Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the
growing tide of criticism directed at Rev. Franklin Graham's assistance to New
Yorkers:
Rev. Franklin Graham could have chosen to simply ask his
people to pray for New Yorkers hit hard with coronavirus. But instead he
recruited 72 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel from Samaritan's
Purse, an evangelical group, to set up a 68-bed facility in Central Park; it is
operated in partnership with the Mount Sinai Health System and is equipped with
ten ventilators.
How was he received? Many New Yorkers welcomed Graham's
efforts, but some have reviled him. Militant secularists have bombarded him
with vitriol, including such notables as New York State Senator Brad Hoylman
and playwright Paul Rudnick. Hoylman called Graham a "notorious anti-gay
bigot" and Rudnick branded him a "vicious homophobe."
Hoylman should not throw stones. In 2018, he wrote an
insulting anti-Catholic tweet. I slammed him for it and he quickly called me to
apologize. I accepted it. But he should know better. As for Rudnick, he is
known for his filthy anti-Christian play, "The Most Fabulous Story Ever
Told." So he has no leg to stand on—he knows a thing or two about
bigotry.
All of this attack on Graham stems from his belief that the
institution of marriage was designed for the only two people who can naturally
make a family, namely a man and a woman. Up until about a week ago yesterday,
figuratively speaking, every normal person believed the same, all over the
world.
Anyone is free to disagree with Graham, but to portray him
as a hater is malicious. Graham explained who his medical staff serves.
"We do not make distinctions about an individual's religion, race, sexual
orientation, or economic status." More important, there is zero
evidence that any of his ministries discriminates against anyone.
No one is to blame for these attacks on Graham more than
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. When he first learned of the relief efforts
of Samaritan's Purse he acted as if New York had been invaded by a hostile
force.
"I said immediately to my team that we had to find out
exactly what was happening. Was there going to be an approach that was truly
consistent with the values and the laws in New York City, that everyone would
be served and served equally?" He wasn't done. "We're going to send
over people from the Mayor's Office to monitor" the park facility. That is
the mindset of an authoritarian.
What makes de Blasio's attack on Graham most despicable is
his failure to take coronavirus seriously. His record is an utter disgrace.
Consider the following.
- "While
de Blasio said he will announce new restrictions on large gatherings in
the coming days, leaders in other cities and states across the U.S. have
already enacted measures to slow the spread of the infectious
disease." [foxnews, 3-12]
- "New
York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Saturday he plans to keep schools in
the country's largest school system open as long as possible, standing in
stark contrast to the majority of the country's largest city school
districts and governors in more than a dozen states who have shuttered
their entire K-12 education systems to stem the spread of the
coronavirus." [usnews, 3-14]
- "De
Blasio's decision to keep New York City's schools open goes against
guidance released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, which recommended that all schools close for a period of six
to eight weeks, especially in states with high numbers of cases."
[usnews, 3-14]
- "New
York City is one of the few large school districts left in the country
that has yet to cancel classes due to the coronavirus outbreak and the
teachers that run the classroom say they're 'furious,' according to
Facebook posts and statements from the teachers themselves."
[nbcnews, 3-15]
- "New
York City Mayor Bill de Blasio started rebuffing any effort to close
schools last week saying, 'we are going to do our damnedest to keep the
schools open.' By the end of last week, the second and third largest
education systems, Los Angeles and Chicago, had announced the suspension
of classes. Several large states such as Florida and Ohio have announced
the cancellation of classes, too. On Sunday, it was announced that Nassau
and Suffolk county schools will be closed for two weeks." [nbcnews,
3-15]
- "'Because
of his irresponsible decision to keep the public schools open, Mayor Bill
de Blasio can no longer assure the health and safety of our students and
school communities,' wrote Michael Mulgrew, president of the United
Federation of Teachers, in an email to its members. 'The mayor is
recklessly putting the health of our students, their families and school
staff in jeopardy by refusing to close public schools.'" [nypost,
3-15]
This same delinquent mayor is now worried that someone who
is sick with coronavirus may catch the "Christian virus," simply
because he was attended to by one of Franklin Graham's volunteer corps of
medical professionals. Is he paranoid? Or just a bigot?
De Blasio is an embarrassment. No wonder his presidential
bid fell flat. Who in his right mind would want him to run anything?
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