Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a new survey on anti-Christian bigotry in the United Kingdom:

Premier Christian Communications has released the results of a survey of 12,000 Christians in the U.K. assessing prejudice and discrimination against them. The findings are disturbing.

• 93% say Christianity is being marginalized in society
• 80% say Christianity is not given equal respect
• 67% say they are unable to be open about their faith at work
• 50% say they have experienced prejudice because of their Christian faith
• 26% say they fear they will be persecuted for being open about their faith

Tim Farron, who resigned as the head of the Liberal Democrats last month, said that “we are kidding ourselves if we think we live in a tolerant liberal society.”

What is going on in the U.K. is also going on in the U.S.

The Catholic League website records an extensive example of anti-Catholic incidents, listing offenses stemming from activist organizations, the artistic community, business and the workplace, education, government, and the media. We have noted that the biggest spike in bigotry in recent years has emanated from government; it is also the most problematic venue of anti-Catholicism.

Evangelicals have also noted a surge in bigotry. The Family Research Council recently published “Hostility to Religion: The Growing Threat to Religious Liberty in the United States.” It noted a 76% increase in attacks on religious liberty over the past three years.

Earlier this year, First Liberty published “Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America.” It found there was a 133% increase in attacks on religious liberty over the past five years.

In February, the Public Religion Research Institute did a survey of white evangelicals and found that they believe they face more discrimination than Muslims.

What’s going on? Farron is right: There is no tolerance for practicing Christians in the U.K., and the same is true in the U.S. Yet both nations prize their alleged open-mindedness. Much of the animus has to do with Christian sexual ethics: Christianity values restraint and the dominant culture in both nations values the abandonment of it.

But even this explanation is incomplete. Muslims are more in agreement with practicing Christians on sexual issues than they are with militant secularists. Yet in elite circles, the British and American high priests of tolerance are more accepting of Muslims than Christians. How can this be?

For one, Muslims are feared and Christians are not. Two, due to the corrupting influence of multiculturalism, elites in the West are more likely to embrace outsiders than they are their own, and this is especially true of practicing Christians. Three, those on the Left welcome everyone who seeks to undermine the basis of Western Civilization, namely the Judeo-Christian ethos. It’s a sick admixture of these three factors.

Christians in both nations need to hang tough and work together to combat anti-Christian bigotry. The alliances they forge must not be sidetracked by bigots, or by arrogant and boneheaded leaders in their own ranks who wish to crush such coalitions.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the Catholic-Evangelical alliance:

Traditional Catholics and evangelical Christians have much in common, the latest example of which happened yesterday.

Following an event on July 11th where U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), ABC News, NBC News, and CNN smeared ADF, portraying it as a hate group. I quickly came to the defense of ADF (click here), and just as quickly came words of gratitude from ADF founder Alan Sears and ADF president Michael Farris.

The Catholic-Evangelical alliance began in the 1980s when Paul Weyrich and Rev. Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority. It was formalized in the 1990s when Catholic theologian Father Richard John Neuhaus and evangelical leader Chuck Colson came together to bridge the differences between the two faith communities, focusing on their common interest in defending traditional moral values and religious liberty.

The alliance was further strengthened when Christian Coalition president Ralph Reed and Family Research Council president Gary Bauer reached across the pew in the 1990s to embrace Catholics.

The big moment came in 2004 when Catholics such as Deal Hudson and myself found common ground with evangelicals such as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family. It was values voters who carried the reelection of President George W. Bush in 2004. Today we have evangelicals such as Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr. and Rev. Franklin Graham working with Catholics.

There is much work to be done. Most important, we must push for religious liberty, with a concentration on religious exemptions. We must also fight for the rights of the unborn, as well as the dispossessed, and stand up to those who seek to bully us. We will not be intimidated by anyone.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on how some in the mainstream media are smearing Alliance Defending Freedom:

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) does some of the best legal work in the United States defending religious liberty. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke at one of its meetings on July 11, and some in the media treated it as if he spoke before the Klan.

