All eyes will be on Dallas when the U.S. bishops meet June 13-15 to discuss the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Church. National guidelines are expected though the details are still in dispute. Virtually every media outlet in the nation will cover the event. Indeed, every room in every hotel will be booked as [...]
The outcome was in doubt but reason prevailed. A law governing child sexual abuse in Connecticut allowed for an exemption for allegations heard in the confessional. In the first part of May, the Connecticut state House passed a bill that would require Catholic priests to report allegations of child sexual abuse disclosed in the confessional. But [...]
William A. Donohue No figure in the Church sexual abuse scandal is more notorious than Rev. Paul Shanley. Though defrocked priest John Geoghan may be the biggest pervert (he is accused of molesting 130 children), Shanley is the real All Star of sexual deviants. Unlike Geoghan, he publicly advocated the merits of sexual deviance. What shaped [...]
by Thomas C. Reeves When American history textbooks mention Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen at all, it is briefly and in connection with the allegedly "feel good" Christianity of the 1950s. To some Americans, Sheen was merely a glib, superficial television performer and pop writer who blossomed briefly on the national scene and rapidly disappeared. Many orthodox [...]
One of the things the Catholic League has been closely monitoring during these difficult times is the anti-Catholic fallout that has accompanied the sex abuse scandal. Perhaps nothing has incensed us more than the growing skepticism in the media that Catholic district attorneys should not be trusted to investigate diocesan abuse. This has happened in New [...]
The Catholic League has signed on to an amicus brief filed by the Christian Legal Society in the Columbine case. At stake are the free speech rights of believing Christians. When the Jefferson County school district invited community members to express themselves by painting tiles for Columbine High School, it was done as an art-therapy project [...]
Catholic bashers are coming out of the woodwork over the sexual abuse scandal in the Church. Catholics for a Free Choice, American Atheists and Rainbow Sash have all been ringing the alarms beckoning world bodies to investigate the Church. Even some noted attorneys have jumped on board. The Catholic League has been keeping a close watch [...]
District Attorney Lynne Abraham is on a witch hunt. She wants to convene a grand jury to investigate allegations of sexual abuse by priests in Philadelphia. She said the grand jury will investigate "all allegations involving priests whether they are dead, dismissed or retired." The Archdiocese of Philadelphia, though surprised by her decision, said it will [...]
On May 9, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit challenging the way the state of Louisiana has used taxpayers’ money to promote sexual abstinence. The ACLU contends that Louisiana is allowing government funds to promote religion; it cites examples where a religious theme has been evident in some instances where the program has been [...]
The NBC show, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," targeted Catholic priests in its season finale on May 17. The episode, "Silence," featured a senior priest involved in pedophilia and a subsequent diocesan coverup. Two days before it aired, we issued a news release that raised serious questions about the decision to run the show. We [...]
