Bill Donohue comments on the 2012 Annual Report by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the subject of sexual abuse:

The survey, done by an institute at Georgetown University, shows how utterly absurd it is to maintain that the Catholic Church continues to have a problem with priestly sexual abuse. Of the nearly 40,000 priests in the U.S., there were 34 allegations made by minors last year (32 priests, two deacons): six were deemed credible by law enforcement; 12 were either unfounded or unable to be proven; one was a “boundary violation”; and 15 are still being probed. Moreover, in every case brought to the attention of the bishops or heads of religious orders, the civil authorities were notified.

Not counting those of unknown status, in 88 percent of the total number of cases (independent of when they allegedly occurred), the accused priest is either deceased, has been dismissed from ministry, or has been laicized.

Most of the allegations reported to church officials today have nothing to do with current cases: two-thirds date back to the 1960s, 1970s and the first half of the 1980s. As usual, the problem is not pedophilia: 19 percent of the allegations involving those who work in dioceses or eparchies, and 7 percent of religious order priests and deacons, involve pedophilia. In other words, the problem remains what it has always been—an issue involving homosexual priests (85 percent of the victims were male).

Anyone who knows of any religious, or secular, organization that has less of a problem with the sexual abuse of minors these days should contact the Catholic League. We’d love to match numbers.

One more thing: since nearly 100 percent of our priests did not have a credible allegation made against him last year, this should be picked up by the media. But it won’t be. Look for the story to get buried.

Bill Donohue comments on the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) female art student who dressed as the pope in a street parade, appearing naked from the waist down; her pubic hair was shaved in the shape of a cross:

The president of CMU, Jared Cohon, has released a statement explaining that campus police have filed misdemeanor charges against the offending student, as well as two others. His letter balances the need for freedom of expression with a commitment to fighting intolerance.

That is fine, but Cohon discredits real artistic merit when he says the student “made an artistic statement that proved to be controversial.” There is nothing artistic about this infantile anti-Catholic insult. But we appreciate his willingness not to dodge this issue.

Bill Donohue comments on David Bowie’s video that accompanies his song, “The Next Day”:

David Bowie is back, but hopefully not for long. The switch-hitting, bisexual, senior citizen from London has resurfaced, this time playing a Jesus-like character who hangs out in a nightclub dump frequented by priests, cardinals and half-naked women.

The video is strewn with characteristic excess: one priest bashes a homeless man, while others are busy hitting on women; self-flagellation is depicted; a dancing gal with bleeding hands makes a stigmata statement; and a customer is served eyeballs on a plate. The lyrics refer to the “priest stiff in hate” and “women dressed as men for the pleasure of that priest.” The song concludes with, “They can work with Satan while they dress with the saints.” In short, the video reflects the artist—it is a mess.

Bowie is nothing if not confused about religion. He once made a public confession: “I was young, fancy free, and Tibetan Buddhism appealed to me at that time. I thought, ‘There’s salvation.’ It didn’t really work. Then I went through Nietzsche, Satanism, Christianity…pottery, and ended up singing. It’s been a long road.” Too bad the pottery didn’t work.

But Bowie didn’t give up trying to figure out who he is. “I’m not quite an atheist and it worries me. There’s a little bit that holds on. Well, I’m almost an atheist. Give me a couple of months.”

Well, Bowie has had more than a couple of months—it’s been ten years since he spoke those words. Not sure what he believes in today (anyone who is “not quite an atheist” is not an atheist), but it’s a sure bet he can’t stop thinking about the Cadillac of all religions, namely Roman Catholicism. There is hope for him yet.

Bill Donohue comments on a White House meeting on gun control:

Yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden implored about 20 religious leaders to press the moral issues behind gun control; it lasted two-and-a-half hours. There were representatives from all major U.S. religions, some liberal and some conservative. News stories only mentioned one Catholic at the meeting, Sr. Marjorie Clark.

Sr. Clark is one of seven “nuns on the bus” who campaigned for President Obama last fall; only two nuns made the entire trip. She belongs to NETWORK, a dissident group of elderly nuns who are known for never siding with the pro-life community. Indeed, this group is so radical that its founder, Sr. Marjorie Tuite, was threatened with expulsion from her order after she signed a pro-abortion petition in the 1980s.

We all know Biden’s position on abortion, but is it too much to ask this administration not to invite Catholic representatives who reject the Church’s teachings on this subject? Would they invite members of other religions who are at war with the seminal teachings of their faith? Why the exception for Catholics?

Just recently, President Obama saluted Planned Parenthood at a fundraiser with a “God bless you” goodbye. Now the vice president is embracing nuns whose dissident record on abortion is astonishing. Put together, the Obama team is sending an unmistakable message to practicing Catholics, and it is not one of endearment.

Bill Donohue comments on “The Testament of Mary,” which ended its Broadway run yesterday:

The play, based on the book by Colm Toibin, opened on April 22 and was scheduled to run through June 16. But instead of lasting 12 weeks, it lasted only two. On the day it opened, I said, “it is not easy to see who is going to be drawn to this play.”

The play bombed. That’s why it closed. Quite frankly, there aren’t enough people who want to spend their evenings watching a dark performance about a fanciful Virgin Mary who rejects the divinity of her son. My only regret is that we don’t have the results of a psychological battery of tests performed on those who like this kind of stuff.

