While minding one's own business is often considered a virtue, when the chaos from a neighbor's house spills into your own yard you are afforded the option to say something. In the case that I raise today, a certain man has been allowed to run about like a feral child in the playground of the media, spouting nonsense and threats for quite long enough. I say on behalf of reasonable-minded people everywhere (both skeptics and believers), that Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, needs to be reined in before he completely destroys the reputation of the Catholic Church in the United States.
The Holy See has been through a rather rough patch in the last few years. Unfortunately one of their most public representatives during this time of difficulty has been a man whose actions are indefensible. Mr. Donohue could not have broached the national media arena at a worse time for the church. While the Vatican is in crisis around the world, with the Pope himself calling for change and penance, Bill Donohue has been happily kicking the hornet's nest with a vigor unabated by either logic or circumstance.
We must quickly make two small points. Bill Donohue is the leader of an organization that by its name (the Catholic League), seems to speak for Catholics. This is hardly the case. After all, the Catholic League self-reports only several hundred thousand members in the U.S., a small fraction of the some 68 million Catholics to be found in this nation. Further, the League is not an official part of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately for the more intelligent Catholics here in the States, Donohue is often the man called by news networks to represent their cause; he has by odd circumstance become their voice. We are not discussing rare or isolated instances in which Mr. Donohue has betrayed his inner ugly character. He consistently speaks for people who have not chosen him and do not finance him, and he does them no justice by presenting his opinions as the consensus view of this nation's Catholic population. It is for this offense, in addition to the content of his unctuous remarks, that I publicly call for his resignation.
Bill Donohue has a penchant for the use of physical threats and violent analogies in discussions and debates. During a dialogue with Christopher Hitchens he repeatedly said that "as an Englishman [Hitchens], you have to be quiet when an Irishman speaks." Donohue followed this by threatening Hitchens that if "you want to take it outside, Christopher, that's fine." When allowed the chance to step back from the statement, he reaffirmed his sentiment to another group that he meant that "if you [Hitchens] want to keep it up, I'll sock you."
Donohue also suffers from a strong case of hubris. When on a television show with the artist Cosimo Cavallaro, who had crafted a sculpture that Donohue found to be offensive, Bill not only shouted (his standard vocal volume) that the artist's actions could lead to him "lose more than his head," but that Cosimo had "put his middle finger at Catholic Church and we just broke it, pal." Donohue also called Cosimo a "loser," and stated that he wanted to make him "financially bankrupt." After Cosimo said that he was a Christian, Bill openly mocked him and told him to stop lying.
Sadly, we are merely warming up. Recently Mr. Donohue has been ruffling feathers in an artificial situation involving Mother Teresa and the Empire State building. What, you may ask, do the two have in common? Nothing, but that is more than enough to raise Bill's ire. The Empire State building's management -- all of whom are private citizens -- choose celebrate certain occasions with a multicolored light display. They do not light the building to celebrate or commemorate religious individuals. Bill wanted them to color the building blue and white to celebrate what would be the Mother Teresa's 100th birthday. The owners of the building declined to do so. While the story could have ended there, Mr. Donohue took the chance to excoriate the individuals, saying to the Associate Press that "They're bigots! They have an animus against Catholics." Apparently, to Mr. Donohue, managing your property the way you wish makes you a hateful person.
While we could continue in this vein for some time, with Mr. Donohue flying off the handle at the slightest provocation (his latest missive regarding Lady Gaga -- whom he calls a less attractive Madonna in addition to calling her latest single "vomit-inducing" and claiming that she is treating the Catholic Church like "Muslims"), we will conclude with his assault on one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking. Hawking gave a recent interview with ABC news where he expressed, among other topics, a short explanation of his views on religion and the human race. His comment that humanity is a small and unimportant part of the universe was enough to invoke the curse of Mr. Donohue. To quote his response:
How any rational person could belittle the pivotal role that human life plays in the universe is a wonder, but it is just as silly to say that all religions are marked by the absence of reason.
