Leaked e-mail shows media campaign against US bishops
John Gehring of Faith in Public Life.
A leaked e-mail shows that the Democratic-leaning organization Faith in Public Life is running a behind-the-scenes media effort to undercut the U.S. bishops and the “Fortnight for Freedom” events intended to rally opposition to the HHS mandate.
Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, released the e-mail detailing the campaign on June 18. He said a copy of the e-mail had been leaked to him.
Donohue said “fair minded persons” may disagree with the religious freedom effort “but there is something unseemly going on when those who work for a George Soros-funded group are quietly providing talking points to the media.”
The June 7 e-mail from John Gehring, Faith in Public Life’s Catholic Program Director, is addressed to reporters, editors and columnists. It describes itself as a “backgrounder” and contains talking points, adversarial questions for Catholic bishops and recommendations of experts to interview.
It appears aimed at shaping a narrative skeptical towards Catholic objections to a Department of Health and Human Services mandate that requires employers, including many Catholic institutions, to provide insurance coverage for sterilization and contraception, including some abortion-causing drugs.
“Are you willing to sacrifice Catholic charities, colleges and hospitals if you don’t get your way on the contraceptive mandate?” reads one proposed question for a bishop.
“Are you willing to drop all health insurance for your employees?” reads another.
The e-mail encouraged journalists to “ask critical questions” about the bishops’ “sweeping claims” in light of a “charged political backdrop” ahead of the 2012 election. It noted that both the June 8 “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” rallies and the June 21-July 4 “Fortnight for Freedom” campaign include Catholic dioceses.
CNA sought comment multiple times from Gehring and Faith in Public Life but did not receive a response. [More]
SOURCE
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 5:21 am
I’m sure the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and most certainly the New York Times will trumpet these talking points. The media (except for Fox News and the WSJ) are despicably biased. They are subverting our democracy by consistently biased reporting in favor of socialist non-American Obama.
Tony:
June 22nd, 2012 at 7:55 am
Bill Donohue is an embarasment. He takes a salary of more than 300,000 a year to promote his narrow minded view of Catholicism.
He and his Catholic league are on the extream right. He does not speak for all Catholic and he is not as effective as he would have people beleive.
Recently he waged a major campain to get John Stuart to apoligise for a humorous piece he did, and Donohue was completly in effective.
He does not speak for this Catholic.
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 9:12 am
If that is Bill Donahue’s salary, he is worth every penny. The Catholic Church needs someone like him to continue doing what he is doing in these very hostile waters, hostile to the true Church established by Jesus.
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 9:17 am
And you, Tony, who represent yourself as a Catholic, are part of that hostile water.
Francis:
June 22nd, 2012 at 9:29 am
Donahue = Baffoon
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 9:31 am
Francis = spiritually sick buffoon
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 9:31 am
You are spiritually and emotionally sick, Tony. I’m not sure how much more time I should waste responding to your garbage posts.
Tony:
June 22nd, 2012 at 9:35 am
It is you who arE are into male dominance and you call me emotionally sick.? Francis is correct Donohue is a Baffin and a mean spirited bigot
Concerned:
June 22nd, 2012 at 11:04 am
There is an ingnored truth in all of this – You can not legislate morality and subsequently you can not legislate morality away. All the money being spent to fignt laws or have laws enacted could certainly be put to better use. Instead of fighting a law about contracetion – take the message to the people about why the Church is opposed. Intstead of spending so much on fighting a law about abortion why not use the money to make abortion unnecessary by providing care for every woman who needds it in order to have her child – and make sure people know it is available. Sometimes we argue over protecting the message of Jesus instead of living the message of Jesus.
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 11:06 am
Well, that makes interpreting you even easier, Tony. If you think Donahue is a “mean spirited bigot,” then that means it is a compliment whenever you use that label to describe someone. Satan calls good things bad, and you call good things bad. So, whenever you disapprove of something I say, that tells me I am on the right track.
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 11:08 am
Also, for the record, I am not into male dominance. I do know, however, that God Himself has given men the responsibility of leadership and headship. So, when Jesus is judging you, I’m sure you’ll tell Him He’s into male dominance as well. You’ll be shivering in your boots when He is judging you, Tony, and you should be — and you’ll never accuse Him of being into male dominance for Him appointing men to be the leaders.
Tony:
June 22nd, 2012 at 11:38 am
Jim, for some reason I can’t post this on the apporpiate thresd, but I was just pulling your chain. I am totally supportive of human life from the moment of conception to a natural death and I am totally on the side of the bishops and their efforts for freedom of religious rights.
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Concerned — you should be concerned about the violation of the first amendment right to religious liberty. Once you start losing these fundamental rights, who knows where it will stop. This is exactly how the Nazis did what they did — they did it gradually, step-by-step, and of course never called what they were doing by an accurate name — it is always couched in some positive terms, like a “woman’s right to cxntrxception.” BTW, I must have been sleeping in history class — where is that right stated in the cxnstxtution? And, worse yet, a right to FREE cxntrxception?
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 12:16 pm
I’m glad to know that, Tony.
Recovering Catholic:
June 22nd, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Great comments, “Concerned;” Bull’s eye!!
Jim:
June 22nd, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Recovering — no surprise that you too have you head in the sand as our rights as Americans are being stripped from us. Of course, you probably voted for Obama, so you really are in the dark about his very negative impact on this country. The probable focus of most of your attention is taking out your anger on the Church as a way of trying to resolve your anger for the Church and the people who abused you. Here’s the thing: no matter how much you are able to torment someone else (even if they truly are guilty), it never makes you happy. Happiness and peace come only when you forgive. Forgiveness means that you give up your right to extract your pound of flesh. Forgivenss was modeled by Jesus on the cross when He asked His heavenly Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him. I will make the same recommendation to you that I made to Concerned — go find a therapist who knows the value of forgiveness, not a therapist whose support results in you nursing your grudge against the Church. BTW, since I am a member of that Church, I don’t appreciate how you are improperly persecuting us.
Tom:
June 22nd, 2012 at 10:51 pm
The fact that the Paulists continue to cite Mother Angelica’s television show as authentic journalism is baffling. I beg you to stop farming out this material to the public. Let those who want to get their news from Mother Angelica do so; the rest of us deserve better.
concerned:
June 23rd, 2012 at 4:26 pm
Tony, if you find humor in the piece done by John Stuart you are really a sick bird. I support any effort to get an apology about this perverted item of “so called humor” that was broadcast on Stuart’s show. That IS NOT comedy!
Fr. Larry Rice, CSP:
June 23rd, 2012 at 7:22 pm
Tom: Cathnewsusa.com is neither owned nor operated by the Paulist Fathers, and hasn’t been for some time. I hope this leaves you less baffled.
DonE:
June 24th, 2012 at 2:51 am
Amen. Jim, Well said.