Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the upcoming Terrence McNally play, “Corpus Christi,” which will be performed at the San Pedro Playhouse in San Antonio from June 17 to July 10:
On February 22, I wrote to Mr. Julián Castro, mayor of San Antonio, about this outrageously anti-Christian play, “Corpus Christi,” but never heard back; I sent a copy to Felix Padron, executive director of the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of San Antonio, and to Ricardo Briones, chairman of the City’s Cultural Arts Board. Here is an excerpt:
“The San Pedro Playhouse is in the process of holding auditions for a notoriously anti-Christian play, ‘Corpus Christi.’ What makes this so disturbing is that it commits the City of San Antonio to sponsoring hate speech against Christians: the Office of Cultural Affairs, advised by the Cultural Arts Board, is one of the play’s sponsors.
“I do not assume that you know anything about this offensive play, and that is why I am enclosing a news release which I wrote in 1998 after I saw it. It is a direct in-your-face assault on Christian sensibilities.”
I also provided these three public officials with information about the play. It depicts the Christ-figure, Joshua, having sex with the apostles, branding him “King of the Queers”; it portrays Jesus saying to the apostles, “F*** your mother, F*** your father, F*** God”; and it shows Philip asking Jesus to perform oral sex on him. Moreover, the script is replete with sexual and scatological comments.
It will not do for the San Pedro Playhouse to advertise this play as having “Adult language and content.” It is not only obscene, it is a frontal attack on Christians, all of whom in San Antonio are being forced to underwrite it. Mayor Castro has acted irresponsibly and deserves to be publicly rebuked for his unwillingness to cancel this play. Indeed, he even refuses to condemn it!
Contact Felix Padron: Felix.Padron@sanantonio.gov
