Catholic League (U.S.)

Type	Roman Catholic Non-profit civil rights organization
Founded	1973
Location	New York City, New York
Leader	Bill Donohue, President and CEO Bernadette Brady, Vice-President
Field	Roman Catholic anti-defamation
Purpose	Roman Catholic advocacy
Budget	USD $2.69 million (fiscal year 2005) 8 million in reserve[1]
Employees	4[1]
Website	www.CatholicLeague.org

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, widely known as The Catholic League, is a Catholic anti-defamation non-profit group in the United States with the stated mission of defending "the right of Catholics…to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination."^[2] It has no official affiliation with the Catholic Church.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File links Logo of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights (USA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... For other uses, see Organization (disambiguation). ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the state. ... Donohue suffering through impure thoughts on MSNBCs Scarborough Country William A. Donohue (Born July 18, 1947 in Manhattan, New York) has been the president of the Catholic League For Religious and Civil Rights in the United States since 1993. ... Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... An advocacy group, interest group or lobbying group is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, doing advocacy: those determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... Advocacy is the act of arguing on behalf of a particular issue, idea or person. ... An advocacy group, interest group or lobbying group is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, doing advocacy: those determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected. ...

The Catholic League is known for press release statements about anti-Catholic and anti-Christian themes in the media, through its main public face, League president William A. Donohue. Noted for vocal opposition to movies such as The Last Temptation of Christ, Priest, and Dogma,^[3] as well as TV entertainment such as South Park, The View, and highly visible people like Rosie O'Donnell^[4] and events like the Folsom Street Fair^[5] Donohue regularly makes talk show appearances discussing why he thinks the subject of discussion is anti-Catholic. A news release or press release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Anti-Christian prejudice is a negative categorical bias against Christians — both individually and collectively — or against Christianity as a whole. ... William A. Donohue (born July 18, 1947 in Manhattan, New York), has-been : the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the United States since 1993. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Priest is a British film, made in Liverpool, which was shown in 1994 at the Toronto International Film Festival. ... Dogma is a 1999 comedy film, written and directed by Kevin Smith, who stars in the film along with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo, and Alanis Morissette. ... This article is about the TV series. ... This article is about the talk show. ... Rosie ODonnell (born March 21, 1962 in Bayside, Queens, New York) is an 11-time Emmy Award-winning American talk show host, television personality, comedienne, film, television, and stage actress. ... The Folsom Street Fair marks the end of Leather Pride Week in San Francisco, California Bondage demonstration at the 2003 Folsom Street Fair Partial suspension bondage demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2005. ...

Organizational overview

History

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (December 2007)

The League was founded in 1973 by Jesuit Father Virgil C. Blum.^[6] Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ...

William A. Donohue

Main article: William A. Donohue

Since 1993 the League has been led by its Board of Directors president, William A. Donohue, who works with a small number of organizational staffers including Kiera McCaffrey, the League's Director of Communications, who has made media appearances for the group as recently as May 2006.^[7] In a 1999 New York Times article a reporter noted Donohue is pragmatic in regards to religion, "media savvy" and "steers clear of divisive debates on theological doctrines and secular politics".^[8] Adding that Donohue "fans simmering anger with inflammatory news releases, a Web site and newsletter"^[9] with "scathing attacks on the blasphemous and the irreverent".^[8] In a 2007 interview, Salon Life staff writer Rebecca Traister discussed Donohue with Frances Kissling, former head of Catholics for a Free Choice, who characterized Donohue as abusive and stated she avoided doing media interviews with him for this reason.^[10] Kissling also stated "[Donohue] has made it his business to protest every bit of pop culture and politics that doesn't mesh perfectly with his strict views on Catholic doctrine" and added that many have noted that he is a "total media hound".^[11] However, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the leadership body of Roman Catholics, issued a press release calling Catholics for Free Choice "an advocacy group dedicated to supporting abortion" that is "not a Catholic organization" and stated it promotes positions contrary to the teaching of the Church".^[12] Donohue counters the criticisms against him by pointing out that less confrontational styles of previous League presidents also translated into less productivity and he wants to see an immediate impact from the work he does for the League. William A. Donohue (born July 18, 1947 in Manhattan, New York), has-been : the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the United States since 1993. ... William A. Donohue (born July 18, 1947 in Manhattan, New York), has-been : the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the United States since 1993. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Pragmatism is a school of philosophy which originated in the United States in the late 1800s. ... Note: broadcasting is also the old term for hand sowing. ... Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. ... Blasphemy is the defamation of the name of God or the gods, and by extension any display of gross irreverence towards any person or thing deemed worthy of exalted esteem. ... Salon. ... Catholics for a Free Choice is a lobbying group formed in 1973 in response to the opposition of the Catholic Church to the Roe v. ... Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) is a pro-choice organization for Catholics who disagree with the teachings of the church on matters such as abortion, contraception, divorce and homosexuality. ... Abuse is a general term for the misuse of a person or thing, causing harm to the person or thing, to the abuser, or to someone else. ... Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in a modern society. ... For other uses, see Politics (disambiguation). ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (also known as the USCCB) is the official governing body of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. ... Roman Catholicism in the United States has grown dramatically over the countrys history, from being a tiny minority faith during the time of the Thirteen Colonies to being the countrys largest profession of faith today. ... Advocacy is the act of arguing on behalf of a particular issue, idea or person. ... The Catechism of the Catholic Church, or CCC, is an official exposition of the teachings of the Catholic Church, first published in French in 1992 by the authority of Pope John Paul II.[1] Subsequently, in 1997, a Latin text was issued which is now the official text of reference...

