Catholic League News Release

HYPOCRITES ATTACK ARCHBISHOP DOLAN

Catholic League president Bill Donohue addresses the flap over an article New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan submitted to the New York Times:

The New York Archbishop submits an op-ed article to the New York Times, citing recent instances of anti-Catholic bias by the newspaper. The newspaper refuses to print it. The archbishop subsequently posts the piece on his blog. Though that is the extent of Archbishop Dolan’s role in this issue, he comes under fire anyway.

Andrew Rosenthal, editorial page editor of the newspaper, says, “The idea that when you criticize the bishops, or the hierarchy of the church, that you’re attacking the church itself, or, as Dolan implies, the religion itself, is just false.” What is false is this characterization.

Dolan made four complaints: 1) he cited the “selective outrage” by the Times regarding clergy sex abuse scandals—a news article featuring abuse by Orthodox Jews was not followed by a call for more investigations, legal probes, etc. 2) a contrived news story about a troubled priest who had a consensual affair with a troubled woman appears on the front page 3) reports of Catholic outreach to Anglicans is treated as exploitation, and 4) Maureen Dowd writes a screed against the Church. In other words, Rosenthal’s response is wholly without merit.

Commonweal, a Catholic magazine on life support, faults Dolan for responding in a way that is “not fruitful.” Nice to know that these writers object to the archbishop for writing. Maybe they prefer throwing bricks.

Someone from IrishCentral.com defends Dowd by saying the columnist is “one of the most Catholic people I’ve ever met.” She did not say how many Catholics she has met, nor did she disclose her measuring stick.

Finally, WCBS-TV closed its report with a snide remark about the Church mistreating women. The station is an expert about mistreating employees: people are still talking about the 1996 “Massacre”—the mass firing, without prior notice—of seven stalwart employees. The motive? Money.

Susan A. Fani
Director of Communications
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
catalyst@catholicleague.org
New York, NY 10123
212-371-3191
212-371-3394 (fax)

http://catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1709