This is the article that appeared in the September 2024 edition of Catalyst, our monthly journal. The date that prints out reflects the day that it was uploaded to our website. For a more accurate date of when the article was first published, check out the news release, here.
Over the summer, one of the nation’s leading hate groups, Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), filed a formal complaint with the IRS arguing that the Catholic League has “engaged in unlawful political campaigning.” The atheists are a vicious bunch.
It cited a recent news release where Bill Donohue said, “Kamala Harris is not religion-friendly.” It provided not a single instance whereby we violated any IRS stricture—it simply repeated criticisms we made of Harris. That is not only our First Amendment right, it does not run afoul of IRS rules.
For more than 30 years, there have been many attempts made to hound Donohue from public life. Some have tried to get him kicked off TV while others have falsely accused him of libel (he won in court). Some have tried to get him fired. Still others have gotten to the point where he has had to contact law enforcement, at the federal and local level. He has even had to secure bodyguards.
This latest effort—the militant atheists would like to take away the Catholic League’s tax-exempt status—will fail, just like the rest of them. As long as we stay clear of endorsing candidates, which we never do, we are free to express our concerns about the issues.
Our foes should have learned by now that no one can shut Bill Donohue up. We will continue to publicly hammer anti-Catholic bigots. We will be deterred by no one. Bet on it.
