On November 9, we learned that the Obama administration had decided to promote the sale of fresh Christmas trees by imposing a 15-cent tax on them (the tax was being levied to pay for a PR campaign). We immediately put out a sarcastic news release “supporting” the idea. Later that day, the tax plan was revoked. [...]
On October 8, Republican presidential candidate Gov. Rick Perry spoke at the Values Voter Summit, a conference sponsored by Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council; there was an array of mostly evangelical speakers. Introducing him was Rev. Robert Jeffress, a Dallas pastor. Following the event, Jeffress made anti-Mormon comments. Then it was revealed that he had previously [...]
When we learned that the NFL was weighing a decision to invite pop singer Madonna to perform at the 2012 Super Bowl, Bill Donohue pressed officials to drop the idea. In 2004, the NFL invited ‘N Sync’s JC Chasez to sing during halftime of the Pro Bowl game. When Chasez said he was going to sing [...]
Last month, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg banned the clergy from speaking at the 9/11 ceremony that commemorated the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack. In doing so, he angered people of all religions, and not just in New York. The Catholic League was proud to play a key role in leading the opposition. Bloomberg [...]
SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, assisted by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), has petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Pope Benedict XVI for allegedly covering up “crimes against humanity of rape and other sexual violence committed around the world.” CCR attorney Pam Spees claims that “Crimes against tens of thousands of [...]
For many years, the plight of alleged victims of priestly sexual abuse have had as their unofficial spokesperson a group called the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, more commonly known as SNAP. The Catholic League has had good reasons to question their motives, and now we have convincing evidence proving we were right all [...]
We went to press before the tenth anniversary of 9/11, but the contrast between the Catholic League and its foes was plain to see even before the commemorations began. Bill Donohue taped a short, 30-second statement over the summer to be aired on Sunday, September 11. Ours, obviously, is a positive commentary. Just as predictable was [...]
It started in the spring, and it just got hotter as we got into the summer: the bishops have been the subject of relentless attacks, much of it having to do with the issue of sexuality. The John Jay report on clergy abuse, along with a new wave of lawsuits and gay rights legislation—gave way to [...]
On June 11, Lady Gaga performed at the Euro Pride concert in Rome. The big news wasn’t her appearance, it was how she wound up there: it was all due to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. A few weeks after the concert, Clinton admitted that the State Department was “instrumental in sealing the deal” for Lady [...]
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice released its long-awaited report on the “Causes and Context” of priestly sexual abuse on May 18. Bill Donohue will offer an extended analysis of the report in the next edition of Catalyst, and he will distribute his assessment to the bishops before they meet in Seattle on June 15 [...]
