The April 25 edition of Fox’s “Mad TV” contained a skit about an Irish Catholic priest who visits a patient in the hospital. It is intimated that the priest is a child molester and an alcoholic. It shows him grabbing the behind of the mother of the dying patient and repeatedly fondling the breasts of the patient. The patient calls him “Father Fellatio” and remarks that it is clear that his “Crucifix swings both ways.” The skit ends with the statement, “To be continued.”
Catholic League president William Donohue offered the following comment on the show:
“This is not the first time that ‘Mad TV’ has offended Catholics, nor is it the first time that it has made a cheap sexual statement about Catholic nuns and priests. To our knowledge, the show has not sought to ridicule any other religion, thus raising serious questions about motive.
“It is one thing to poke gentle fun at a priest, quite another to set him up as a depraved cleric. The language used was deplorable and it makes absolutely no difference to the Catholic League that it was a late-evening show: there is no legitimate time slot for Catholic bashing.
“We will register our concerns with Fox and ask them to withdraw any scheduled sequel to this episode.”