Operations and organization

The League issues a journal, Catalyst, as well as reports, such as Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust, books, brochures and an annual Report on Anti-Catholicism. An array of prominent lay Catholics are listed as members of the Catholic League's Board of Advisors, including L. Brent Bozell III, Linda Chavez, Dinesh D'Souza, Alan Keyes, Mary Ann Glendon and George Weigel.^[13] The Venerable Pius XII, born Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Eugenio Pacelli (Rome, March 2, 1876 - October 9, 1958) served as the Pope from March 2, 1939 to 1958. ... L. Brent Bozell III is the founder and president of the Media Research Center and president of the Parents Television Council. ... This article is about the conservative activist and former unionist. ... Dinesh DSouza (born April 25, 1961 in Bombay, India) is an author currently serving as the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. ... Alan Keyes (born August 7, 1950) is an American political activist, author and former diplomat. ... President George W. Bush and Laura Bush stand with 2005 National Humanities Medal recipient Mary Ann Glendon. ... George Weigel (Baltimore, 1951 - ) is an American Catholic author, and political and social activist. ...

Association with the Catholic Church

The Catholic League's office is located within the headquarters of the Archdiocese of New York,^[14] and the League often works closely with the Archdiocese; for example, supplying the photographs for its Office of Vocations website.^[15] St. ...

Many high-ranking Church officials have endorsed the Catholic League. The Archbishops of New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Boston, as well as the Archbishop for the Military Services, are quoted on the Catholic League's website endorsing the League's activities and exhorting Catholics to become members.^[16]

Membership

The New York Times reported that the group had only 11,000 total members when Donohue took over the Catholic League in 1993. This grew to 233,333 paid members in 1999, a figure which the League multiplies by 1.5 to account for non-paying members in the households of paying members, resulting in a League estimate of 350,000 members.^[17] This 1999 estimate is the last statement about overall membership numbers that the League has made.

The Catholic League's 2003 statement about membership claimed 15,000 members just in Nassau and Suffolk counties of New York.^[18] Nassau County is a suburban city county in the New York Metropolitan Area east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York. ... Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. ...

Annual donations entitle members to home delivery of the print version of Catalyst, the group's monthly journal, which is also available for free on the Catholic League's website.

Political alignment

The Catholic League claims political neutrality which is mostly required of non-profits. The website states, "The league wishes to be neither left nor right, liberal or conservative, revolutionary or reactionary."^[13] The League sometimes affiliates itself with liberal causes espoused by the Catholic Church; for example, they criticized the anti-illegal-immigrant group, the Minutemen, for opposing a San Diego priest's facilitation of employment for Latino immigrants and for condemning the Church as a whole in public statements about the matter.^[19] For other uses, see Minutemen (disambiguation). ...

Catholic League president William Donohue was a featured speaker, alongside several conservative Protestant leaders, at a 2005 event called “Justice Sunday,” advertised as “a rally to portray Democrats as being against people of faith.”^[20]

Position on child abuse

Donohue and the Catholic League also opposed a bill proposed by the New York legislature in 2002 that would add the clergy to the list of professionals, such as physicians and teachers, who were mandated reporters of suspected child abuse under existing statutes. An exception was carved out for information specifically received in the confessional. Instead, Donohue and the Catholic League favored alternative legislation, dubbed a "poison pill" by its opponents, that would have controversially expanded the definition of "child abuse" to include consensual sexual relationships between teenagers.^[21] In legislative debate, a wrecking amendment is an amendment made by a legislator who disagrees with the principles of a Bill and who seek to make it useless (by moving amendments to either make the Bill malformed and nonsensical, or to severely change its intent) rather than directly opposing the...

Criticism

Donohue and the Catholic League have been heavily criticized by some fellow Catholics, who have accused them of being overly sensitive in the identification of anti-Catholicism.^[22] Jesuit priest James Martin, the associate editor of the Catholic magazine America (a periodical which has been criticized by the Church for deviation from doctrine), says the Catholic League “frequently speak(s) without seeing or experiencing what they are critiquing, and that undercuts their credibility.” Martin blames the League for promoting “the idea that the Catholic Church is unreflective.”^[23] James Martin is the associate editor of the Jesuit magazine America. ... America is a moderate Catholic weekly published in the United States which contains news and opinion about the Roman Catholic Church and how its positions relate to American politics and cultural life. ...

