At least a dozen Internet sites sold highly offensive priest and nun costumes this past Halloween. Perhaps the worst was a man dressed as a priest shown with an erection, and a nun shown in full habit holding her pregnant stomach; they were sold together. The inscription on the ad for the priest costume said, “Keep Up The Faith”; the nun ad said, “Thank You, Father!”
Both items were made by Easter Unlimited, Inc./Funworld, a Long Island outlet. Harvey Cohen, the store official whom we spoke to, would not comment on whether the company, run by Stanley Geller, carried offensive rabbi or imam costumes. It was sold in stores across the nation, and an El Paso TV station (KVIA) did a story on it. But thanks to one of our courageous members from Long Island who called the store to complain, this item will not be sold next year.
Catholic League members from California and Texas contacted us about similar problems in their area. At a Safeway store in California, a male employee was dressed as a pregnant nun. We made a formal complaint to the CEO of Safeway Inc. and are awaiting a response. In Amarillo, Texas, at a workplace Halloween party, a woman came dressed as a pedophile priest and another dressed as a pregnant nun; the latter won the prize for “best costume.”
Meanwhile, school officials of the Puyallup School District near Tacoma, Washington, literally banned Halloween because some of the costumes were deemed offensive to witches. Tony Apostle, the assistant superintendent, said that school officials objected to “such inappropriate stereotyping” as “witches on flying brooms” and witches with “long noses and pointed hats.” Another school official said it was important not to offend “real witches.”
All of which goes to show that Halloween does bring out the wickedness in the Catholic bashers. But God forbid we offend the witches.