The Irish Times’ Fintan O’Toole is furious that the play bombed. He blames capitalism. “The most basic truth about Broadway is that it’s about money. It is the raw, ruthless marketplace to which some people would like to reduce all artistic endeavour. It is a primal form of capitalism: enormous risks in pursuit of enormous rewards.”

In O’Toole’s world, plays he likes should have a long run on Broadway, even if no one wants to pay to see them (no doubt he would like to get some stimulus money to subsidize his leisure). But one of the great things about capitalism is that it accurately gauges public sentiment, rewarding what people want, and discarding what they don’t. A market economy, I am happy to say, doesn’t necessarily reward what the elites want. Which is why they hate it.

Sorry, Toibin. Looks like there aren’t enough O’Tooles out there to enjoy your angry discourse on Catholicism.

Bill Donohue comments on the decision by Newark archdiocesan priest Father Michael Fugee to resign from ministry:

Father Fugee now says he violated his agreement with the Newark Archdiocese and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office; thus, his decision to step down. His dishonesty is appalling. Moreover, he has clearly impugned his character.

As I said in my report of May 1, “What is really going on here is an attempt to sunder Archbishop Myers—Fugee is not the man they want. They want Myers, and that is because they detest what he stands for.”

Fugee’s resignation does nothing to change my position. Indeed, had there not been calls for Myers to resign over this matter, there would have been no reason to comment on it.

There is a concerted effort on the part of left-wing Catholics and ex-Catholics, aided and abetted by some in the media, to take down a bishop. But not just any bishop: he must be a conservative. To this day, the way these activists have reacted to their hero, the disgraced former archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland, is in stark contrast to their response to conservative bishops who have been embroiled in controversy (e.g., Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Newark Archbishop John Myers).

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: any priest who is guilty of committing a crime, especially sexual abuse, should have the book thrown at him; he will get no defense from the Catholic League. But when we see that the clergy of other religions, as well as public school officials, are being held to a lesser standard than our bishops, that is cause for action. Not until we get a level playing field will we back off.

Bill Donohue comments as follows:

Yesterday, we released a report, the “Star-Ledger’s War on Archbishop Myers,” that garnered a strong response, overwhelmingly positive. However, there are a few questions that some critics have raised that deserve an answer.

I wrote the report in response to a contrived story emanating from a foe of the Catholic Church. The newspaper not only provided no evidence that Father Fugee broke his agreement with the local prosecutor not to be around minors in an unsupervised capacity, it offered no proof that in the 12 years since Fugee’s case surfaced, he has acted improperly. In short, nothing broke—there is no story here. Yet the Star-Ledger, which is not exactly Catholic-friendly, wants Archbishop Myers to resign.

Some are saying that Fugee’s legal status is conditioned on a technicality that allowed him to return to ministry. Let me make this clear: If accused Muslim terrorists, who seek to kill as many innocent Americans as they can, are given (free of charge) attorneys prepared to exploit every legal loophole there is, then I want priests to be afforded the same measures.

In his February 7, 2013 letter to Newark priests, Archbishop Myers said the following: “At the end of the entire process, Father Fugee’s acquittal and dismissal of charges, and the Review Board’s conclusion that no sexual abuse occurred, guided me in my decision to allow him to return to ministry. It is also important to note that, in reaching my decision, the recommendations of the County Prosecutor regarding Father Fugee’s ability to return to ministry and future assignments in ministry carried great weight. We have followed those recommendations fully.”

Anyone is free to criticize Archbishop Myers, but in this case his most vociferous critics are not fair-minded observers—they are highly politicized forces seeking to execute their own sick agenda. It’s time they hit a brick wall of opposition.

Bill Donohue comments on the controversy at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) over a female student who dressed as the pope while appearing naked from the waist down; she shaved her pubic hair in the shape of a cross:

CMU president Jared Cohon’s apology is sincere and much appreciated. A final resolution of this incident has not been made, so it is too early to say whether CMU will treat this “highly offensive” act, as Cohon puts it, the way it will resolve a pending case involving fraternity students and sex videos.

To treat the female incident in a less severe manner would raise questions about CMU’s sensitivity to anti-Catholicism, and would also put into play the issue of gender discrimination. We look forward to a just resolution to both of these indefensible incidents.

Bill Donohue comments as follows:

Left-wing Catholics, and ex-Catholics, tried in vain to get Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph to step down, and now they have their sights set on Newark Archbishop John Myers. Their goal is to bring down a bishop—any bishop.

Leading the charge against Archbishop Myers is the Newark Star-Ledger, which on Sunday said he should resign. The newspaper is guilty of journalistic malfeasance, and for this reason the entire editorial board should resign immediately. To be specific, the newspaper has violated the tenets of the Society of Professional Journalists by failing to accurately report on this issue: “Deliberate distortion is never permissible.”

I have documented the Catholic League’s case against the newspaper in a report, “Star-Ledger’s War on Archbishop Myers.” To read it, click here. Some politicians, all pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage, as well as long-time foes of the Catholic Church (cited in the report), have jumped on the bandwagon.

We will make sure that everyone who needs to know the truth about this scurrilous attack on Archbishop Myers gets a copy of the report. We are sending it to the following:

a) every bishop in the nation
b) every administrative office in the Newark archdiocese
c) every pastor in the Newark archdiocese
d) the New Jersey Catholic Conference
e) the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office
f) the deans of every New Jersey college with a program in journalism
g) every TV and radio outlet in the area
h) over 200 employees at the newspaper, including those who cover “food news” and “soccer.”

Contact Tom Moran, editorial page editor: tmoran@starledger.com