In the September 23 edition of the New York Times, there was an ad by the women’s apparel company, Kenar, that pushed the envelope too far. It showed a handsome priest leering at a sensuous-looking woman while dining together. The full-page ad was more than provocative, it was abusive.

In response, the league issued the following statement to the press:

“The phones at the Catholic League lit up yesterday in response to the Kenar ad. And rightfully so: Kenar’s ad represents the crass exploitation of Catholic priests for the purpose of making a quick buck. Unethical on the face of it, the ad is consistent with the politics of Kenar.

“Kenar is the same company that manages to give money for breast cancer research while at the same time defending one of the prominent causes of the disease, namely abortion. The company also contributes to AIDS research while simultaneously bragging that one of its new models ‘bar[es] it all to the public on behalf of Kenar as she poses with only a banana leaf covering her….’ Now if someone said they were funding the battle against lung cancer while throwing a smoking party, everyone would know how absurd this was. Why it isn’t evident to Kenar, and to everyone else, just how self-defeating their well-intended contributions are is incredible.

“Kenar has every right to contribute to the resolution of diseases, the causes of which it helps to promote, but it has no right to do so while exploiting Catholic priests at the same time. If the decision-makers at Kenar have no common sense, perhaps they can hire someone to show them what common decency means.”

No sooner had the ad appeared, than the cameras were in the office of William Donohue filming an interview. From Kenar came the incredible comment that the priest was not really leering at the woman. It fooled no one. The league was gratified to learn that even those persons who often disagree with the league’s positions were happy that we objected to this ad.

On September 30, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) voted unanimously to adopt new advertising standards for buses and subways. The standards, when implemented, would bar advertisement on public transportation that a) are considered violent b) are frightening to children c) demean groups of people d) contain images of minors in a sexual pose e) promote escort or dating services f) are patently offensive and g) are deemed offensive to the MTA and its employees.

The MTA standards are primarily a response to two protests launched by the Catholic League. In 1993, the Catholic League protested a VH-1 ad on buses that contrasted Mary, the Mother of Jesus, with the pop star, Madonna. In 1995, the MTA allowed the placement of Calvin Klein “kiddie porn” jean ads. Both ads were pulled after the league mounted a public protest.

The league praised the new standards, however it found that the inclusion of a prohibition on ads that might offend the MTA were not only unwise, they may have the effect of defeating the revisions entirely. Here is what the league said to the press about the new rules:

“It is currently impossible to advertise tobacco on New York City buses, but not kiddie porn. All that these new MTA standards do is reflect the will of the public to prohibit government agencies from trafficking in smut and defamatory images of whole segments of the population. What the MTA is doing is entirely within the law: commercial speech does not enjoy the same protection that political discourse does. And that is why places like Washington, D.C. have been able to live with rules that are much tighter than we have in New York.

“The First Amendment is not absolute: it is conditioned on time, place and manner. While the government should not restrain the display of Nazi symbols or vulgar pictures in art galleries, it is under no obligation to allow them on the sides of buses where motorists, stuck in traffic, have no choice but to view them.

“Those who say that the MTA rules are too vague are unpersuasive. The laws on sexual harassment couldn’t be more vague, yet the very persons who criticize the MTA rules find no problem with these laws. It is time for the MTA to ratify the public will and adopt new standards.”

Fort Gordon, Georgia recently announced that it was going to eliminate the office of Director of Catholic Religious Education. Citing budgetary constraints, the loss of the office meant that the approximately 300 students and adults who partake in CCD and RCIA programs would be ill-served. The Catholic League stepped in when we were notified by one of our members.

What seemed so unfair about this case is that the other candidates for termination—the Protestant DRE, the head Chaplain’s secretary, and the non-appropriated funds manager—were all more expensive to operate than the Catholic directorship. Indeed, Protestant enrollment is only a third the size of Catholic enrollment, yet it was to remain unaffected. What made matters even worse is that the initial way of handling the problem was to appoint the Protestant DRE in charge of the Catholic program.

The league sent a letter of complaint to Colonel Mark Breinholt, Installation Staff Chaplain. We are glad to report that he responded by saying that the Catholic DRE position has not been eliminated. It’s nice to know that Catholics can count on having a qualified Catholic instructor working with them.

Three recent incidents of Satanism have occurred and none of them has been given much attention by the media.

The gruesome murder of eleven-year old Edward Werner of New Jersey got the coverage it deserved, but what was clearly underreported was the status of his accused killer. It was widely reported that the accused attended a Catholic school, but it was rarely mentioned that he was attracted to Satanism. The defendant wore shirts with the Satanic symbol 666 on it and ascribed to a theory of God as espoused by the lead singer of the band, Smashing Pumpkins: “I don’t care if He exists and if He does, I don’t think He cares if I care that He exists.”

In a second incident, a member of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) decided to object to animal research at the Catholic institution, Boys Town, by dressing up as Satan and holding forth with a protest on the roof of the Catholic hospital.

Finally, there is the Al Goldstein publication, Screw. The October 6 edition shows a naked man having intercourse with Mother Teresa; the man has a beard, has blood emanating from his side, and is wearing a crucifix and a crown of thorns, with a halo above his head. There is also a picture of Mother Teresa’s face superimposed on the naked body of a woman who has her legs spread. And there is a cartoon of Mother Teresa sitting on a toilet.

William Donohue characterized these incidents this way:

“Just as it is a mistake to brand Satanic that which one viscerally rejects, it is also a mistake to retire this word from one’s lexicon. If these three cases don’t merit the term Satanic, then the word has no meaning.

“What will the Catholic League do about this? Pray.“