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A Flop in America
Father Amaro Meets Protest and Prayer |
The highly-offensive movie The Crime
of Father Amaro was supposedly a success in Mexico but
it seems to be falling flat in America. Everywhere it goes
it is meeting with protests, prayer and…cancellations.
The Crime of Father Amaro portrays
a priest who has relations with a 16 year-old girl under
a robe of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Among other objectionable
scenes is one where an alley cat gobbles a Communion wafer
spat on the floor by a churchgoer.
Here are the latest updates on TFP-sponsored
protests nationwide:
Trendy
Mall Cancels
Don’t Show Me in St. Louis
Local Catholics did not protest
at the Frontenac Shopping Center as planned on December
13. After an intense campaign of email protests and letters,
Landmark Theaters decided to cancel the showing at the trendy
and crowded mall.
The film was switched to the less
popular Tivoli Theater downtown. Local TFP supporters also
switched locations.
“We saw firsthand how protesting
is effective in generating plenty of negative publicity,”
Mr. Mark Serafino of New Haven, Mo. said, “but it also
says a big NO to offending God and His Holy Church.”
Over 35 protesters crowded the cold
and windy sidewalk for the event. They were honored with
the presence of Father Joseph Begue of St. Agatha parish.
The protesters gathered under a large banner which galvanized
those beneath it and made them stand tall and proud to be
Catholic. As one participant observed, "When the banner
was unveiled and we stood beneath it, I suddenly felt important."
The program included the full rosary
and Catholic hymns. Fox news carried the story interviewing
protesters and moviegoers. Mr. Serafino estimated only twenty-five
people may have attended the premier.
The protest was not without controversy,
Counter-protesters would shout something vulgar or irreverent
before scurrying off down the sidewalk. The most lively
activity came from a young, long haired, misguided college
boy who claimed to be a Catholic. When asked if, as a Catholic,
the thought of having the Host spit onto the ground and
devoured by a cat was offensive to him, he had no answer
but to shout and scream incoherently.
Several hippy type people walked
by and expressed agreement with the campaign. Protesters
handed out many fliers to young curious people at the scene.
The event ended with prayers and hymns and deep sense of
satisfaction that local Catholics had stood tall and proud
while defending the honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Holy
Mother Church.
In Sacramento
Downpour Redoubles Protestors
Spirit
by Michael Jordan
Rain and strong winds did not keep
almost 50 Catholics from joining the TFP protest of the
film, The Crime of Father Amaro at the landmark Tower
Theater in Sacramento, Calif. On December 15, local Catholics
were even joined by a few America Needs Fatima members who
drove from Los Angeles to defend the sacred honor of Our
Lady of Guadalupe.
Under pouring rain, protesters raised
the 18-foot TFP standard as a signal to start the event.
Young boys attending with their families stood in awe as
they watched the tall red and golden TFP standard flapping
in the strong wind and rain.
“Everyone naturally came under
the TFP standard and huddled around it as they prayed the
Rosary in the rain,” said Michael Jordan, local representative
of the TFP’s America Needs Fatima campaign.
Philip Calder, a founding TFP member,
traveled through a violent storm to lead the rally. “These
local protests are important parts of a nationwide crusade
against the movie The Crime of Father Amaro,”
he said, “I believe that is why we are seeing the movie
canceled in other cities.”
While most America Needs Fatima members
prayed the Rosary and sang hymns to Our Lady, others distributed
flyers and spoke with people leaving the nearby stores nearby.
Some passersby even joined the rally. One lady rolled down
her car window to take a leaflet. She said: “I still
know how to pray the Rosary in Latin. I didn’t know
the movie was here, but I’m glad that someone is doing
something about it.”
One man was leaving the theater as
a TFP volunteer handed him a leaflet against the movie.
The movie-goer said: “I went in to see that movie.”
The protester then asked: “Did you enjoy it?”
The man said nothing, put his head down in shame and walked
away.
Many people coming from the theater
were surprised to see all the banners and signs outside
the theater. Some came over to the protest and asked for
flyers, while others drove away honking their horns and
making ugly faces.
