The permanently irascible, offensive pundit is a relic of a bygone era

WASHINGTON – Bill Donohue, president of the The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, has been president of the group for 20 years. The stated purpose of this organization is to defend the rights of Catholics in public life, yet when right-wing media commentators call the Pope a “Marxist,” or espousing anti-religious redistributionist views, Donohue is silent.

Beyond this stunning omission, his nearly incessant string of embarrassing statements in the media, wherein he defames and degrades whole swaths of people, represents a thankfully dying era in Catholicism. He claims his organization’s purpose is to “defend the Catholic Church,” but his behavior has only hurt it.

Right wing commentator Rush Limbaugh attacked Pope Francis last week, accusing him of “Marxism.” Instead of defending the Holy Father, Donohue chose to remain silent against these attacks (http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/12/16/catholic-league-fine-with-rush-limbaughs-attack/197288). He said nothing when fellow right winger Sean Hannity piled on the Pope with Limbaugh (http://mediamatters.org/video/2013/12/17/foxs-sean-hannity-the-pope-sounds-like-he-is-ag/197303). Donohue has a history of selective, conservative outrage when defending the Catholic Church.

Donohue earns a salary of more than $400,000 per year, which he earns for his all-capitalized press releases and frequent interview bookings on CNN and FOX News Channel. When these statements and remarks are analyzed, one wonders why he’s taken seriously. One recent wide release statement focused on his office’s behavior at its Christmas parties (http://www.catholicleague.org/office-party-rules-to-ignore/). In another, he attacked a Catholic group for defending the Pope (http://www.catholicleague.org/bogus-catholic-entity-rips-rush/). A large portion of Donohue’s job of late has been to attack sex abuse victims in order to cover for those who perpetrated child sex abuse and those who protected them. Indeed, Donohue is currently being sued for defamation by a victim (http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/09/4681920/former-altar-boy-sues-national.html). So, why is he taken seriously as a Catholic spokesman by the media?

This past weekend, he attacked civil marriage equality efforts, which Catholics nationwide overwhelmingly support (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/08/catholics-gay-marriage-support_n_2835847.html), calling them a “bizarre notion” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C5ol-D1i2I). Of course, Pope Francis faulted the “obsession” with things like gay marriage on the part of Catholic right wing pundits as something that is hurting the Church. Who is Donohue representing?

When asked about the sex abuse crisis, he immediately pivots his attacks to gay people (http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/04/01/89653/donohue-homosexuality-abuse/), insisting “homosexuality” was to blame for the crimes against children, not pedophilia. Further, he insists victims advocacy groups, made up mostly of Catholic lay people, are a “menace” (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/13/catholic-leagues-donohue-vows-to-fight-rape-victims-one-by-one/). This is wrong, it’s defamatory and it’s embarrassing. Again, why is he taken seriously by the media?

Pope Francis has inspired Catholics by promoting what he calls the “full fragrance of the Gospel,” and inspiring the culture by calling on the world to embrace the poor, immigrants, victims of war and the forgotten. Where are Donohue’s statements echoing the Holy Father’s call to arms for Catholics? Why continue the right wing crusade? Again, why is he taken seriously by the media?

When people like Donohue are depicted on TV as a representative of the Catholic faith, it’s an embarrassment. Young people are leaving the Church in droves because of the divisive politics of so-called Catholic leaders like him. To elevate this man as someone to respect as a Catholic spokesperson shows how far degraded the role of religion in America has become, and is symptomatic of the problem.

The fact is, Donohue represents a fading set of identity-politics Catholicism that values division, victimhood and animus over unity and care for the least among us. Catholics in America know Pope Francis is the leader they’ve needed, and they deserve a better representative than Bill Donohue.

Founded in 2004, Catholics United, and its educational arm, Catholics United Education Fund, are non-profit, non-partisan organizations dedicated to promoting the message of justice and the common good found at the heart of the Catholic Social Tradition.

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