Stephen Hawking is a man whose views are so obtuse as to be silly and wonder inducing? The educated world wishes to disagree. Donohue is swimming outside of his depth, and is doing so publicly as usual, on a website emblazoned with the word "Catholic" and studded with Catholic images.
Whether threatening intellectuals, insulting and intimidating artists, unsuccessfully spitting on scientists or raising hell on private citizens for acting out their rights, Mr. Donohue is a force for discord. He does not deserve the microphone that is afforded to him by the title and manufactured prestige of his precious Catholic League. The Catholic Church needs friends, allies, and a fresh face to move forward with the changes Pope Benedict has promised to carry out in the new decade. Mr. Donohue works against all those goals, and is a stain on the reputation of the good Catholic people of this nation and elsewhere. The artist we previously discussed effectively summed up Mr. Donohue: "You," he said, "are a bully."
It cannot be better put.
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Thank you for your article about the egregious Bill Donahue. How he got his rice bowl at the Catholic League for Religious and Civil (Catholics only) Rights is beyond me. Part of me would like to try to unseat him. Who knows?
I often wonder what horrible skeleton is rotting in his home closet as he runs around judging not and spreading joy. You were correct on the Mother Teresa vs The Empire State Building. I didn't make the connection there at all. (I wonder if Mother T ever visited Empire; I doubt it.)
Every once in a while I send the Catholic League a nastygram, but not much ever happens. I did ask them once if people laughed at all in their offices. The occasion was when I went to see a production of "Altar Boyz" in Bethesda, Maryland. Donahue was the only critic in the universe who panned it, on sacrilegious grounds of course. I did write that the Frank McEvoy Blaspheme-o-Meter was sensitive enough to pick up any anti-Catholicism, but he didn't believe me.
But I didn't expect him to.
There is a sociopathic, psycopathic element that homosexuals don't have. Forget about what you think about homosexuality, of whether it's right or wrong.
It's worth noting here, and has not been brought up at all That, a homosexual can become a Catholic priest, if he is celibate AND he does not advocate the homosexual lifestyle. This won't change the position of anyone who is gay and opposes the teaching of the church on homosexuality, however, as far as I know there are no plans, that I've heard of, to change this policy and bar anyone who is an acknowledged homosexual from becoming a priest.
Do you? why not? It's a homosexual problem-isn't it?
If the church would simply differentiate between homosexuality and pedophilia/pederasty they would go a long way to solving this problem. Of course, you can't say this to any one who is a fantical.
As far as Donahue is concerned - he's rude, condescending, obnoxious, condemming, and self -appointed. Behaving the way he does isn't fighting back with courage and clarity- It's abusive, narcissitic behavior masquerading as christianity.
It's this kind of flawed thinking:
1. A lot of People didn't like what Jesus taught during his ministry, and didn't like him.
2. A lot of People don't like what Donahue says, and don't like him.
3. Bill Donahue is acting in accordance with Jesus.
Wrong.
I can go on for pages about why Donahue should be shunned, and resign.
If the priest sex abuse crisis is a homosexual cirsis and NOT a pedophilia or pederasty crisis-why aren't there more cases of adult gay-male priest sexually involved with other adult-gay priests,or Bishops, cardinals, or Eucharistic ministers?
A story just came out about a prostitution ring run out out of the Vatican by a Choir member, yet, as far as I have read about this: No priests were involved with purchasing sexual encounters- What happened?
The John Jay study, which keeps getting pushed in peoples' faces- Doesn't even ask any of the participants of the Study the basic question: Are you a homosexual?
I'm not a psychologist, or criminologist, but You would think that, since the participants' involved, were anonymous.
Since, Alter-Girls' starting being admitted around 2002, after the first scandal,(I believe), it's not a big intelluectual jump to see that since most of the Alter boys were, in fact-boys, That most of the abuse would involve them. Alter Girls are still a minority within the Church, so the conclusion that it is a purely homosexual problem because of that is simply bad reasoning based on the debating trick of Confusion of Correlation and Causation.
Pedophiles stalk playgrounds, ingratiate themselves with a community, or tey to get into places of authority so they can have access to Children--teachers, daycare centers, and, yes...priests!
