UNITED STATES
The Open Tabernacle: Here Comes Everybody
Posted on December 30, 2012 by frankcocozzelli
Originally posted at Talk to Action.
Yes, it’s that time of the year, folks. It’s time for the presentation of the annual Coughlin Award. The competition was stiff, but one Catholic Right mover and shaker stood out out from the crowd, head and shoulders above the rest.
The Coughlin Award — affectionately known as “The Coughie” — is our way of recognizing the person who has best exemplified an exclusionary, strident interpretation of the Catholic faith in the preceding year. The award is named for Father Charles Coughlin, the notorious radio priest of the 1930s who is the role model for today’s Religious Right radio and television evangelists, and other conservative media personalities.
This year our judges had a small but distinguished field of candidates from which to choose. Of course there was last year’s winner, Catholic League head honcho Bill Donohue. He, along with 2011 honoree, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, used the occasion of the indictment of Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Finn for failing to report a priest of suspected pedophilia to launch a war of attrition against a victims’ advocacy group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). For their efforts, the dynamic duo were awarded (dis)honorable mentions.
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