Washington D.C., Sep 1, 2011 / 03:58 am
The New York Times is being strongly criticized for a column by its executive editor Bill Keller that scrutinized the religions of the GOP presidential candidates and likened the Catholic belief in the Eucharist to belief in aliens.
“Keller could have made his point about politics and religion without insulting Catholics,” Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, told CNA on Aug. 30.
“But true to form, he did what comes naturally to him – he trashed Catholicism.”
In his Aug. 25 editorial, “Asking Candidates Tougher Questions About Faith,” outgoing executive editor Keller urged greater scrutiny of Republican candidates' religious beliefs, touching on Mormonism, Evangelical Christianity and his own past adherence to Catholicism.