Last spring, the Catholic League filed a formal complaint with the New York State Ethics Commission against James Williams, an attorney for the New York State Department of Law (DOL), on the grounds that he misused his office for partisan political ends. The League charged Williams with using office time to organize a symposium on “Lesbian and Gay Law 1994” at Fordham University Law School, held on February 26 and 27, 1994.

On February 23, the Commission contacted the Catholic League regarding the results of its investigation. It concluded that Williams “did allow his State telephone number to be used in connection with the symposium as you allege.” It said that while the action was “inappropriate,” it did not “pose a substantial conflict with the proper discharge of the employee’s duties,” and did not therefore merit termination. However, it hastened to add that “DOL is aware of this matter, has instructed Williams not to use his State telephone number for such personal outside activities, and has taken steps to see that it is not repeated in the future. The Commission concurs with DOL’s actions in this matter.”

The Catholic League is satisfied for now and will continue to monitor situations like these.

Shortly after denouncing the anti-Catholic tactics of a militant gay group, the Catholic League itself became the target of homosexual terrorism. Sometime during the evening of Wednesday, February 1, 1995, the automobile belonging to Catholic League Operations Director Joe Doyle was vandalized in the parking lot of the League’s office in Boston. Attached to the hood of the car was a pink triangle with a white circle in its center – the symbol of violent homosexual extremist groups like ACT-UP and Queer Nation.

Just three days earlier, Doyle had appeared in the Boston Sunday Globe criticizing a homosexual rally held the day before in Irish Catholic South Boston. The rally, called by the radical homosexual organization, “What’s Up,” excoriated the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council – the traditional sponsors of Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade – for alleged “hatred, bigotry, racism and homophobia.”

Doyle told the Globe that the homosexual protestors were doing more to spread hatred than prevent it. “Castigating as ‘hatred’ the moral and religious beliefs held by Catholics about homosexual behavior is nothing less than anti-Catholic bigotry,” Doyle said.

The Community Disorders Unit of the Boston Police Department confirmed that the pink triangle was the type and kind used by homosexual militants. It was sent to the Massachusetts State Police Laboratory for analysis. As this was an act of violence motivated by religious bigotry, the police stated that they were treating the incident as an anti-Catholic hate crime and would record it as such. Doyle said the incident fits the pattern of behavior of homosexual extremists. “Given their intolerance of free speech, their hostility to the constitutional rights of their opponents, and their propensity for violence against Catholics, it comes as no surprise that the Catholic League would be the object of their criminal activities,” Doyle said. “Anti-Catholic bigotry is pervasive among militant homosexual groups. This is one more example of their hatred of the Faith.”

Almighty God, we come together on this special occasion to pray for the leaders of our great nation: For President Clinton, for Vice President Gore and the Cabinet, for members of the Congress and justices of the Supreme Court, indeed, for all the men and women who are called to serve the American people, and whose judgment, decisions, and actions affect our nation’s destiny. May our leaders have the wisdom to seek your guidance, and the courage to do your will.

Lord, we know that our nation was founded and forged in prayer. We thank you for blessing America throughout our history with great leaders-with men and women who, in triumph and tragedy, sought to do what was pleasing in your sight.

We think back to the year 1775, when the brave members of the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, aware that the fate of a noble experiment lay in their hands. But they knew they didn’t carry that burden alone. Ben Franklin told that esteemed gathering, “Truly, our first order of business as a Congress is to ask the protection and guidance of Almighty God.” And our Founding Fathers called for “a Day of public Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer” throughout the Thirteen Colonies, that the people would pray for them, and that God would lead them to do what was right. And within the year a new nation was born, a nation destined to lead the world in the paths of freedom and opportunity, justice and righteousness.

We think back to the hard winter of 1777-78, when George Washington was Commander-in-Chief of the American armies. He sought shelter in Valley Forge, and protection in you. Withdrawing to a lonely, snow-covered clearing at the edge of the forest, he dropped to his knees, and humbly prayed for your protection. He beseeched you to keep liberty-loving men and women safe during that bitter cold winter that we now know as “the crucible of freedom.” And his citizen-soldiers survived to fight for a new day, to fight the good fight, for a nation that held out promise beyond measure.

Then we think back to 1861, to the newly-elected President of a troubled nation. Abraham Lincoln experienced a tearful farewell when he left his home in Springfield, Illinois, for the nation’s Capitol. Before boarding the train, he spoke these poignant words. “My friends, I leave you with this request: pray for me . . . . I leave now, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon President Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail.” And President Lincoln prayed frequently and fervently during the four years he was called to lead our nation, and helped reunite us-north and south, black and white-and heal our wounds.

Yes, Heavenly Father, throughout the ages our leaders have called on you, knowing that without your assistance, they could not succeed-but with your assistance, they could not fail.

