The quest for a new House chaplain began in June, 1999 when an 18-member committee of Republicans and Democrats sifted through almost 50 resumes. After interviewing 17 candidates, and selecting six as semifinalists, the top three names were submitted to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, House Majority Leader Dick Armey and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt; they [...]
The presidential campaign is off and running and already the Catholic League has entered the fray. In December, the league defended candidates from both parties on the subject of religion and politics. Presidential candidates George W. Bush and Gary Bauer were defended by William Donohue when they both invoked the name of Christ in a nationally-televised [...]
After listening to William Donohue comment on the double standard that surrounds Catholicism and politics, Chris Matthews, on Hardball (MSNBC, Dec. 15) had this to say: "You know what you are, Bill? You are my gut talking."
William A. Donohue Most of us can easily identify prejudicial statements when sweeping generalizations of a negative kind are made. But prejudice has many faces, and not all of them are readily apparent. Take the "Dateline" example that is mentioned in this issue of Catalyst. Does the Catholic Church have dirty laundry? Of course. What institution or [...]
On December 11, 1999, American Catholics lost a good one when John P. Hale died in Larchmont, New York. He was a member of the Catholic League’s board of advisors and former special counsel to Catholic Charities of the New York Archdiocese. Jack was a distinguished attorney who worked tirelessly to defend the Catholic Church from [...]
The movie "Dogma" didn’t do too well at the box office—after 12 weeks it pulled in a measly $27 million—but the critics, being for the most part critical of the Catholic Church, liked it. Indeed, some loved it so much they voted it one of the ten best movies of 1999. Among "Dogma’s" fans were priests. [...]
When the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie "End of Days" was released, the Catholic League wasted no time blasting it. Indeed even "Entertainment Weekly" branded the movie the "Loser of the Week." Here is how the Hollywood magazine put it: "The Devil. Not only does he pummeled in End of Days—which has been beaten at the box office [...]
From November 28 to December 22, ten major American newspapers carried anti-Catholic ads. All of the ads were sponsored by the Eternal Gospel Church of Seventh-Day Adventists (a splinter group from the Seventh-Day Adventists). The ads identified the Catholic Church as the "WHORE" and the "BEAST," and charged the Holy Father with breaking down the barriers [...]
In mid-December, within the space of three days, three network television shows featured lines that were offensive to Catholics. In the December 13 episode of the CBS sitcom, "Becker," there was a segment about a Christmas pageant that revolved around Joseph and Mary. Dr. Becker, played by Ted Danson, at one point told the man dressed [...]
Joseph Varacalli is an astute observer of the American Catholic scene, and in his new book, Bright Promise, Failed Community: Catholics and the American Public Order, he describes how and why Catholic America has essentially failed to shape the American Republic in any significant way. Varacalli turns his sociologically-trained eye to uncovering the reasons why American society [...]
