There is a story in today’s New York Times about an attorney who defended the Diocese of Galveston-Houston against those who filed suits alleging clergy sexual abuse. “It was always the church, [Robert P. Scamardo] said, that insisted on inserting confidentiality clauses in the settlements—never the victims, as many bishops have contended.” Yesterday, AP reported on a new [...]
Catholic League president William Donohue sounded off today on Abercrombie & Fitch’s (A&F) new Christmas catalog: “Over the past few years, the Catholic League has blasted A&F for taking gratuitous shots at Catholicism in its catalogs. This year’s catalog is much improved, though it was wholly unnecessary to highlight a foul remark by some guy named [...]
“Bad Santa,” a movie distributed by the Disney subsidiary Miramax, opens November 26. Louis Giovino, the league’s director of communications, attended a screening of the movie on November 19 in New York; Miramax acceded to the league’s request for an opportunity to preview it. The following commentary, written by Catholic League president William Donohue, is based [...]
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has announced that it has successfully persuaded the Ford Foundation to stop funding anti-Semitic organizations. The Ford Foundation had sponsored many of the most vile anti-Jewish groups that had assembled at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa. Now Ford Foundation President Susan V. Berresford has agreed to develop [...]
By a vote of 4-3, the Massachusetts Supreme Court voted today to strike down the state’s ban on homosexual marriage. Though the court said homosexuals were entitled to marry, it stopped short of allowing them to obtain a license to do so. Instead, it gave the state legislature 180 days to find a solution. Commenting on [...]
On November 12, several Democratic congressmen will join American Muslim leaders in holding a Ramadan iftar, or fast breaking dinner, in the House Judiciary Committee Hearing Room. According to a news release by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, “The Capitol Hill iftar will include breaking of the fast with water and dates, the call to prayer (adhan), [...]
A group allied with the Democratic Party has just released a public statement branding all Catholic bishops liars. The group, Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), made the charge in a news release today: “Congress, AIDS advocates, and public urged to protest Catholic cardinals’ and bishops’ lying about condoms’ effectiveness to fight AIDS.” The statement comes [...]
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USSCB) will meet November 10-13 in Washington, D.C. for their annual meeting. They will do so amidst good news from two surveys of Roman Catholics. Catholic League president William Donohue commented on this today: “The latest Gallup survey, reported today in the New York Times, shows that forty-nine percent of [...]
Jenny Backus, a Democratic consultant who has helped organize the Democratic National Committee (DNC) debates, is quoted today about the alleged diversity of the Democratic candidates for president. Here’s what she said: “We’ve got everybody from a preacher to a general, from the leader of the House to leaders in the Senate, north to south, Jewish, [...]
On November 6, the Anti-Defamation League will convene its 90th Annual National Meeting at New York’s Plaza Hotel. One of the sessions will explore the controversy over the Mel Gibson film, “The Passion of Christ.” Speaking to the issue will be Paula Fredriksen, professor of theology at Boston University; Sister Mary C. Boys, professor of Judeo-Christian Studies, [...]
