The Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate forcing Catholic non-profits to pay for abortion-inducing drugs, contraception and sterilization will not kick in on August 1, as scheduled; an extension has been granted to January 1, 2014. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ initial reaction was cautious; a complete analysis of the final rules is forthcoming. [...]
When news stories surfaced on the way the IRS was selectively targeting conservative and religious groups, Bill Donohue decided the time had come to reveal his story. Just weeks after Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, Donohue was notified by the IRS that the Catholic League was under investigation for violating the IRS Code on [...]
Old-time rock star David Bowie made a splash with his new video that accompanies his song, “The Next Day.” The video is strewn with characteristic excess: one priest bashes a homeless man, while others are busy hitting on women; self-flagellation is depicted; a dancing gal with bleeding hands makes a stigmata statement; and a customer is [...]
When we learned that California lawmakers were considering whether to strip the Boy Scouts of America of their tax-exempt status in the state, Bill Donohue decided that he wanted to play this tax game as well. Here is an excerpt from his letter to Sacramento legislators: I understand that California lawmakers are weighing a decision to [...]
It didn’t take long before the world embraced Pope Francis. The election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be the new leader of 1.2 billion Catholics was greeted with applause around the globe, but nowhere was it more apparent than in Latin America. Ten days before the election, Bill Donohue was quoted in the Los Angeles [...]
Thomas Monaghan, a member of the advisory board of the Catholic League, prevailed in federal district court against the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate. On March 14, Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff of the Eastern District of Michigan granted a Motion for a Preliminary Injunction against enforcement of the HHS mandate. Monaghan and his [...]
The news of February 11 that Pope Benedict XVI was resigning hit everyone by surprise. Many were shocked, and with good reason: we live in a world of self-absorbed, ego-driven public figures, thus making the Holy Father’s decision seemingly incomprehensible. Pope Benedict’s legacy is secure. His encyclicals showed not only his brilliance, they demonstrated his ability [...]
Revised Health and Human Services (HHS) rules were released on February 1. In two separate statements, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and its president, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, made plain their interest in pursuing the ongoing conversation with Obama administration officials on the HHS mandate. Their goal, as expressed by Cardinal Dolan, is to [...]
This is the year that the final showdown will take place between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Catholic institutions. As 2012 came to a close, the judiciary was still sending mixed messages. At the end of November, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Fourth Circuit of Appeals to rule on the religious-liberty [...]
Left-wing Catholics were exuberant with the election results, but their eudemonia proved fleeting: the very next week the bishops met in Baltimore where they reaffirmed their commitment to the civil rights of the unborn, the defense of marriage, and the cause of religious liberty. The Catholic League was delighted with the hierarchy’s statements. Thus those Catholics [...]
