Fox News
is reporting that the column was written by Larry Doyle, a novelist and former writer and producer for The Simpsons. Entitled, "The Jesus-Eating Cult of Rick Santorum," Doyle calls the Church "the tactical arm" of the fringe group North American Man-Boy Love Association and accuses the Pope of using people such as Santorum "to implement his leader's dicta on allowed uses of vaginas and anuses. . . ."
Doyle goes on to describe the Mass as a "barbaric ritual" in which "a black-robed cleric casts a spell over some bread and wine, transfiguring it into the actual living flesh and blood of their Christ. Followers then line up to eat the Jesus meat and drink his holy blood in a cannibalistic reverie not often seen outside Cinemax."
He claims to have been a former altar boy who "escaped" and warns that the last time a Roman Catholic was elected president - JFK - it ended tragically.
Even though the column brought immediate criticism, Doyle refused to apologize and says he doesn't care who was offended.
"My criticism took the form of a ridiculously over-the-top broadside against Roman Catholicism, a demonstration of the type of vicious religious ignorance and intolerance I too often see coming from too many so-called Christians, especially Santorum," he wrote.
"I hope (Catholics who are offended) will now think twice before they question the faith of progressive Christians, or Mormons or Muslims. I doubt they will."
In a letter to Huffington, conservative leaders such as Brent Bozell, president of Media Matters, and Tony Perkins, president of The Family Research Council, blasted "Bigots like Doyle who think they can hurl the most contemptible insults towards Catholics ('Jesus eaters') and when called out, claim it was just a joke. What cowardice. What a double standard."
They went on to call Doyle's outrageous screed "bigoted and unacceptable" and a perfect example of the "flame-throwing, name-calling, and simplistic attack dog rhetoric'" that Huffington pledged to avoid when she launched the Huffington Post in 2005.
"His column should be taken off your site, and you should issue an apology for ever publishing such trash," the group wrote.
"If such an article was written concerning the Islamic or Jewish faith, the public outcry would be overwhelming, and rightly so. But anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable form of bigotry, and The Huffington Post is taking advantage of that bigotry for all it's worth," they continue.
And no one is buying Doyle's excuse that it was just satire, the group writes, saying that "intelligent readers and the millions of faithful Catholics" who read the article "don't buy such equivocating nonsense for a minute."
They conclude their letter by warning Huffington that if she doesn't delete Doyle's piece and issue an apology, "your so-called news outlet cannot be seen as anything but an anti-Catholic talking piece."
In addition to Bozell and Perkins, the letter was also signed by Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage; Brian Burch, president of Catholic Vote; Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List; and Richard Viguerie chairman of ConservativeHQ.com.
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