Donohue has often allied himself with conservative Protestants who have expressed more anti-Catholic sentiments than some of Donohue's secular targets. At a 2005 event entitled “Justice Sunday,” advertised as “a rally to portray Democrats as being against people of faith,” Donohue shared the stage with Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler.^[24] Mohler has often described the Papacy as “an unbiblical institution based in a monarchial ministry that is incompatible with the New Testament's vision of the church.”^[25]

The Catholic League's monthly newsletter, Catalyst, publishes a "Hatemail" section, which includes letters from former Catholics who decided to leave the Church after seeing William Donohue on television. ^[26]

South Park adult cartoon portrays the League as overly zealous and has a scene where Donohue has both Jesus and the Pope arrested for ostensibly going against the Church.^[27][28]

The 2007 South Park episode "Fantastic Easter Special" criticizes the League throughout the episode, portraying it as overly zealous and Donohue personally as attempting to take control from Pope Benedict XVI. Donohue orders Jesus killed for defying the church, and, upon Benedict's insistence that "I'm pretty sure killing Jesus is not very Christian", has Benedict imprisoned for being "soft and weak".^[27] It should be noted that after the South Park Cartoon Wars episode had aired, Donohue called Matt Stone and Trey Parker "little whores" for not resigning due to the Cartoon Network's censorship of Muhammad, while still making money by mocking Jesus.^[28] In the "Fantastic Easter Special" episode, Donohue calls Stan and Kyle "whores." This article is about the TV series. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... For other uses, see Pope (disambiguation). ... This article is about the TV series. ... Fantastic Easter Special is episode 1105 (#158) of the animated series South Park. ... Papal Arms of Pope Benedict XVI. The papal tiara was replaced with a bishops mitre, and pallium of the Pope was added beneath the coat of arms. ... This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... Cartoon Wars Part II is episode 143 of South Park which aired on April 12, 2006. ... Matthew Richard Matt Stone (born May 26, 1971) is an American animator, screenwriter, film director, voice actor and actor. ... Randolph Severn Trey Parker III (born October 19, 1969) is an Academy Award nominated American animator, screenwriter, film director, voice actor, actor and musician. ... William A. Donohue (born July 18, 1947 in Manhattan, New York), has-been : the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the United States since 1993. ... Muhammad in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman. ... Fantastic Easter Special is episode 1105 (#158) of the animated series South Park. ...

Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust

See also: Pope Pius XII#The Holocaust

The Catholic League sells Pius XII and the Holocaust: A Reader, a work which defends Pope Pius XII against accusations of silence or complicity during the Holocaust. The book's contents are also available for free at the League's website.^[29] The question of Pius XII's relationship to the Holocaust is a complex issue that is still debated by many mainstream historians, and the defense of Pius XII's conduct is considered a legitimate position in the academic world. James Bogle in the Salisbury Review (2007) points out that Pius XII in fact saved over 800,000 Jewish lives. Dan Kurzman author of "A Special Mission: Hitler's Secret Plot to Seize the Vatican and Kidnap Pope Pius XII" writes that Hitler wanted to seize the "Jew-loving" pope and move him to Liechtenstein. Pope Pius XII (Latin: ), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (March 2, 1876 – October 9, 1958), reigned as the 260th pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, from March 2, 1939 until his death. ... Pope Pius XII (Latin: ), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (March 2, 1876 – October 9, 1958), reigned as the 260th pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, from March 2, 1939 until his death. ... For other uses, see Holocaust (disambiguation) and Shoah (disambiguation). ...

Film Goya's Ghost

A 2007 Catholic League review of the film Goya's Ghosts, a movie dealing specifically with the Roman Catholic Church's Inquisition of heretics decried the film for portraying "cruel and vengeful" priests who are "hungry for blood". The Catholic League granted that the "general subject of the Inquisition itself is not a problem" and that "certainly grave sins were committed by leaders of the Church during that time, and this is not something that should be forgotten by Catholics or anyone else." What the Catholic League objected to was that "the viewer is not provided with one redeeming member of the clergy."^[30] Goyas Ghosts is a 2006 Spanish film directed by Academy Award winner Miloš Forman (Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest), Xuxa Producciones (Spain) and by Saul Zaentz (The English Patient, Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest), and written by Miloš Forman and Jean-Claude Carri... Catholic Church redirects here. ... This article is about the Inquisition by the Roman Catholic Church. ... For other uses, see Heresy (disambiguation). ...

References

GuideStar, a 501(c)(3) public charity, provides information on other 501(c)(3) organizations. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Salon. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Salon. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Poughkeepsie journal is a newspaper based in Poughkeepsie, New York. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... MSNBC logo MSNBC (Microsoft & National Broadcasting Company) is a 24-hour news channel in the United States. ...

See also

• Catholics for a Free Choice
• Feminists for Life
• William A. Donohue

Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) is a pro-choice organization for Catholics who disagree with the teachings of the church on matters such as abortion, contraception, divorce and homosexuality. ... Feminists for Life of America (FFL) is a non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit pro-life feminist organization established in 1972. ... William A. Donohue (born July 18, 1947 in Manhattan, New York), has-been : the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the United States since 1993. ...

External links

• Catholic League
• GuideStar.org Clearinghouse for information on nonprofit organizations, including the Catholic League.