And so, with confidence, we approach your throne of grace. On bended knee, we beseech you to forgive our sins-against the old and young, against the born and unborn. With long-ing hearts, we listen for your answers that are wiser than our prayers.

We ask that you send the Holy Spirit to our leaders. We ask that you send the Holy Spirit to them-and to all of us-that we may raise our hearts and voices in one refrain to you, 0 God, and give you thanks for the United States of America! Amen.

Prayer offered by Michigan Governor John Engler
National Prayer Breakfast Washington D.C., February 2, 1995

Although a state superior court judge last year dismissed a lawsuit filed against them by Vermont Catholics for Free Choice (VCFC), Chuck and Susan Baker, a Catholic couple, must return to court once again to defend their decision to refuse to print the materials for the pro-abortion group. On appeal, the Vermont Supreme Court over-turned the lower court’s decision that the Bakers’ religious beliefs would be burdened if they were forced to print VCFC’s material.

Early last year, Judge Linda Levitt ruled the Bakers’ constitutional rights must prevail over the state’s anti-discrimination statute, but by a vote of 3-2 the Vermont Supreme Court has sent the case back to the trial court on procedural grounds.

This case began in 1990 when Linda Paquette, a representative of VCFC, gave an order for membership cards to Regal Press, a printing company owned and operated by the Bakers. When the Bakers refused as a matter of principle to print the cards of this pro-abortion group, Paquette filed a complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission, charging the Bakers with religious discrimination for refusing to print the cards. The Commission found in favor of Paquette and the Vermont ACLU sued the Bakers on Paquette’s behalf.

Throughout their long ordeal, the Bakers have been defended by the Catholic League, Free Speech Advocates, the American Center for Law and Justice, Christian Advocates serving Evangelism and local attorneys.

The Catholic League is keeping a close watch on the most recent development concerning abortion. In recent years, fewer and fewer doctors and hospitals have been willing to provide abortions. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) would like to change that, by coercion if necessary. In a February 14 press release, it announced that all medical graduate programs must now provide training in all methods of “family planning,” including sterilization and practical experience with induced abortion. Residents with moral or religious objections are exempt, but the programs are not: even Catholic medical schools must provide their residents an opportunity to participate in elective abortions and contraception. The requirement will be one of several that must be met to receive accreditation; it is set to go into effect on January 1, 1996.

Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, was among many in the Catholic community who saw this new rule for what it was: he was quick to denounce the mandatory abortion training as “Anti-Catholic, anti-medicine, and anti-human…When such coercion is directed against people and institutions that embody a society’s commitment to healing, moral outrage is the only appropriate response.”

As well as being morally outrageous and anti-Catholic, the requirement may also be illegal. As Mark Chopko, attorney for the National Catholic Conference of Bishops, indicated in a letter to the ACGME, the proposal may violate existing laws in about 25 states. Hospitals that are conscientiously opposed to providing abortion referrals can currently refuse to do so without penalty.

What is particularly disturbing about this ruling is its quasi-governmental nature. Medical schools cannot receive federal funding unless they are accredited, and the power of ACGME to accredit comes directly from the federal government. This would seem to imply that there is “excessive entanglement” between church and state, thus violating one of the three prongs of the Lemon test. But because it is the state, and not the church, that is guilty of such entanglement, we hear precious little about this aspect from the usual monitors of church-state affiliations.

The Catholic League contacted the Catholic Health Association (CHA) to inquire if it was going to take the ACGME to court on this issue. As of the last time we spoke, they were undecided. The Catholic League will continue to monitor this situation and will file an amicus brief in support of CHA should the organization decide to challenge the ruling in court.

On March 1, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Rosenberger et al. u. The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia et al..

Michael W. McConnell, a law professor at the University of Chicago, argued on behalf of the petitioners that since the University of Virginia funded other forms of speech, the school’s refusal to fund the religious magazine was an act of religious discrimination.

The Catholic League filed a friend of the court brief in this case arguing on behalf of the petitioners that publication of religious viewpoint deserves the highest level of First Amendment protection. The Court is expected to announce its decision at the end of June.

Washington Times
Letter to the Editor
3600 New York Ave. N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002

Dear Editor:

The cartoon of February 10 by Peter Steiner shows a man speaking to a woman and her child at her front door, saying “We’re required by law to tell you that a sex offender is moving into your neighborhood. Don’t worry though, it’s the parish priest.”

One conclusion that recommends itself is that your paper is run by anti-Catholic bigots. But because I’m a nice guy, I’ll assume otherwise. I’ll assume that your newspaper just happens to like bashing the clergy, and by chance you decided it was time to take a crack at Catholics. That is why I look forward to your cartoon depicting the clergy of the Unification Church [Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s church owns the newspaper] . It should provide quite a laugh.

Sincerely,
William A. Donohue
President