ABC News released a story headlined, “Jeff Sessions Addresses ‘Anti-LGBT Hate Group,’ but DOJ Won’t Release His Remarks.” It referred to ADF as “an alleged hate group,” citing as its source the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a left-wing activist group.

NBC News was worse. It not only repeated the accusation made by SPLC, it sought a comment from the Democratic National Committee. It was not disappointed: it branded ADF a “hate group.” NBC also asked a prominent gay outfit, the Human Rights Campaign, for a statement, and it repeated the smear that ADF is a “hate group.” Not to be outdone, NBC attacked ADF co-founder, Dr. James Dobson, as anti-gay.

CNN won first prize. It began its news story referring to ADF as “a self-described Christian religious freedom advocacy group known for its anti-gay stance.” [Question: Would not CNN object if it were called “a self-described media outlet known for its anti-conservative stance”?] It then offered a quote by someone from the National Center for Lesbian Rights that was priceless. She accused ADF of being “so extreme that it does not concede even that gay or transgender people should be permitted to exist as such.”

NBC, ABC, and CNN treat SPLC as if it were some kind of gospel source of information. Yet no serious observer would give credence to an organization that lumps ADF, and the Family Research Council (FRC), with the Westboro Baptist Church. ADF and FRC are prominent and well respected organizations that defend traditional moral values and religious liberty. Westboro Baptist Church is a bona-fide hate group: it unambiguously hates Catholics and gays.

Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, is a decent and courageous defender of Christianity. He is not a hateful man. NBC owes him an apology.

CNN should fire Laura Jarrett, the reporter who quoted an activist for contending that ADF believes gays have no right to exist. She should be fired not for smearing ADF, but for incompetence.

On July 10, a Pew survey was published on the public’s perception of major institutions. The media fared the worst: most Democrats say the media have a negative impact “on the way things are going in the country,” and only ten percent of Republicans think it has a positive effect.

It is biased stories such as the Sessions-ADF one that give rise to public mistrust of the media. This is beyond “fake news”—it is a mean-spirited and ideologically driven assault on Christian activist organizations.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on reaction to Rapper “Blac Youngsta” posting a picture of himself on Instagram as Jesus crucified:

We never heard of “Blac Youngsta” before today, and we hope we won’t ever hear about him again, but we are delighted to report that his “Jesus Crucified” stunt—with the caption “Hail Mary Come With Me”—has not gone over big in the blogosphere. Indeed, he is being blasted for mocking Jesus, even to the point of bribing him to take down the picture.

Just recently, we noted how few complained about a Netflix series, “F is for Family,” which was as obscene as it was anti-Catholic. Similarly, Sarah Silverman got off scot free after she made vulgar comments about God. By contrast, Kathy Griffin’s violent depiction of President Trump, and Bill Maher’s racist remark, drew considerable backlash.
It appears that when it comes to insulting Christians, young people, including a large number of African Americans, have higher ethical standards than is true of the high priests of culture.

Maybe the rap crowd can offer sensitivity classes on Christian bashing to the elites. The Catholic League would be happy to underwrite the effort.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the latest round of attacks on Cardinal George Pell:

Cardinal George Pell has acquired the services of one of the most respected lawyers in Australia, Robert “The Red Baron” Richter. One prominent lawyer from Melbourne called him “the Rolls Royce of criminal defense lawyers.” We are delighted to learn of this development, though many others are clearly chagrined.

From reading the accounts of various professional victims’ attorneys, it is clear that some believe Pell is guilty until proven innocent. Others think he does not deserve first-class defense lawyers, while others question the motive of Church officials who are coming to his defense, including Pope Francis.

Due process and basic civil liberties are at stake, but given the hysteria in some quarters of the media, it is not surprising that Pell is being treated unfairly, to say the least. Moreover, some are using his case to make a larger point: The institutional Church is guilty as charged.

Among the worst is Marci Hamilton, a professional victims’ advocate who specializes in attacking the Catholic Church. She is busy lecturing the pope to “publicly discipline the cardinals and bishops who relentlessly take church funds and use them to pay lobbyists to continue the cover-up by fighting such reform.”