Look at the recent rash of female teachers becoming sexually involved with their students.
In my life, I have dealt with hatred and outright discrimination from many mean-spirited people who despise me because of my Catholic religion. I am glad Bill is there to fight back with courage and clarity.
I am glad you hate him like you do. It shows he must be doing something right.
His behavior on Larry King last May was disgusting. I've been arguing for someone to reign in him since he became head of The Catholic League.
The controversy involving Mother Teresa & the Empire State Building has become all twisted solely due to Mr. Donohue's involvement. But it does demand clarification:
It is certainly true that the ESB is privately owned & can honor whomever/whatever they wish. It is certainly true Mother Teresa wouldn't care a bit whether she received this "honor".
But, it is also true that given that the ESB honored Caribbean Tourism, the DVD release of THE SIMPSONS movie, Mariah Carey, the winners of the Super Bowl, & the 60th Anniversary of Communist China + Cardinal O'Connor, Pope John Paul II, & the Salesian Catholic Sisters among hundreds of others -- that it is hard to imagine why Mother Teresa would be excluded.
It's precisely because the ESB appears to honor everyone & everything, that people took umbrage over this decision.
I wonder if the decision would have been different, had anyone or any other organization made the request, other than Bill Donohue.
Thank you for writing this article. Mr. Donohue does not represent the Church that I belong to, nor any Catholic I have
Clearly the conservative Vatican Bishops share conservative parishioners with Mr. Donohue yet again failed. It was Mr. Malkin who took a stance against Mr. Donohue.
The Bishops lacking the courage to speak out against Donohue, are no better than the republicans and their party leader Rush.
Mr. Malkin should represent your Church than the radical conservative Bishops Pope Benedict loves so much.
Bill does not speak for the Church, is a bully, suffers from hubris, hates property rights, criticism is an assault and a force for discord. The Church needs friends and Pope Benedict can be trusted
Alex is wrong.
Bill speaks for the Catholic leaders by remaining silent they lend him Church credibility. His ideas and opinions are frequent in Catholic controlled media.
Bill is not a bully but does not listen and cares less about understanding others. His goal is making critics of the Church speak like walking on eggs. How is this different then the Vatican since 1963 or 1615?
Bill hubris is equal to today’s Church.
Bill doesn’t hate property rights, like the Church there is no respect of secular law.
Bill using discord is a force for misdirection like the old shell game.
Parishioners have been leaving since the 1960’s. The Church claims it was Vatican II and the evils of secularism, democracy and modernism. Reality points more to radicalized conservative leadership reacting to Vatican II.
Once again a Pope has put Church beliefs as a block to an inclusive, multicultural, science based decision making democratic society. By claiming incursion is once again becoming Inquisitors or relevant in the only way they know how.
Bill is but a modern day Cardinal Bellarmine, and that “secret added extra page” to the Vatican’s Galileo records is today’s lies about gays, abortion, science and democracy.
To have all the libs up in arms, you must be doing your job quite well!
God bless Bill and the Truth he defends.
Unwanted, un-welcomed, unwise and unkind.
If that is your idea of "Truth," I think you're mentally ill.
btw...Where did you park your "Space Ship" ?, next to Bill's ?
2) Sexual assault and abuse are not about "love" and are only about sex insofar as that is the medium for the real relationship: the assailant dominating and controlling the one being abused.
3) Girls have been victimized as well as boys. However, boys are a tempting target for pedophiles because they are often too ashamed to reveal what has happened to them. They can be controlled by the abuser threatening to tell on _them_.
In short, Donahue's only point is on his head.
What does your question have to do with Kata's very real and objective observations about the hierarchy in the Catholic church??!
There are few, indeed who in fact are as bullying, arrogant, elitist and fiercely homophobic as the USCCB, and the rage and fury the bishops emote is the consequence that ----rightfully----most, including Catholics, aren't paying attention to their bullhorns.
