I will defend my Church...and I will never be sorry

Concerned Catholics from all corners of the world---UNITE!

There is a great injustice being perpetuated by University of Minnesota approval and even by promotion...and your help is needed! Ray gives the information here

******* ((( below: quoted from Ray's blog, credits at the end ))))

“The Pope and the Witch”, which will debut at U of M, March 1, 2007 has provoked outrage from the Catholic League for its sacrilegious and bigoted display, which Newsday describes as starring “a heroin-addicted, paranoid Pope called John Paul II, along with scheming priests, bumbling nuns and monks.” The play also describes “thousands of hungry children, the fruits of the Pope’s birth control doctrine” crying for food – an irony, since the rejection by many European Catholic countries of the Church’s teaching on contraception has produced a severe dearth of children and a looming de-population catastrophe.

In a press release, Catholic League president Bill Donahue said he had written to U of M president Robert Bruininks to cancel the play, which Donahue described as “pure hate speech” mentioning that playwright Dario Fo is “a well-known Stalinist and anti-Catholic bigot.”

Although Bruininks is aware that Catholics find the play a bigoted disparagement of their religion, he responded to the Catholic League that he has no intention of canceling the Catholic hate play.

“In response to my letter, president Bruininks offered that the University of Minnesota hosts hundreds of events every year, bringing together all kinds of scholars, artists, politicians and others who ‘represent a broad and diverse range of opinions and viewpoints,’ said Donahue.

Donahue then quoted an excerpt of Bruno’s letter that indicates the U of M president has advocated a double standard of tolerance when it comes to discrimination against Catholics.

“The University of Minnesota is committed to establishing and nurturing an environment that actively acknowledges and values a very broad diversity of points of view that are free from racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice, intolerance and harassment,” wrote Bruininks (emphasis added).

“Obviously, president Bruininks either doesn’t mean what he says or he thinks that anti-Catholicism is one form of prejudice that the University of Minnesota is prepared to tolerate. Even fund,” said Donahue. “And who’s paying for this? Catholics in Minnesota, among others. It’s up to them to rebel.”

See promotion page for play
http://events.tc.umn.edu/event.xml?occurrence=395955

To respectfully contact U of M President Robert Bruininks:

e-mail: bruin001@umn.edu
phone: 612-626-1616
fax: 612-625-3875

See Board of Trustees of University of Minnesota Foundation
http://www.giving.umn.edu/foundation/leadership/board_truste...

To respectfully contact the chair of the Board of Trustees:

Fred R. Friswold, CEO
Tonka Equipment Company
13305 Watertower Circle
Plymouth, Minnesota 55441
Tel: (763) 559-2837
Fax: (763) 559-1979
Email: ffriswold@tonkawater.com

LifeSiteNews


((all taken from www.northlandcatholic.blogspot.com )))
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Here is my letter to the president:

Dear Mr. Bruininks,

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I would like to respectfully request that you work to remove the blasphemous anti-Catholic play, "Pope and the Witch" from this year's theatre schedule, and do so posthaste. May I remind you of your very words:

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“The University of Minnesota is committed to establishing and nurturing an environment that actively acknowledges and values a very broad diversity of points of view that are free from racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice, intolerance and harassment"

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This just begs the question...in what way is this theatrical attack upon the Catholic Church "free from other forms of prejudice, intolerance and harassment"?

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There is a difference between free expression of opinion and s blatant attack. I highly doubt that you would allow a similar play involving Judaism, Islam, Hinduism or any other religion to be performed, nor would I or anyone else encourage such a thing. The fact that this play is being shown at the U of M, to the great offense of a great many Catholics in this state, your own students included, shows a double standard which cannot and should never be allowed.

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Perhaps you or others have questions about what the Church teaches, which can certainly be understood. However, it is INTOLERABLE that such a blatant attack upon our faith be allowed to continue. Have you not read the play's description on the U's web page?

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" In the Piazza San Pietro thousands of hungry children, the fruits of the Pope's birth control doctrine, are crying for food. Meanwile he contends with assassination attempts, Mafiosi, drug dealers, sinister bankers, and inept cardinals. Fo's point is that it is easy for a rich church to rage against abortion when millions are born into poverty, and become victims of the drug trade, from which people uder the Vatican's protetion can fill their pockets." (quoted directly from http://events.tc.umn.edu/event.xml?occurrence=395955 misspelling included )

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1. The Pope does not have a "birth control doctrine". The Catholic Church has ALWAYS taught that birth control is immoral. Why? There are numerous reasons and numerous resources, the primary of which is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body", which was actually a series of different speeches is another incredible resource firmly grounded in theology, morality, and the Bible. The fact that popular culture disagrees with what they call a "doctrine" is not a reason to attack the late John Paul II.

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2. The Catholic Church is not rich. It is true that the Vatican is the guardian of priceless art work and historical documents, however there is no wealth gleaned from these holdings. Furthermore, whether the Church is "wealthy" or not is a moot point, for to condemn an organization or even a country (which the Vatican happens to be) for having any kind of holdings even perceived to be wealth is hypocritical of the one making the accusation. Those in glass houses should not throw stones...or does the playwright and every person associated with this play intend to give up all of their material possessions and serve the poor and diseased for the rest of their lives?

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3. Catholics are not the only people who rage against abortion..so do other Christians, and so does Islam...but it's politically incorrect to dare to speak against Islam, isn't it? Yet are they right and Catholics are wrong here, or is it possible that abortion is actually the murder of an unborn child? There is also a group called "Feminists for life". They are not all Catholic. Why not bring them into the mix and condemn them, too? Just because the Pope speaks out, just because Catholics uphold the last shreds of morality in this increasingly secular and oversexed culture does NOT mean that we can be attacked at random and yet be expected to acquiesce to the demands of an injust double standard.

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4. Funny how the synopsis discusses the impoverished children. I can point to couples waiting to adopt...I can point to thousands of Catholic and other organizations there to serve the "unwanted children". I can point to statistics that will demonstrate a population IMPLOSION, especially in European countries. I can show how "population control" has failed and continues to fail and yet how world organizations push birth control and abortion, and I can point to countries (China) which utilize such inhuman tactics of forced abortions, which they of course deny.

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The allegations made in the very description of this play only serve to bolster some of the uninformed attitudes of those who already know little about the Catholic faith...thus the U of M is now using propaganda and rhetoric to fuel further unjust hatred of a religion so many do not even seek to understand. How, exactly, is that tolerant? How is that not harassment? How, exactly, can this play be held at a tax-funded state university?

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I would also like to suggest that you consider how Catholic students may themselves suffer the very predictable repurcussions about to be perpetuated upon them after the showing of this play. Would you care to be responsible for that?

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Please remove this play from the schedule and show by your actions that you do follow your quoted statement of integrity. I realize that you did not write this play, however, by allowing it to continue you do indirectly seem to agree with the anti-Catholic attitudes expressed within, and you do directly cooperate with a direct and intentional offense against the Catholic Church.

Thank you,

AdoroTeDevote, Minnesota Catholic