Author Description

Anti-catholicism Has A Long History In America. And As Philip Jenkins Argues In The New Anti-catholicism, This Virulent Strain Of Hatred--once Thought Dead--is Alive And Well In Our Nation, But Few People Seem To Notice, Or Care. A Statement That Is Seen As Racist, Misogynistic, Anti-semitic, Or Homophobic Can Haunt A Speaker For Years, Writes Jenkins, But It Is Still Possible To Make Hostile And Vituperative Public Statements About Roman Catholicism Without Fear Of Serious Repercussions. Jenkins Shines A Light On Anti-catholic Sentiment In American Society And Illuminates Its Causes, Looking Closely At Gay And Feminist Anti-catholicism, Anti-catholic Rhetoric And Imagery In The Media, And The Anti-catholicism Of The Academic World. For Newspapers And Newsmagazines, For Television News And In Movies, For Major Book Publishers, The Catholic Church Has Come To Provide A Grossly Stereotyped Public Villain. Catholic Opinions, Doctrines, And Individual Leaders Are Frequently The Butt Of Harsh Satire. Indeed, The Notion That The Church Is A Deadly Enemy Of Women--the Idea Of Catholic Misogyny--is Commonly Accepted In The News Media And In Popular Culture, Says Jenkins. And The Recent Pedophile Priest Scandal, He Shows, Has Revived Many Ancient Anti-catholic Stereotypes. It Was Said That With The Election Of John F. Kennedy, Anti-catholicism In America Was Dead. This Provocative New Book Corrects That Illusion, Drawing Attention To This Important Issue.