In other words, the Church—unlike all other institutions, religious and secular—should not defend itself. It should just lie down and allow rapacious lawyers to cannibalize it.

Let me be very clear about this: Any bishop or cardinal who does not use Church funds to pay for top notch public relations firms, and blue chip defense lawyers, is doing a disservice to priests and the faithful. There is no cover-up involved when such services are acquired. On the contrary, the scandal is not buying the best that can be afforded.

Cardinal Pell is being accused by ex-cons—both of whom have been arrested for violence—and who now claim that he inappropriately touched them while horsing around in a swimming pool. When did this happen? When John Travolta was rocking out to “Saturday Night Fever.”

Cardinal Pell deserves better and is entitled to the best defense in the land.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on two TV shows that ripped Catholicism last night:

The Catholic Church recently reaffirmed Church teaching on the Communion Host, stating that it must contain at least a trace of gluten. Though this teaching has nothing to do with public policy, and is therefore no one’s business but that of Catholics, two non-Catholic TV personalities used this issue to slam Catholicism on air last night.

Kennedy, the Fox Business host, asked, “Why does the pope hate my small intestine?” She added, “The wine is not enough to complete the spiritual circle of transubstantiation. Having a sip of Christian cough syrup is hardly partaking in the sacrament.”

Hardwick said, “Jesus is gluten! A pile of Jesus gluten there…maybe that girl in the Exorcist was just throwing up because she had a gluten allergy.” He then goaded the panelists to comment further. One screamed, “Be a different religion”; the other yelled, “Stop f***ing kids.”

Kennedy says she is Eastern Orthodox, and usually those Christians are respectful of Roman Catholicism. But not her. Perhaps she will weigh in next on the dietary strictures of Judaism or Islam, but we doubt it.

Hardwick is an ex-Catholic, and like so many of that ilk in Hollywood, he has devolved into an anti-Catholic bigot. He is also a recidivist.

Maybe their Communications officials might like to hear from you.

Contact: Irena Briganti at Irena.Briganti@foxnews.com
               Jeremy Zweig at jeremy@viacom.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on an editorial in the July 10th edition of the Wall Street Journal:

There is no newspaper in the country that consistently tracks school choice programs better than the Wall Street Journal. Its latest editorial on this subject is no exception: it reports on two updated studies on school vouchers in Indiana and Louisiana.

The initial studies found that after two years of implementing a school voucher program, academic performance in English and math were not encouraging. But when tested after three years, there was much improvement: the disparity in test scores in Louisiana had been erased; in Indiana, voucher students fared better than their public school cohorts.

The newspaper aptly notes that it takes time for students to adjust to a private school, but that is not its most important observation. It says it is “a mistake to judge a voucher program entirely on standardized tests. There are many other indicators—from personal safety, to discipline, graduation rates and specialty curricula.”

When I taught at a Catholic elementary school in Spanish Harlem in the 1970s, African-American and Puerto Rican parents told me that while they appreciated the curriculum, as well as the emphasis on Catholic values and discipline in the classroom, the number-one reason they sent their children to St. Lucy’s was safety: they felt assured that when they picked their children up after school, they would be unharmed. By contrast, violence in neighborhood public schools was out-of-control.

This cannot be said enough. Rich urban whites, and their middle class suburban counterparts, have no idea how important the safety variable is for minorities, especially in the inner cities. That alone justifies school choice programs.

Kudos to the Wall Street Journal for giving this the attention it deserves.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a comedy special that aired July 7 on Showtime:

“Erik Griffin: The Ugly Truth” was offensive to Christians, as well as to those who object to trashing the core beliefs of a world religion. Griffin, a stand-up comic, wasted no time comparing the Eucharist to peanut butter, saying that eating too much of it will make you fat.

“Trying to get fat Jesus on the Cross. I mean, you’d need a rope and pulley system. They’re trying to nail him—he’s sliding down, you know. All the miracles would be different. He’s walking on water waist deep.”

There is obviously no need to denigrate the Eucharist and the crucifixion, unless, of course, the intent is to insult Christians.

