The February 25th opening of "The Passion of the Christ" was one of the most anticipated openings of any movie in American history. That it opened on Ash Wednesday made it all the more special. Advance ticket sales to the Mel Gibson film were astonishing. News reports cited many Protestant organizations buying up large blocks of [...]
On February 27, professors from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City released a report on priestly sexual abuse since 1950. In anticipation of the report, the Catholic League prepared its own report; it was released in early February. The complete document is reprinted in this edition of Catalyst. The Catholic League strongly believes [...]
William A. Donohue This issue of Catalyst is not like any other. Normally, we run a series of articles that touch on anti-Catholicism and related issues. But this time we are featuring two very special items: "An Open Letter to the Jewish Community" and a Special Report, Sexual Abuse in Social Context: Catholic Clergy and Other Professionals. Both were [...]
Special Report by Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights February 2004 PREFACE The purpose of this special report is to put the recent scandal in the Catholic Church in perspective. It does not seek to exculpate anyone who had anything to do with priestly sexual misconduct, but it does seek to challenge those who [...]
February 4, 2004 I have seen the Mel Gibson movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” on two occasions and consider it to be the most moving dramatization of the death of Jesus Christ ever made. It is magnificent beyond words. I stand with those Catholics, Protestants and Jews who have seen the film and do not [...]
ADL INSULTS CHRISTIANS OVER MEL GIBSON FILM; APOLOGY REQUESTED The following letter was faxed to ADL National Director Abraham Foxman on January 26, 2004: Mr. Abraham Foxman National Director ADL 823 United Nations Plaza New York, New York 10017 Dear Mr. Foxman: Regarding the Mel Gibson movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” you were quoted [...]
The Dan Brown book, The Da Vinci Code, is a best-selling work of fiction that discusses a real-life Catholic organization, Opus Dei. To help separate fact from fiction, we asked officials at Opus Dei to write a short article on this subject. Herewith their reply. Founded in 1928 by St. Josemaría Escrivá, Opus Dei (Latin for "work [...]
The board of directors of the Boys Choir of Harlem voted unanimously January 14 to keep director Walter J. Turnbull, even though he engaged in a cover-up of child sexual molestation committed by one of his employees, Frank Jones Jr.; Jones is now in prison, having been convicted of 24 counts of sexual abuse and three [...]
Laura A. Ahearn held a press conference on February 11 in Stony Brook, Long Island, the purpose of which was to charge Rockville Centre Bishop William F. Murphy of conspiring to squash a criminal investigation of child sexual abuse. Ahearn, director of Parents for Megan’s Law, says she spent a week in Boston researching Bishop Murphy’s [...]
Catholic League president William Donohue explained in a news release why a report on Newsday and Voice of the Faithful was sent to every pastor on Long Island (the report is available on the league’s website): “The Catholic League tracks anti-Catholicism in all 50 states. In doing so, we learn where Catholic bashing is most rampant and who is [...]
