What is the Catholic League?

The Catholic League is the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization. Founded in 1973 by the late Father Virgil C. Blum, S.J., the Catholic League defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination.

Motivated by the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment, the Catholic League works to safeguard both the religious freedom rights and the free speech rights of Catholics whenever and wherever they are threatened.

Is the Catholic League Necessary?

Absolutely. Harvard professor Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. once observed that prejudice against the Catholic Church was "the deepest bias in the history of the American people." Yale professor Peter Viereck commented that "Catholic baiting is the anti-Semitism of the liberals."

And today's brand of anti-Catholicism is more virulent and more pervasive than ever before in American history. While it is true that Catholics as individuals have made progress in securing their rights, the degree of hostility exhibited against the Catholic Church is appalling. Quite simply, Catholic bashing has become a staple of American society.

What Does the Catholic League Do?

• When slanderous assaults are made against the Catholic Church, the Catholic League hits the newspapers, television, and radio talk shows defending the right of the Church to promote its teachings with as much verve as any other institution in society.
• When Catholics are the victims of a bigoted portrayal by the media, the Catholic League issues news releases bringing the matter to the attention of the public. It may also encourage a boycott of the program's sponsors.
• When Catholic students or employees are denied their rights in school or on the job, the Catholic League makes a formal response to the guilty parties; the league response may include litigation.
• When the religious freedom rights of any American are threatened, the Catholic League stands ready to fight for justice in the courts.
• When Catholics are slighted by public officials, the Catholic League calls press conferences alerting the public to the unacceptable behavior of their servants.
• When Catholic interests are unfairly represented by public policy initiatives, the Catholic League offers testimony before legislative bodies to set the record straight.
• When officials in government, the media and education need an informed perspective on Catholic civil rights issues, the Catholic League provides a quick and effective response.

The above list is hardly inclusive of all Catholic League activities, but it does provide some idea of what we do. In essence, the Catholic League monitors the culture, acting as a watchdog agency and defender of the civil rights of all Catholics. Much of what we do is reported in our monthly journal.  We also have chapter offices located in several areas of the country. 

Who Funds the Catholic League?

You do! That's right — we're donor driven. Without your support, we don't exist.

We don't receive a dime from the Church. Nor should we: we are a lay organization. Sure, we have many clergy who are members and all are welcome to join – but our financial base comes from individuals, not the Church.

Why is this so important? Because as a lay Catholic organization we don't have to worry about violating church and state lines. Besides, we shouldn't ask the clergy to do our job; when the Church is attacked, so are its members, and that means you. That is why we must provide a response.

How Do I Join?

Either print the membership form and fill in the membership and payment information, then mail it back to the Catholic League, or, fill in the blanks on line and follow the instructions on the application to submit electronically. (Please do not forget to include payment.)

We will send you Catalyst, the League's journal, and let you know of various league activities in your area.

By joining the Catholic League you become part of the most influential lay Catholic organization in the country. You are integral to our mission and our mission is integral to the mission of the Catholic Church.

They're talking about us . . .

"The Catholic League performs an invaluable service in defending the Faith. All too often, the Church and her faithful are misrepresented and even slandered in contemporary society. However, the Catholic League always stands ready, willing and able to challenge those who would malign us and our beliefs. Ever vigilant, the Catholic League does what other lay organizations hesitate to do —protect the religious and civil rights of Catholics according to the provisions of the United States Constitution. I am happy to assure the Catholic League of my support and esteem."

— Edward Cardinal Egan
Archbishop of New York

"I encourage you to join the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights which defends not only the interests of Catholics, but of all victims of anti-religious bigotry."

— Roger Cardinal Mahony
Archbishop of Los Angeles

"The Catholic League has the courage to speak up candidly and forcefully for the Church when circumstances call for fighting the good fight. The League should be on every Catholic's short list of essential organizations to support."

— Most Rev. Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver

"I am privileged to support the Catholic League. The work of the Catholic League is invaluable and its accomplishments over the years are unparalleled."

— Most Rev. Edwin O'Brien
Archbishop of Baltimore

"The Catholic League has done much to ensure that the Church's positions are presented clearly and fairly. Too often those who do not understand the Church or Her teachings are the interpreters of the doctrines and events in the life of the Church. The work of the League is important in the mission of the Church which must teach the hard truths of the Gospel in season and out of season."

— Sean Cardinal O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Boston

"We are seeing the most violent attack on the Catholic Church in the media and public life since the days of the Ku Klux Klan. Every serious and committed Catholic needs to know what is going on and what to do about it. I consider membership in the Catholic League a must."

— Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.

Five years ago the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights faced a crisis in growth in going from the charism of its founder to its role as a viable institution in the Catholic community. Five years later we are at another point of discernment that has been provided by our own success in dealing with the Catholic issues in American culture today. This experience of the league shows that it has become a prominent member on the scene of Catholic life, particularly dealing with the turbulent forces that are alive and well in Catholic culture and our American culture at large.

An advocacy organization like the Catholic League is always difficult to define and to manage. The NAACP and the ADL, both of which have made great contributions to American civil society in terms of eliminating bias and prejudice, have weathered many storms—being criticized for what they did and for what they did not do, or for being too strong on one issue, or too gentle on another. The Catholic League is no stranger to these tensions. It is just such tensions that compel us to look intently at our work and our goals.