Contact: Robin McMillan, senior VP for PR: robin.mcmillan@showtime.net

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on an editorial in today’s New York Times:

Now it’s the New York Times piling on Cardinal George Pell.

The ostensible target of the Times editorial is Pope Francis, and his alleged “failure” to “address the child abuse scandal” within the Church. But the editors focus on Cardinal Pell, one of the pope’s “closest advisers,” who is returning to Australia to answer charges of abusing minors long ago.

To be sure, the Times editors acknowledge that Cardinal Pell has said “he expected to prove his innocence of the assault charges.” But in the very next sentence, they cite the “cardinal’s deepening involvement”—as though such involvement is already established—as “a severe blow to the Vatican and the pope.”

As I stated last week, Cardinal Pell—given his aggressive response to sexual abuse as Archbishop of Melbourne, his full cooperation with authorities in a number of probes, and his having been cleared of the one 40-year-old allegation previously brought against him—is entitled to the presumption of innocence. The Times needs to let the process go forward before poisoning the waters with unfounded presumptions that the cardinal is already guilty.

Likewise, the Times is jumping to invalid conclusions about Pope Francis’ record in responding to the abuse crisis within the Church. By throwing around huge numbers of “suspected” abusers in Australia, without ever acknowledging that most of them are decades-old cases that have not been substantiated, the newspaper tries to convince the reader that nothing has changed within the Church.

In fact, the Catholic Church has to date done more than any other institution to address a sexual abuse crisis that afflicts virtually every agency, organization and institution in which adults interact with children. Pope Francis’ leadership in that effort is clearly a work in progress. As such, it can hardly be termed a “failure”—and would not be, by any media outlet that did not harbor the anti-Catholic animus that permeates the New York Times.

Contact James Bennet, editorial page editor: James.Bennet@nytimes.com

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on Planned Parenthood’s string of election defeats:

The biggest loser in Georgia’s recent special Congressional election—besides the Democratic candidate—may well have been Planned Parenthood. The nation’s leading purveyor of abortion poured $734,000 into the failed campaign of Jon Ossoff—second in spending only to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Making it even more painful for them, the winner, Karen Handel, has long been an outspoken critic of Planned Parenthood’s radical abortion practices.

The defeat continues a downward political spiral for Planned Parenthood. In 2012, according to Ballotpedia, the organization’s political arm successfully backed President Obama’s re-election, and supported the winner in 15 of 18 U.S. House and Senate races it targeted.

Four years later, however, its political fortunes plummeted. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund backed Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump for president, reporting expenditures of over $30 million in that losing effort. Planned Parenthood heavily focused its resources on six swing states: Wisconsin, Ohio, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Trump defeated Clinton in four of the six. The organization also backed the losing candidate in seven out of 10 U.S. Senate races it targeted.

Now comes the defeat in Georgia—on the heels of an earlier special Congressional  election in Montana, where the Planned Parenthood Action Fund launched a six-figure ad campaign for Democratic nominee Rob Quist. Quist lost to Republican Greg Gianforte—even after Gianforte had been charged with assaulting a reporter just before the election.

This downturn in Planned Parenthood’s political fortunes seems to coincide with its being exposed, in a recent series of undercover videos, as trafficking in the sale of body parts from aborted babies. It is also consistent with surveys like a recent Gallup poll that show a clear majority of Americans believe abortion should be illegal or legal only in a few circumstances—a clear rejection of the Roe v. Wade mandate, abortion at any time for any reason, that is embraced and practiced by Planned Parenthood.

A hundred years ago, Planned Parenthood was begun amid the racist and anti-Catholic rantings of its founder, Margaret Sanger. Yet even she—while determined to prevent the “lesser breeds” from reproducing—could not bring herself to embrace abortion.

For her modern day heirs, however, the indiscriminate killing of children in the womb is no problem—and if a profit can be turned by selling their body parts, so much the better.

No wonder that Americans are increasingly rejecting candidates backed by this extremist organization. How appropriate that an endorsement from this agent of death is fast becoming the kiss of death for political office-seekers.