In the last issue of Catalyst, we printed a letter from Dr. Donohue to David Umansky, Communications Director of the Smithsonian Institution, protesting the institution’s invitation to artist Andres Serrano to open Hispanic Heritage Month. Our objection centered on the anti-Catholic work of Serrano, specifically his contribution, "Piss Christ," which features a crucifix submerged in a jar [...]
The Catholic League attack on the Warner Bros. movie, Sleepers, garnered incredible media attention and received a warm reception on the part of journalists, reviewers and radio and TV talk show hosts. The Catholic League’s press conference on the movie was a mob scene of reporters. The league contends that the movie, based on a book by [...]
If a Martian were to descend on our shores in the month of December, he would no doubt conclude that Christmas is a fun time. What else he would conclude is uncertain, but it is not likely that he would identify the holiday season with the birth of Jesus Christ. Each year it gets worse. Department [...]
by James Bogle Reprinted with permission from The Salisbury Review, Spring 1996. Over the last year a number of commentators have sought to rehash old and ill-informed accusations in an attempt to undermine the reputation of Pope Pius XII. His war-time effort to save Jewish lives has, amazingly, been the principal area of attack. The BBC program Reputations, repeated [...]
Cathy Crimmins has written a book, Madonna & Child, that is celebrated as a parody of the pop star, Madonna. In it, she manages to offend Catholics in many ways. Here is a selection of her comments: Madonna on the Virgin Mary as role model: "She’s the ultimate single mother. I’ll only be happy if my kid’s [...]
In our September issue, we ran a story about the book by Tom Connor and Jim Downey,Martha Stuart’s Better Than You at Entertaining. The book was featured as a parody of the work of stylist, Martha Stewart. It also featured several anti-Catholic pictures and commentaries. Reading the last page of the book led us to believe that [...]
In the last edition of Catalyst, the league warned about the ABC show Townies which was supposed to introduce a character named Father Boyle. Based on information in TV Guide, the league worried about a disrespectful treatment of Catholicism. Our fears were only too well founded. Carrie and her friend Kurt are fallen away Catholics, whom Father Boyle would like to [...]
Readers will recall that when the Catholic League protested the use of a crown of thorns in an ad for the movie, The Last Supper, the crown was removed by Columbia Tristar Home Video, a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. But much to our dismay, when the movie showed up in video stores, the crown of [...]
In the movie Glimmer Man, Catholic symbols are shown in an unnecessarily brutal and violent manner. The story starts with a serial killer on the loose who murders and then crucifies couples, predominantly Catholic, because he believes he is redeeming them, as ordered by Jesus. Not only are the crucifixions depicted graphically, the idea that Catholicism is involved [...]
ABC’s 20/20 on October 25 used loaded language to describe a series of adoptions in Ireland over a thirty year period which separated unwed mothers and their babies. Whatever the shortcomings of the plan, the various commentators on the program made its clear that they believed the Catholic Church was culpable. In the preview at the beginning of [...]
