also a rank hypocrite.

Arellano writes for one of those newspapers that no one will pay for, OC Weekly. It is owned by Village Voice Media, owner of the Village Voice, another paper that no one will pay for (it used to feature outstanding writers like Nat Hentoff and Wayne Barrett, but now no one save for the likes of Arellano will write for it).

Arellano is perpetually exercised about allegations of priestly sexual abuse, but it is not the issue that interests him, just the offenders: he has never published a piece on the sexual abuse of minors by the clergy of any other religion. Nor has he written about the epidemic of sexual abuse in the public schools. Though Planned Parenthood learns of cases of statutory rape all the time, he has never written about this either.

More telling, Arellano has never written an article about human trafficking. Nor has he ever written a column about Backpage.com. Where am I going? Backpage.com is the Village Voice Media’s online classified advertising service that is very popular with those in the business of human trafficking: it’s where they get their leads. That is why 53 leading anti-trafficking experts and organizations have demanded that Village Voice Media immediately put an end to this magnet. Indeed, 51 Attorneys General have condemned Village Voice Media for its role in facilitating this barbarism.

Arellano won’t go near it. Maybe that’s because one out of every seven dollars raised by Village Voice Media comes from this sordid advertising. Besides, he’s too busy writing about Father Murphy’s alleged groping in the 1950s to comment. He’s simply not man enough to turn his guns on the purveyors of human slavery, namely his boss.

Contact: GARELLANO@OCWEEKLY.COM

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the decision by the National Football League (NFL) and NBC to invite pop star Madonna to perform at halftime during Super Bowl XLVI:

On October 11, I wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asking him not invite Madonna to perform during the 2012 Super Bowl; a week earlier, I spelled out our concerns. Here’s a recap.

“In 2004, the NFL invited ‘N Sync’s JC Chasez to sing during the halftime of the Pro Bowl game. When Chasez said he was going to sing his latest single, ‘Some Girls (Dance with Women),’ the NFL objected, citing the sexual lyrics that may offend viewers (at the time, the NFL was still receiving flak over the Justin Timberlake-Janet Jackson Super Bowl controversy). The NFL then asked Chasez to sing ‘Blowin’ Me Up (With Her Love)’ instead. Chasez agreed to do so. Then the NFL decided that the singer had to drop the lyrics ‘horny’ and ‘naughty’ from the song. Again, Chasez acceded to the request. The NFL then reconsidered the propriety of having Chasez sing altogether, and decided to withdraw the invitation (he was offered to sing the national anthem, but declined).

“The NFL cannot expect Catholics to be treated any different. Chasez may be known for some dicey lyrics, but he is chopped meat compared to Madonna. For decades, Madonna has blatantly offended Christians, especially Catholics. The offensive lyrics, lewd behavior and misappropriation of sacred symbols are reason enough not to have her perform. Worse, she has repeatedly mocked the heart and soul of Christianity: Jesus, Our Blessed Mother, the Eucharist and the Crucifixion.”

Goodell is gambling that Madonna will behave herself. If she doesn’t, he’s the one who will be in the hot seat. No matter, he’s already shown a side of himself to Catholics that is disturbing.

Contact Brian McCarthy, VP of Corporate Communications: Brian.McCarthy@nfl.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on abortion:

On Tuesday evening, a New York City superintendent was gathering the garbage when he felt something strange. It was a baby. “When I found the baby,” he said, “I didn’t know if it was real at first. It was so bad.” Not surprisingly, it made him sick. “After what happened, I just stayed in my apartment for a while because I didn’t feel well.”

Two days later, a 20-year-old woman was arrested and charged with self-abortion in the first degree, a misdemeanor.

Andrea Miller of NARAL Pro-Choice was outraged. “They have taken what should be a medical and public health matter and turned it into a criminal case,” she said. Sonia Ossoria of the National Organization for Women agrees, saying, “it’s absolutely outlandish to charge her with self-abortion.”

So a woman kills her own baby, and the sole source of anger coming from the pro-abortion community is that she is being prosecuted. Not a word of sorrow about the dead baby.

In a perverse way, they may have a point: why is it criminally wrong to perform the exact same procedure that a well-paid doctor can do legally? If she is a monster, what does that make him? Moreover, had this same superintendent found a baby in the dumpster who had been dropped there by a Planned Parenthood worker, there would have been no prosecution.

Those running for president should be asked about this issue. Their answers would no doubt prove to be revealing.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a Nov. 30 column in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the Archdiocese of Philadelphia:

Monica Yant Kinney is furious over the decision by Philadelphia prosecutors to depose Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua at the seminary where he lives instead of in court; the former Archbishop of Philadelphia was asked to testify on alleged priestly sexual abuse that occurred during his tenure. Bevilacqua is 88 and in poor health, but that did not matter to Kinney: she wants him dragged into court to put an end to “the church’s chilling culture of secrecy.”

So I began to wonder, just how transparent is the Inquirer when it comes to their own dirty laundry? All I did was put “Philadelphia Inquirer and fired reporter” in a Google search engine, and guessed what popped up? Stories about Paul Davies, a columnist at the newspaper who was allegedly fired earlier this year after he offended the big boys at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

Davies wrote a front-page piece (in the “Currents” section) on Sunday, March 6 that detailed what a taxpayer rip-off the financing of the Center was. On March 14, the Inquirer ran a letter by the chairman of the Center blasting the newspaper for scaring away business. Then a story appeared in the Metropolis maintaining that the Center axed a $400,000 to $500,000 advertisement campaign from the Inquirer in retaliation. That’s what led to Davies being dumped.

The Inquirer denies this account, but Davies says he was escorted out the door by his boss; he even threatened to sue. Why mention all this? Because the newspaper has never admitted to its readers why Davies left, and to this day maintains that it is “company policy not to discuss personnel matters relative to former employees.” How convenient. So much for transparency. Looks like there is a “chilling culture of secrecy” at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Wouldn’t you agree, Monica?

Contact editor Stan Wischnowski: swischnowski@phillynews.com