I don’t know for certain, but my guess is that pretty much every religion reporter in the country is well-acquainted with the ultra-conservative Catholic League.
They fax press releases with a regularity that’s unmatched by any other religious group, at least in my experience. The group caught my notice for its rants on pop culture.
Known for its staunch defense of the Roman Catholic Church, the Catholic League expresses frequent outrage at what it considers ‘slights’ against Catholicism.
Among other entities, the League has taken on television shows Boston Legal, Law and Order and subversive comedienne Kathy Griffin.
Griffin has called the Catholic League, “just one guy on a computer in his parents’ basement. I don’t care if he hates me.”
The Catholic League took on Griffin for her “suck it Jesus” public comment.
The group might be a little bigger than Griffin describes, but she’s right in that all the press materials come from one guy — Bill Donohue.
Among other things, Donohue has demanded that gay people apologize to the straight community, “for contaminating the blood supply in New York City and around the country.”
He also claims that Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews, “who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular.”
Catholics For Choice — Catholics who support legalized abortion — have now taken on the Catholic League in a 25-page report. The length and effort that went into the report speak to the magnitude of the Catholic League’s public presence, and to its perceived influence.
We media types like getting the “other side” and Donohue provides ready-made if not convenient fodder for controversy.
Catholics for Choice president Jon O’Brien says that when the media covers the “tempests that Donohue manages to whip up from time to time, few ever stop to examine the most basic premise of his objections — they just cover the dog fight.”
The Catholics for Choice report says that the Catholic League uses, “intimidation, bullying and distortion to suppress critics of the Catholic Church, the Vatican and the church’s many controversial policies.”
Catholics for Choice also says one of Donohue’s most heinous faults is turning the Catholic church’s sexual abuse scandal back on progressive Catholic activists, claiming they were exaggerating the scandal to try and bring down the church.
“Any minor who has been sexually molested deserves our compassion. But what SNAP is doing, aided and abetted by angry Catholics and ex-Catholics, deserves not our understanding, but contempt. This is a group which has a deep ideological and financial investment in painting the Catholic Church as a villain,” Donohue wrote recently, referring to a SNAP presence at World Youth Day in Australia.
“… SNAP may as well close up shop. The reforms that have already been made have made the group increasingly irrelevant, and it’s just a matter of time before it becomes obsolete altogether. So they should enjoy their little ceremony today—this is SNAP’s last hurrah.”
Would Griffin ddared say “suck it Moses” or “suck it Mohammed!” Many times, the League is right when it comes to sacrilegious talk and the treatment of R.C. is like no other. Donhue himsef is coarse and a handicap to the churh.
Of course she would.
I don’t think she has any particular hate for Jesus or the Roman Catholic Church.
Her job is being funny(please note the ‘comedienne’ before her name above).
If she thought “Suck it Moses” or “Suck it Mohammed” would get a bigger laugh (or more publicity), she would absolutely dare.
Her job is being funny? How exactly is “suck it Jesus” funny? She wanted to be outrageous and shocking. She ended up looking foolish and offensive.She was wrong and Bill Donohue was the only person doing his job, that day.
Please do not identify “Catholics for Choice” as a Catholic group. One cannot support baby-killing and be a Catholic! The most these delusional people can be called is “people who consider themselves Catholic,” much like disturbed individuals who think that they are cars when it can be easily demonstrated that they exhibit none of the qualities of motor vehicles!
This “Catholic League” sounds like the spiritual on-going successor to Fr. Coughlin’s hate-filled advocacy of Hitler and his ideas during World War II. The Catholic church does not have a great legacy for tolerance or good governmental practices among it’s own. You don’t have to like a certain comediannes or anything or anybody else, but you don’t have to rant and rave about anyone else who does! And you don’t need to downplay the scandals. There should be a heck of a lot more than public image to one’s personal religious beliefs! Good for the new “Catholics for Choice!” I hope more people express their dearly held beliefs in this way and hang on there! It’ll all eventually come out in the wash, no matter who the Tom, Dick, Harry, Sally,whomever tries to tell you what you have to do and think to belong to your own religion!
Would Griffin ddared say “suck it Moses” or “suck it Mohammed!” Many times, the League is right when it comes to sacrilegious talk and the treatment of R.C. is like no other. Donhue himsef is coarse and a handicap to the churh.
— LEO HARKINS 07/21/2008 07:41 PM #
Of course she would.
I don’t think she has any particular hate for Jesus or the Roman Catholic Church.
Her job is being funny(please note the ‘comedienne’ before her name above).
If she thought “Suck it Moses” or “Suck it Mohammed” would get a bigger laugh (or more publicity), she would absolutely dare.
— Ann Madison 07/21/2008 11:01 PM #
Her job is being funny? How exactly is “suck it Jesus” funny? She wanted to be outrageous and shocking. She ended up looking foolish and offensive.She was wrong and Bill Donohue was the only person doing his job, that day.
— Nick 07/23/2008 07:09 PM #
Please do not identify “Catholics for Choice” as a Catholic group. One cannot support baby-killing and be a Catholic! The most these delusional people can be called is “people who consider themselves Catholic,” much like disturbed individuals who think that they are cars when it can be easily demonstrated that they exhibit none of the qualities of motor vehicles!
— Kristen J 07/23/2008 07:32 PM #
This “Catholic League” sounds like the spiritual on-going successor to Fr. Coughlin’s hate-filled advocacy of Hitler and his ideas during World War II. The Catholic church does not have a great legacy for tolerance or good governmental practices among it’s own. You don’t have to like a certain comediannes or anything or anybody else, but you don’t have to rant and rave about anyone else who does! And you don’t need to downplay the scandals. There should be a heck of a lot more than public image to one’s personal religious beliefs! Good for the new “Catholics for Choice!” I hope more people express their dearly held beliefs in this way and hang on there! It’ll all eventually come out in the wash, no matter who the Tom, Dick, Harry, Sally,whomever tries to tell you what you have to do and think to belong to your own religion!
— No Name 08/19/2008 06:56 PM #