Air Force Academy Blowback

Yesterday, the U.S. Air Force Academy decided to cancel the scheduled showing of movie clips from “Constantine’s Sword” to an audience of faculty and cadets.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented as follows:

“I am delighted that the Air Force Academy made the right decision not to show footage of this movie; the film is based on an anti-Catholic book written by an angry ex-priest who has no credentials in the subject area.

“Lt. Gen. John F. Regni, the Superintendent of the Air Force Academy, called me this morning and we had an honest and fruitful exchange. I commended him for his intervention in this matter—it proved to be decisive. He was emphatic in his position that the event was not about religious intolerance, rather it was about the war on terror. A panel discussion titled, ‘USA’s War on Terror: Not a Battle Between Christianity and Islam,’ was held and by all accounts it was a productive exercise.

“We know there have been accusations of religious bias on the campus, and if that is true, it needs to be rooted out. What can never be tolerated is to slam one religion while purportedly addressing religious intolerance expressed toward another religion.

“Because clips of the offensive film were cancelled, I consider this matter closed. And in fairness, I will write to all those public officials I wrote to yesterday asking them to ignore my request for an investigation of this matter. It is no longer necessary.”

Kiera McCaffrey is the director of communications for the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.