William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, issued the following statement today on the play, “Corpus Christi.” It will be performed on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne in August.
“The decision of IPFW to host the play, ‘Corpus Christi,’ is not an endorsement of the play itself. It is, rather, a decision grounded in the free speech rights of faculty and students to express themselves by staging this performance.
“The Catholic League has strong moral objections to the play. Accordingly, league president William Donohue has asked IPFW chancellor Michael Wartell if it would be acceptable for the Catholic League to have a statement distributed to the audience that would explain the league’s position; final approval would rest with the chancellor. The request was granted and the statement has been approved.
“The Catholic League is opposed to censorship and is therefore opposed to those who would resolve this issue by going to court. It is the league’s firm belief that the most responsible way to handle this delicate issue is to allow both the play and the protest to proceed. IPFW is not endorsing either the play or the protest; it is simply acceding to the requests of those involved in both exercises to have their voices heard. We believe that this is the best democratic remedy.”
