Catholic League president Bill Donohue issued the following remarks today on the league’s ongoing controversy with Anthony Malkin, the owner of the Empire State Building who denied Mother Teresa the honor of having the building towers shine blue and white on August 26, the 100th anniversary of her birthday:
Malkin said yesterday that he has a policy denying any tribute to religious individuals or organizations. As I pointed out yesterday, that didn’t stop them from honoring John Cardinal O’Connor and Pope John Paul II when they died, nor did it stop a tribute to the Salvation Army on its 125th anniversary, or Rev. Martin Luther King last January. I have now learned that on April 25, 2009, the towers were aglow in blue and white in honor of the Salesian Sisters, an order of Roman Catholic nuns.
In other words, Malkin is obviously lying about his so-called policy, and for some reason harbors an animus against Mother Teresa. He owes it to everyone to come clean and tell the truth about what makes him really tick. Like a coward, he refuses to debate me on TV. Meantime, we are going ahead with our demonstration on August 26, and will not yield unless he comes to his senses.
Contact Daniel Hernandez: daniel.hernandez@edelman.com
