The story in today’s Washington Post on the anti-Catholic comments made by Democratic congressman James P. Moran comes on the heels of the anti-Catholic remarks made by Democratic D.C. councilman James Graham.
On Wednesday, Rep. Moran lashed out at the Catholic Church for its position on homosexuality. Rep. Moran was angry that House Republicans placed an attachment to the District budget bill that would nullify a D.C. Council bill mandating that all district health care providers pay for contraceptives. In offering support for councilman Graham’s objections to the Republican initiative, Moran spoke of his “disappointment, and the intolerance, and yes, the hypocrisy of the Catholic church as an institution towards homosexuality….” Graham had previously accused the pope of endangering the lives of homosexuals; his intemperate remarks were made after the Holy Father quoted the Church’s teaching on homosexuality on July 9.
To make matters worse, an aide to Rep. Moran deleted the anti-Catholic words of his boss in the Congressional Record. Moran was told to restore the original language and was informed by Rep. Bill Thomas, chairman of the Committee on House Administration, that he had violated ethics rules which prohibit such alterations.
Catholic League president William Donohue also addressed this issue:
“There is something sick going on with certain Democrats in Washington. It began with an attempt by the D.C. Council to violate the principle of separation of church and state (the state has no business trying to impose its secular agenda on the Church) and has now morphed into a classic Catholic bashing exercise. The fact that a bill which the Catholic Church objects to cannot be debated without resort to anti-Catholicism is indicative of the depth of this invidious form of bigotry. Colleagues of Moran and Graham need to go on record denouncing their bigotry.”
