December 12, 2004

You may have noticed that the attacks in the papers and even on television against orthodox Catholics have increased since the election. To say that those who lost the elections have done so in a bad spirit and are spoil sports is to understate the case. I do not refer to the political candidates themselves, but rather, to some of their supporters, especially in the media.

And, of course, like everything else that goes wrong (or that they think went wrong) they’re blaming the Catholic Church, or at least orthodox and traditional Catholics. Generally speaking in sociological terms, this group of people is referred to as “the cultural elites.” Years ago they would have been called “the intelligencia.” But since they are not particularly intelligent at the present time, the words “cultural elite” is a better term. They have decided to be insulting to Catholics and Protestants, and occasionally to Jews and any other believers in God. In a recent letter, William Donahue of “The Catholic League,” said: “The days of insulting us with impunity are over. We’ve had it.” To be specific “we’ve had it with cultural forays against our religion that seek to portray us as bigots.”

“The cultural elites” almost were of one voice in their attack on “The Passion of The Christ” film. Despite all kinds of dire predictions, it produced no prejudice or anti-Semitism. In fact, one rabbi friend of mine told me that it revealed important things about the beginnings of Christianity and that it was so moving because “The Passion of The Christ” was shown without cosmetics. He said the same was true of films like “Shindler’s List” where the holocaust was presented with some of its horror, but not all of it because people would not have been able to stay in the theater. Mel Gibson tried to show “The Passion” and all of its horror. I challenge anyone to look at it and think of the tortures that Christ went through and tell me that these were exaggerated. Unfortunately, the artistic presentations of “The Passion” often are rather cleaned up and sanitized. Think of how your parish would accept a crucifix that looked like Christ in “The Passion of the Christ” movie.

While “The cultural elites” are having a field day with the Catholic Church, the word that I have heard is that their goal is “to bring the Church down.” Many people don’t want to believe this. Many others do believe it, but they don’t want to say anything because they think it will make things worse. Personally, I don’t think that things could get worse. In light of all the attempts that are made to take Christ out of Christmas, to take religion out of public life, to take what is dear to religious people and to destroy it in the public, may I encourage you to meet these attempts with protests, letters and the refusal to buy commercial products that these people advertise. Get to your computer and start emailing producers of commercial products who sponsor things that are an attack on religion. Start writing letters to the newspapers, and to anyone that you can about anti-Catholic films. The next thing on the agenda will be “The Da Vinci Code.” This is an absolute, purposeful, fictitious distortion of the Bible and of history. The author admits that it is a fictitious distortion, but the gullible will go and see it and believe it. Make lots of noise. Jesus says in the Gospel: “If you confess me before men, I will confess you before my Father in heaven. But if you deny me before men, I must deny you before my Father in heaven.” Let’s not deny Him because we don’t want to take the trouble or because we are afraid.

Fr. Benedict Groeschel

P.S. To check out the website of “The Catholic League” that William Donahue directs, go to: www.catholicleague.org or call 1-212-371-3191.
________________________________________________________________________________

Go To Page 2

FastCounter by bCentral