Getting rich off the Lord... novel concept...oh I guess not. At least Bill doesn't "wear the cloth".
Posted on 05/03/2008 6:58:15 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
Bill Donohue may not be tired of the culture wars–or internecine Catholic wars. The head of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is often over the top in denunciations of anti-Catholicism, real or perceived, and of other Catholics who Donohue sees as not toeing the proper Catholic line. But even Donohue may have outdone himself, and done in his own organization, if his latest press release prompts an IRS investigation.
The May 2 release is “Catholic Dissidents Advise Obama,” and it draws down on Obama’s Catholic National Advisory Committee, which includes several Commonwealers, such as Cathleen Kaveny and Grant Gallicho. It also includes Catholics in public and religious life, ranging from Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania to the Sister of St. Joseph, Sr. Catherine Pinkerton. Also included are more than a few writers and theologians whose work I have long admired. Point of disclosure: I have also known Bill Donohue for years, and while I think he is completely wrongheaded many times, and inimical to the church’s well-being other times, he can also be a good guy to have a beer with, as well as someone who does not run from an argument, and an advocate who can point out indisputable cases of anti-Catholicism that still persist.
That said, this latest blast is way outta line. Donohue not only labels these Obama-advising Catholics as “dissidents” but he says “Practicing Catholics have every right to be insulted by Obama’s advisory group”–setting up Catholics who back Obama as bad Catholics and opponents of Obama, by implication, as good Catholics. Donohue employs his favorite trick of the invidious–and distorting–comparison, saying he wouldn’t have gay advisors who “don’t reflect the sentiment of the gay community”–as if these Obama-backers don’t reflect Catholic opinion. (In fact, they largely do. Not that this should be about public opinion, no?)
In his closing, Donohue takes a real potshot, saying that “If these are the best ‘committed Catholic leaders, scholars and advocates’ Obama can find, then it is evident that he has a ‘Wright’ problem when it comes to picking Catholic advisors.” As if these Catholics–check out the list–are the equivalent of Jeremiah Wright…!
But let me dissect this a bit more analytically. I see four chief problems.
One is that Donohue bases his criticism of these dozens of advisors principally on the “scores” that the abortion rights group NARAL gives some of the political figures on the committee (conveniently not mentioning the presence of Democrats Bob Casey and Tim Roemer, also on Obama’s committee, who have taken stands against abortion rights in many cases). Donohue also states that Obama’s pol pals do not agree with the church’s “three major public policy issues: abortion, embryonic stem cell research and school vouchers.” That is a rather selective list, in that the bishops’ own statement on political participation, titled “Faithful Citizenship,” lists seven principal policy areas, and they include “Option for the Poor and Vulnerable,” “Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers,” and “Caring for God’s Creation.” Not to mention the church’s opposition to the Iraq War, which John McCain wants to continue.
Indeed, while Donohue has criticized McCain’s alliance with the rock-ribbed televangelist and preacher of standard anti-Catholic rhetoric, John Hagee, he has not brought similar scrutiny to McCain’s own Catholic advisory board.
And that raises the second problem, which was noted by the liberal group, Catholics United, namely that Donohue’s apparent partisanship could jeopardize the League’s 501c3 non-profit status. Catholics United also cites passages from “Onward Christian Solders,” a new book by Deal Hudson–a longtime GOP advisor–that show how Donohue has been active in helping the Bush White House and the Republican Party woo the Catholic vote.
This adds up to a big potential problem for Donohue. Yet it also adds up to a big payday for him. As the League’s publicly-available financial forms show, Donohue takes in a whopping $343,000 a year in salary and compensation. He can rightly claim that he has turned the League from a penny-ante mom-and-pop shop into the $20-million-dollar a year culture war machine that it is. But while few would disagree with fighting anti-Catholicism, I wonder how many will see Donohue as getting rich off anti-Catholicism.
A final point: Pope Benedict XVI, who Donohue spares no effort to defend, even when the pontiff is not under attack, made an explicit call during last month’s visit for Catholics to seek unity, not division. I’m not sure how Donohue’s internecine and potentially partisan sniping achieves that end, or even how attacking other Catholics connects with fighting anti-Catholicism.
Getting rich off the Lord... novel concept...oh I guess not. At least Bill doesn't "wear the cloth".
But you give us so much ammunition, and so often...
Besides, Jesus said to expose you people and 'Come out from among them'...
So are all the 'bad' Catholics supporting Obama or Hillary???
How many bad Catholics are there in the Body of Christ, Christ's Bride???
You wrote:
“So are all the ‘bad’ Catholics supporting Obama or Hillary???”
I don’t know of any good Catholics who are supporting Obama or Hillary.
“How many bad Catholics are there in the Body of Christ, Christ’s Bride???”
Unknown. How many bad Protestants are there in that whole collection of sects called Protestantism?
You said: expose you people
Using “you”...does that make it personal?
NOTE: posted to the RM “and” Alex just in case “one” or the “other” did not see it.
You wrote:
“Besides, Jesus said to expose you people and ‘Come out from among them’...”
“you people”? Wow, your hypocrisy is breath taking.
We're all bad...However, only those Protestants that are 'saved' are in the Body of Christ'...Any heathen can be a Protestant, or Catholic...
“you people”? Wow, your hypocrisy is breath taking.
No hypocrisy at all...Although there may be some saved among you, we (and you) are instructed that we have nothing in common with darkness...
Come out from among them...
Alex, er, the moderator didn't respond so I'm safe...
Wasn't personal in my view...
Who copied my post???
Jesus said, "they hated me before they hated you."... and we see that on this web site.
I lived right next to Grant when we were undergrads. When we were Freshmen, he was a paleocon. These days, he is another trendite liberal douchebag.
Donahue's right. They are bad Catholics.
The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World (Hardcover) by David Gibson (Author)
According to Publisher's Weekly he wants the priesthood opened up to women. Perhaps he should have converted to the Episcopal church. Sound's like a combination of sour grapes and poor catechisis.
From Publishers Weekly When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's name was announced as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church on April 19, 2005, Gibson, a journalist and Catholic convert, was among the throng but not cheering. The author of The Coming Catholic Church considers himself part of "the silent majority of Catholics, who were hoping, praying, for the vibrancy and openness that would herald a new chapter in the history of the church." Instead, he writes, they got a "polarizing figure" with a well-publicized past, a man known for his heavy hand with liberation theologians and others deemed to veer toward heterodoxy. In this detailed examination, Gibson tells how Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, and why his ways of thinking about the church may not bode well for efforts to reform it in such areas as governance and opening the priesthood to women or married men. He paints the new pontiff as someone who is more interested in the personal piety of Catholics than their engagement with the world and issues of social justice. Readers who have been watching the new pope for signals of what his papacy will bring will find this to be absorbing reading. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Other reviews at Amazon.com:
I like Bill Donohue because he defends not just Catholics, but ALL Christians.
"You" is not "making it personal" when it is speaking collectively, e.g. those of a particular belief.
The post in question is speaking collectively.
It can be hard to tell the difference, so some posters avoid the word altogether.
Thanks...I'll try to avoid the term in the future...
Nah, it’s perfectly ok. I often have used “you” meaning group and have had it misinterpreted as a personal attack on the person I was responding to and been admonished for a personal attack. I understood you were referring to the group “you” but was looking for clarification from the RM on acceptability.
For all of Gibson’s blathering and his personal attack on Donahue, he still can’t refute Donahue’s charges against Obama’s Catholic National Advisory Committee.
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