Why Do People Hate the Catholic Church? by Dr. Donald DeMarco

By Dr. Donald DeMarco, Catholic Exchange, Jan. 9, 2024

Dr. Donald DeMarco is Professor Emeritus, St. Jerome’s University and Adjunct Professor at Holy Apostles College.  He is is the author of forty-two books and a former corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy of Life.

The Venerable Fulton J. Sheen lamented that “There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church; there are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church”.  This observation must have been most distressing for the renowned bishop, but it indicates that there is a lot of work to be done.  Sheen, therefore, was most energetic in his support of the missions.

The historian Arthur M. Schlesinger has characterized prejudice against Catholics as “the deepest bias in the history of the American people.”

In his book, The Nature of Prejudice,” Gordon Allport relates a revealing anecdote that occurred in Boston when a dignitary of the Catholic Church and his driver offered a lift to a young black lad who was trudging along the road.  Once in the car, the cleric asked the boy if he was Catholic.  Wide-eyed with alarm, the boy retorted, “No sir, it’s bad enough being colored without being one of those things”.  Ignorance can lead to unfortunate caricatures. ….