Magazine Calls Cardinal O'Connor a ‘Creep’

TIME OUT NEW YORK, Jan. 4—In its round-up of the “Best and Worst of 2000,” the New York entertainment weekly featured this item as a “Best” pick in the “Gay and Lesbian” section: “Cardinal John O'Connor Kicks the Bucket. The press eulogized him as a saint, when in fact, the pious creep was a stuck-in-the-1950's, antigay menace. Good riddance!”

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, responded in a press release stating, “What Cardinal O'Connor represented to these self-destructive souls was holiness, and that is why they're so angry with him—he reminds them of everything they're not. While Time Out New York was urging homosexuals to live a life of abandon—one that resulted in death due to AIDS—Cardinal O'Connor was personally attending to the needs of these persons in hospitals. That he also presided over the largest private providers of care for AIDS patients in New York is something that the surviving family members of those treated will not forget. Now ask them whether they agree with Time Out's characterization of Cardinal O'Connor.”

Man Handcuffs Archbishop Egan

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, Jan. 2—A man with a history of mental problems, including a series of failed lawsuits against the Catholic Church, attempted to handcuff himself to New York Archbishop Edward Egan during Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Los Angeles daily reported. Timothy Byrne locked one cuff around his own wrist, then grabbed Archbishop Egan's arm to lock the other one, yelling, “I have to arrest the bishop!” The archbishop pulled free, and Byrne was subdued by two off-duty police officers who were acting as church ushers.

The archbishop was unhurt. Byrne was arrested.

Tithing Time, Not Money

MIAMI HERALD, Dec. 25—Despite the strong economy, Christians are giving smaller percentages of their incomes to church charities, the Miami daily reported. Some pastors have responded by emphasizing ways that parishioners can “tithe” their time or talents, rather than money. Empty Tomb, a research company that studies trends in Christian giving, found, “In 20% of evangelical churches to 40% of [other] churches, people will give virtually nothing to support their local congregation.” Some pastors, such as those in the Episcopalian Diocese of Southeast Florida, support parishioners’ decisions to volunteer in a church ministry rather than giving money. Many of its ministries are short on staff, and are grateful for the “time-tithers.”

The Graying of Divorce

FOX NEWS, Dec. 27—Divorce rates have jumped among couples over 65, but leaving a longtime spouse is painful for husbands, wives and their grown children, the national news channel reported.

Experts note that many senior citizens feel isolated, a feeling that divorce can magnify. And although recent studies of divorce, like Judith Wallerstein's The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce, have focused on the effects of family breakup on young children, Fox found that adult children suffer as well when their parents part.