Protestors returned home tired,
happy and thoroughly soaked. Their spirits were never higher,
for they had stood up and defended the honor of Our Lady
of Guadalupe against blasphemy. This jubilant spirit was
well expressed in the words of an enthusiastic young boy
who told his father “I wish we could do this everyday.
I feel like we’ve been on a crusade.”
And indeed, he had.
No
Time, No Problem
ANF Members Turnaround Protest
in 24 Hours
No lukewarmness there!
America Needs Fatima rapid response anti-blasphemy team
in Bakersfield, Calif. needed only 24 hours to prepare a
full fledged protest against the blasphemous movie The
Crime of Father Amaro. The film premiered December 7
at the Pacific Theater at Valley Plaza, the city’s
largest mall.
America Needs Fatima volunteers only
found out the time and place of the showing the morning
before the event. They immediately went into fervent action
preparing a rally of reparation for the next night.
On Friday morning, the volunteers
divided into teams taking invitations to all the morning
and noon Masses. They also got on the phones and called
friends and family, urging them to come to the rally. Local
radio and television stations were also advised.
News spread fast. Many expressed
a great desire to come and even changed their schedule to
make the last minute protest. Manuel and Elizabeth Ortega,
for example, not only pledged to be at the rally, but they
also called all their friends to attend, many of which are
Hispanic and very devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
A parishioner of St. Philip’s
received an invitation at the morning Mass and emphatically
said “I’ll be there!” Not all Catholics,
however, were receptive. One lady, for example, from Our
Lady of Guadalupe parish, handed back the invitation with
disdain. “I think this needs to be known,” she
said.
Ramon and Pat Diaz brought their
entire family to the protest. Mrs. Diaz said: “This
is the most important thing going on in Bakersfield tonight.
I won’t miss it for anything.”
When all was aid and done, over 50
people turned up for the 7:00 p.m. protest. The event began
with Catholic slogans in English and Spanish. The Hispanics
present participated with their usual dash and gusto. The
Rosary was then recited in both languages with devotion
and heartfelt love. Between each mystery, participants shouted
“Viva Cristo Rey!” and “Viva la Virgen de
Guadalupe!” growing in intensity and volume with each
cry.
“We’re doing this for God
and the Blessed Mother,” said Patty Gaskin, the protest
coordinator. “We know He sees us and we want to please
His Holy Mother.”
Reactions varied from indifference
to great interest. Some teenage girls approached the demonstration
with great interest, they agreed the movie was evil and
joined the crowd and even knelt for the Rosary.
Towards the end of the event, security
guards asked the protestors to leave the mall and continue
the rally outside the mall. The protesters took advantage
of this request to make a long procession from the theater
to the sidewalks outside.
Once on the street, participants
sang hymns and the final prayers. Our Lady’s Pilgrim
Statue of Fatima was then processed back to the car.
Not happy with one protest, the following
Saturday another group of ANF members and volunteers went
back to the mall to continue their act of reparation.
Baltimore
Rally
A Phantom Protest
Local Catholics were all prepared
to protest the Sunday matinee showings of The Crime of
Father Amaro outside the James Theater in downtown Baltimore
the December 15. The only problem was there were no showings.
The 2:30 rally was cancelled when
five of the six showings were suddenly cancelled. Only a
late 9:30 p.m. showing remained.
The above protests were among many
coordinated by supporters of the American Society for the
Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) with its
America Needs Fatima campaign. Nearly 80,000 Catholics have
been asked to sign and send protest postcards to the film’s
American distributor.
Do you
want to organize a protest? Click
here to see where The Crime of Father Amaro
is now being shown.
Do you want help to organize your
own protest? Call (661) 336 - 0270 or send an email by clicking
here.
It is not too late to protest
 |
Click
here to print a protest postcard that you can
send to the American distributor. (You will need Adobe's
Acrobat Reader, a free download available by clicking
here. |
|
Click
here to send a letter to your local newspaper
asking them to report on this film in an objective and
fair way. |