As the league has stated often, its role is a rather narrow and precise one. We intend to defend the expression of our faith in the American culture without being subject to any form of bias or prejudice. We have categorically refused to be an agent for anything else. We are not trying to impose Catholic values on our Society or to promote Christian ends, as such. Most importantly, the Catholic League does not want to be involved in the internal questions of the Church. We all realize that the Catholic Church in the United States can be characterized at the present moment as one of turmoil, ferment, creativity, confusion—choose your term. Such differences of ecclesial life and polity are being experienced at all levels of the Church—from the cathedral to the rectory. It is incumbent on the leadership of the league to navigate with all these forces and not succumb to one of them. The league wishes to be neither left nor right, liberal or conservative, revolutionary or reactionary. We have done a number of things to try to assure this stance by not associating with or disassociating from groups or persons who want us to fight in these internal wars. Our president, Dr. William Donohue, has resisted any efforts on the part of other organizations to coopt us. We do not have any political officials on our Board of Directors. We do not want to be identified with any political party. We do not align ourselves with any political candidates or elected public officials. We are not engaged in the support of any particular legislation that is not related to our civil life. The struggle to maintain that neutrality, of more accurately expressed, that fidelity to purpose, has not been easy.

However, it is not difficult to imagine how in pursuing particular problems that are directly related to our purposes we may be drawn into the cultural, ecclesial, and theological struggles that are prevalent in America and in the Catholic Church in America today. As a consequence critics will often try to paint us into a corner, interpret our position as liberal or conservative, or list us as progressive or reactionary. Some issues lend themselves easily to partisan interpretation, while others, such as parents' rights in education, can be easily identified and defended as a question of pure civil concern. Discrimination against Catholic students on college applications and campuses is another area where the issues are clear. Other pursuits, such as the all too prevalent Catholic bashing in various forms of the media, can be easily misinterpreted as entering into the cultural wars of the United States.

Thus the league can often be open to misunderstanding. Peripherally and by accident we can veer into the major issues that divide our Church: authority and sexuality. No matter how many times we say that our goal is just keeping the playing field level, the media will attempt to see us as trying to impose a certain ecclesial polity on the society around us and even some Catholics will interpret our position as siding with one or the other polarities in our current Church life. There are many contradictions to which the league will become subject. We are accused of advocating censorship when all we want to do is eliminate the censorious power of political correctness. The anomalies abound. On Halloween we can go trick-or-treating dressed as a nun, a monk, or the pope without comment, but we would not dare to do so dressed as an American Indian with a tomahawk, or as a Hasidic rabbi. If the league were to protest such an anomaly, it would be accused of being over-sensitive, combative, ghetto-minded, culturally fixated, or denying free speech.

A further question presents itself to the league. How does it go about securing its ends? What is its modus operandi? There is a strong Catholic element that will always advise caution, by which they mean keeping a low profile and a smile on one's face. They confuse caution with prudence, and submission with courage. The league will prefer the Latin dictum: suaviter in modo, firmiter in re (smooth in the manner, but firm on the issue). And yet an advocacy organization must be vocal, critical, and at times, confrontational. The league may also be criticized at times for using the term Catholic in its title and in its talk. The league does not intend to speak for the hierarchy or for the whole Church, any more than the National Catholic Reporter, or The Wanderer, or Call to Action, or the Catholic Lawyers Guild speak for all Catholics (or for all Catholic lawyers).

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights affirms its existence and role in fighting anti-Catholic bias and Catholic bashing in our civil society by those means which prudence and courage dictate.

- Board of Directors
Spring 1998

Board of Directors

Raymond Arroyo
Thomas Brennan
Nunzio Cardone
Ann Corkery
Kathleen Hunt
William Lindner
Robert Lockwood
Marilyn Lundy
Jerome McDougal
Frank Salas
Jodie Thompson, Jr.
Kenneth Whitehead

Rev. Philip Eichner, Chairman
William Donohue, President
Bernadette Brady, Vice President

David Gregory, General Counsel

Board of Advisors   

Brent Bozell III
Gerard Bradley
Linda Chavez
Robert Destro
Dinesh D'Souza
Laura Garcia
Robert George
Mary Ann Glendon
Dolores Grier
Alan Keyes
Stephen Krason
Lawrence Kudlow
Thomas Monaghan
Michael Novak
Kate O'Beirne
Thomas Reeves
Patrick Riley
Robert Royal
Ronald Rychlak
Russell Shaw
William Simon, Jr.
Joe Varacalli
Paul Vitz
George Weigel

About Catholic League President Bill Donohue...

William A. Donohue began his teaching career in the 1970s working at St. Lucy's School in Spanish Harlem. In 1977, he took a position as a college professor teaching at La Roche College in Pittsburgh. In 1980, Bill was awarded his Ph.D. in sociology from New York University.

Bill is the author of three books and many articles. His first book, The Politics of the American Civil Liberties Union, was published in 1985. His second book, The New Freedom: Individualism and Collectivism in the Social Lives of Americans, was written while Bill was a Bradley Resident Scholar at The Heritage Foundation; it appeared in 1990. Bill's third book, Twilight of Liberty: The Legacy of the ACLU, was published in 1994 by Transaction Press; a new afterward to this book was published in 2001.

Bill is currently the President and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization. The publisher of the Catholic League journal, Catalyst, Bill is also an adjunct scholar at The Heritage Foundation and serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Scholars and the New York State chapter of NAS.

Bill also serves on the board of advisors of the Washington Legal Foundation, the Educational Freedom Foundation, the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, Catholics United for the Faith, the Jewish Action Alliance, Ave Maria Institute, the Christian Film & Television Commission and Project Moses. In addition, he is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and Catholic War Veterans.

Winner of several teaching awards, and many awards from the Catholic community, Bill has appeared on thousands of television and radio shows speaking on civil liberties and social issues. He was also voted one of the top 100 Catholics of the 20th century in a survey of Catholics conducted by the internet site, Daily Catholic.