The Pope and The Witch-Activism Alert

[vern_humphrey]

Maybe not a book, but if you wrote a play with enough artistic merit, maybe a public university would produce it.

I don’t think you could put enough artistic merit into an anti-Semitic or racist play to have a university put it on these days.

Someone made a remark about preserving the negative of “Birth of a Nation.” That was an early movie that was considered a great artistic triumph. It was based on a novel called “The Klansman” and it glorifies the Ku Klux Klan. Want to bet if someone wanted the University of Minnesota to show that movie, he’d be hounded off campus?

But an anti-Catholic play or movie? There is an old saying, “Scratch a liberal and find an anti-Catholic bigot.”

 

[cheese_sdc]

I don’t think you could put enough artistic merit into an anti-Semitic or racist play to have a university put it on these days.

I was actually thinking about a pro-christian/catholic play. Something like the “Lord of the Rings Trilogy” or “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. In the test of time, which do you think will stand. My money is on Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

But an anti-Catholic play or movie? There is an old saying, “Scratch a liberal and find an anti-Catholic bigot.”

We’ve had such a cordial conversation. Why bring name calling into it?

 

[Eden]

The latest disgrace at the University of Minnesota:

catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1460

And a blast from the past:

On March 1, the University of Minnesota’s Department of Theatre, Arts and Dance hosted the Dario Fo play, “The Pope and the Witch.” It was performed through March 9. Bill Donohue raised the following scenario with the press:

    "Imagine an anti-Semitic play, written by a Hitlerian, being performed          at the University of Minnesota. Imagine, too, that Jews complain and the          president of the university justifies the play on free speech grounds.          Imagine, as well, that the play is defended by non-Jewish professors in          charge of the production. Now really let your imagination run: bowing to          pressure from Jews, a panel discussion on the play is scheduled, but no          one from the Jewish community is invited to participate. Well, exactly          this has happened, except that it's not Jews who are being assaulted by          the University of Minnesota—it's Catholics."

When Donohue challenged President Robert Bruininks on the propriety of having this bigoted play performed on his campus last fall, Bruininks offered a lame explanation why the show must go on. Just as bad was Robert Rosen, the university’s theater director, and Steven Rosenstone, dean of the school’s College of Liberal Arts. According to a report in The Catholic Spirit, the local archdiocesan newspaper, “Rosen, who is not Catholic, said he is not surprised by the strong reaction; however, he does not see the play as an attack on the Catholic faith.” Rosenstone confirmed that no Catholics have been invited to join the forum and that’s because “nobody was selected for the panel on the basis of faith or religion.”
That’s interesting. The play was purposely selected to bash Catholicism and yet Catholics were purposely being denied the right to be on the very panel they pushed for.

    Bill Donohue concluded his remarks as follows: "This is what the          University of Minnesota stands for: free speech for Catholic bashers and          no speech for Catholics.  I will notify all members of the          Minnesota legislature about this development: this is state-sponsored          hate speech, partially funded by the target of hate, namely Catholics."          
    We are pleased that several Minnesota lawmakers stepped forward and          pledged to grill President Bruininks about his outrageous collapse of          leadership.

catholicleague.org/catalyst.php?year=2007&month=April&read=2218
http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1460

 

[marymol]

Glad to hear of action by the Catholic League .

Hope that many of the parents and students - atleast the Catholic ones are also going to complain and even take action !

Seems this is even more atrocious than the incident with Noah and Ham and that those who support and condone such are not inviting in similar judgements !

Incidents such as these need to be may be lot more in an antiterrorism bill than checking for liqiud containers in airports !

May be the next candidate for election would take this up as a way to bring justice to this land …even such things as exhibition of Egyptian mummies and cultures ( another ave. of celebrating paganism !) will have a POPULATION ADJUSTED equivalent occasion , on campuses , of giving support and strenghth - for such events as Catholic relics and reminders of Catholic culture , even Eucharistic processions - why not !

Shalom !

 

[Teelynn]

What the ---- is going on at the U of M with all this garbage? Unbelievable!!

 

[Eden]

I posted this quickly and I think I didn’t make it evident that the Pope and the Witch was the issue at the U of M last year and the Eucharist desecration by a U of M professor is the latest issue. But I wanted to remind everyone of the Pope and the Witch play, because Pres. Bruininks let the show go on, despite protests from the Catholic League. If his past history is any indication, he won’t do anything about the Eucharist desecration professor either, unfortunately. He does not come across as “sympathetic” to the concerns of Catholics.