Bill Donohue comments on last night’s episode of the E! show, “Chelsea Lately”:
Priests and Germans were libeled last night by two of Chelsea Handler’s guests, Kurt Braunohler and Moshe Kasher.
The objectionable part began with a discussion of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the German bishop who was suspended by Pope Francis for his opulent lifestyle.
Braunohler: “I love that the Catholic Church has like a zero tolerance policy on everything other than child abuse.”
Kasher: “It’s a German priest, so that’s a difficult set of circumstances. You know what I mean, it’s like-do I make out with that kid or do I kill that Jew.”
The remark by Braunohler came the day after the teachers unions, led by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, sought to stop a bill that would prohibit the hiring of convicted sex offenders in the public schools. The bill, which was approved by the House, is aimed at bringing the public schools up to speed so that they will have the same zero tolerance policy that Catholic schools have had for years.
The remark by Kasher, which fails to distinguish between Germans and Nazis, suggests he doesn’t know the difference between those Germans who resisted Hitler—they were disproportionately Catholic—and those who followed the genocidal policies of the National Socialist Party run by an atheist who hated the Catholic Church.
Both of the guests are ignorant, but that is hardly an excuse to smear all priests and Germans.
Contact the head of E!’s PR Department, John Rizzotti: John.Rizzotti@nbcuni.com
