Angels & Demons: What Would Jesus Do?

Image by Blue Serge via Flickr

 They love to defend their version of the Faith against movies and books. It gets them headlines, media attention and allows their major mouthpiece, William Donahue, to gab away in front of the cable talk show cameras (Fox mostly).  But when it comes to something that truly impacts the Church, they are nowhere to be found.

 I know this from first-hand experience.

About 15 years ago, I wrote a book called Sleepers. In it, there was a priest who committed perjury in order to save the lives of two boys from his parish. I said then it was a true story and that stance has never changed–EVER. Donahue was all over the story, attacking me from every quarter, denouncing the book with self-righteous anger. He got what he wanted–tons of media attention. I ignored him , and today the book continues to sell and the movie is a DVD staple. Praise the Lord.

Now, comes Angels & Demons, based on the novel by Dan Brown and directed by Ron Howard (one of the most decent men in Hollywood, not to mention one of the most talented). Donahue is on the attack once again, smelling the lure of the green room and a chance to rail against what damage a movie is doing to his beloved Faith. The movie, by the way, is fiction–that means it did not really happen, Bill.

Now if Donahue really cared about the Catholic faith, he could get plenty of TV face time by ranting against what truly needs to be attacked–the destruction of that faith by the pedophile animals the Church defended and protected for decades and, in some cases, even promoted.

How much harm will Ron Howard’s movie do the church? Not a drop. How much did my book damage the church? Not a bit. How much destruction has been inflicted on thousands of innocents by these punks in Roman collars? Try $2.6 BILLION worth and still counting. The end result–the best way out of the inner city for kids with few ways out, Catholic schools have been shuttered in record numbers. Catholic hospitals have been closed to pay the legal fees of these criminals who professed to do the work of Christ and instead raped and ruined. Catholic Churches have had to close their doors while Cardinals, Bishops and Monsignors played musical chairs with their diabolical priests and transferred them from one parish to another. And where was the Catholic League with all this going on? At the movies or at a  bookstore.

So Donahue’s idea of outrage is to go after Ron Howard (how brave is that, really? What courage it takes to attack a Hollywood director). Or me. Yeah, you need Clint Eastwood chops for that.

But go after the pedophiles with a full all-out assault–you know, bite the hand that feeds–that takes real courage, real leadership and while it may not buy a ton of press, it just might be the kind of work that would be appreciated by the BIG GUY.

Speaking of the Lord, ask yourself this: What do you think would really annoy the hell out of Christ? A movie that starred Tom Hanks (that’s right, Tom Hanks)? A book written by me? A movie based on that book that starred Brad Pitt and Robert DeNiro (okay, maybe He might have preferred Pacino)? or hundreds of priests (if not thousands) raping innocent children at will over the course of decades? You think that very notion would not have made Jesus look to Joe Pesci somebody’s ass? If gambling in his Father’s house set him off on a temper tirade, can you imagine what He would do after St. Peter whispered the words “priests are  raping boys” into his ear?

No one–and I mean no one–has left the Church over a book, movie, TV series, play or speech.

Millions have deserted the Church because of the pedophile scandal, and they will NEVER return. They did not turn their backs on God. The priests and their bosses did that. They turned their backs on sick thugs posing as men of God.

Go after them Donahue and leave Opie alone.

Me? I’m going to go and see Angels & Demonsas soon as it opens and enjoy it. I know the money will goto a good cause–Ron Howard.