By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
October 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A series of 40 Host desecration videos originally pulled from YouTube after an outcry of protest from Catholics, then reposted the same day, have been “age-gated,” which means the videos are not available to the general public – age confirmation is required. Moreover, the viewer is now informed that the material may not be appropriate.
A press release from the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights said that president Bill Donohue spoke with an official from YouTube’s headquarters and was told the age-gating was a “preliminary step” in an ongoing review process. Donohue said that he hopes that Youtube will soon conclude that the videos violate Youtube policy and remove them entirely.
“The conversation I had was productive, and the official with whom I spoke was reasonable and professional. She fully understood the gravity of our concerns and admitted that many Catholics have contacted YouTube registering their outrage,” said Mr. Donohue.
“In the course of the conversation, I made it clear that we do not object to making fun of Catholics, or for that matter Catholic beliefs and practices, just so long as they are made in good taste. Nor do we object to those who might vigorously reject the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.
“What we object to are situations where it is obvious that the whole purpose of the communication is to deliberately insult Catholics. It is one thing for an avowed atheist to lecture Catholics about their beliefs, quite another for someone to throw the Eucharist down the toilet, put it in a blender, etc. The latter represents malice, having nothing to do with discourse.
“As part of the Catholic League response to this issue, we are posting a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW2IcSoi8pA) on YouTube that further explains our position. We appreciate the seriousness that YouTube has shown to our concerns and hope they conclude that these videos violate their guidelines.”
Contact YouTube with your concerns about the videos:
https://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/request.py?contact…
Phone: 650-253-0000
Fax: 650-253-0001
E-mail: [email protected]
Read previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Host Desecration Videos Back on YouTube
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/oct/08101004.html
After Receiving 18,201 Petitions, YouTube Pulls Host Desecration Videos
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/oct/08100204.html
YouTube Asked to Pull Anti-Catholic ‘Eucharistic Desecration’ Hate Videos
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08092905.html