Over the past few years, we have noticed that the Seventh Day Adventists have taken an aggressively public stand against the Catholic Church. The ads they have taken out in major newspapers have all maligned Catholicism. Our position has been to challenge the editors of these dailies not to accept any more of these ads. The latest venue for this hate was the Washington Times.
Twice during the early summer, once in the daily edition and once in the weekly edition, the Washington Times published a full-page ad by the Seventh Day Adventists. Entitled “Earth’s Final Warning,” the ad features a picture of Pope John Paul II and President Clinton, both of whom are smiling. Much of the ad is given over to rebutting Sunday as the Sabbath and painting the Catholic Church as the “Mother of Harlots” etc.
In a letter to the editor of the Washington Times, Wesley Pruden, league president William Donohue informed him that the league had successfully protested these ads in other newspapers and requested that Pruden follow suit by rejecting any future ads. Pruden’s response was encouraging.
Pruden began by saying that “I’m a Baptist, and I was no less deeply offended by the ad, too.” He made it clear that as editor he bore no responsibility for the ad, but he did say that he took this issue up with those whose job it is to approve advertising. He added that “I think this won’t happen again” and asked Donohue to “Please bear with me.”
Pruden ended his letter by saying that “I appreciate your support, and assure you of my deep respect for the pope and all the good that the Roman Catholic Church does throughout the world.” The league also appreciates Pruden’s professionalism.