I wonder, particularly years ago, if going to Catholic schools has not provided enabling and divesting of one's power, self worth and esteem, etc over to the hierarchy so that the arrogance you'd rather not face is the direct result of indoctrination and propagation in those schools.
Maybe think about that for starters.
Atheist.
Read what he wrote last fall in the Washington Post, its probably his best work to date:
"The culture war is up for grabs. The good news is that religious conservatives continue to breed like rabbits, while secular saboteurs have shut down: they're too busy walking their dogs, going to bathhouses and aborting their kids. Time, it seems, is on the side of the angels."
The whole thing is here:http://mediamatters.org/blog/200910200018
This is neither my comment nor my response, but it does offer an opportunity to make a distinction that is very important.
Bigotry is the application of a generality or a stereotype to an individual. I write very harsh things about the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Critical comments based in bad experiences and documented in terrible historic events. I totally distrust Catholic politics.
For 20 years, I directed a non-profit street-outreach program. throughout that time I worked with some of the most decent, kind, loving and generous human beings I've ever known — many of whom worked or volunteered in Catholic Charities. While I openly distrust and despise the vicious, anti-democratic politics of the Roman Catholic Church. that tells you nothing about my attitude toward Catholics — absolutely NOTHING.
One of the things I like least about the Church, is the way that sleaze-ball, conscienceless and cowardly church-bureaucrats hide behind the legions of loving, decent, devoted human beings within the Church, who dedicate their lives to making Church resources a force for good in the world.
vis se's post is such an attempt to deflect legitimate criticism of the Church, by shielding the crimes of this Big Business behind the credibility of millions of profoundly decent people within it — Catholic men, women and children, who are often also its victims.
It is not bigotry to criticize the Roman Catholic Church's politics.
The only real distinction that can be made within the Church is between what the Catholic Church teaches and how individual Catholics (whether they be bishops, priest, religious, or lay) behave. But that's already been noted by numerous Popes already.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1992171-4,00.html
Though for the record, I think a decent number of people (including myself) do not blame all of Catholicdom for it's loonies. Every group has loonies.
where's the love?
As much as I admire Nelson Mandella, I'm not willing to let Bill Donohue lock me up for 28 years for providing an abortion. You know that he would if he could. Salveregina: Wouldn't you?
Even though most of us (citizens of first-world countries) do not believe in your "morality," you persist with every perverse power that you possess in attempting to impose your reactionary religion upon us. You are enemies of civil society. In the name of your cult, you attack the right of all citizens to be free of popes and ayatollahs.
Your assault on my rights, gives me the right to say that your religion is preposterous poppycock. Otherwise it would be uncivil and none of my business. But try this: The Catholic Church represents the morality of an arrogant half-baked religion that was crudely concocted out of a basket of Middle Eastern Mystery Cults (stealing elements from Greeks, Egyptians & Persians from Osiris to Zoroaster) — there is NOTHING original in it. Then the "Catholic" cult was raised to the level of state religion in the service of a Roman Emperor who wanted magical glue to hold a dying empire together. As "Absolute Truth," this religion is literally nuts.
While the Catholic Church ruled the Dark Ages, the people of Western Europe went without indoor plumbing for 800 years. We're not going back.
Where's the love?
Are you talking about the Catholic creeps? Since I'm new I'm not sure which group you are referring to. If it is the Catholics they would probably take their hospitals with them and then Izzy's imaginary friend wouldn't have any hospital to go to. Probably have to drive to another town. Wonder how many charitable organiztions would have to relocate. Think of all the non-Catholic kids that attend parochial schools that would have to transfer. Why are they sent to Catholic schools? I've always wondered that. If it is a new Catholic country - how long after that would the Christian fundamentalists have to move to their own country. What about Orthodox Jews? Would they be third to go? Hmmm. Then who? Momons? Jehovah Witnesses? Main stream Protestants? Muslims? If these are the creeps what will you guys do with all those empty buildings? Who will volunteer at the food kitchens? Shelters? There won't be enough of you left to do it all. Oh well.
If all of these creeps would have their own country (I suggest Texas) then the good, pluralistic people of every faith and none, could live in greater harmony.