What would Mother Teresa, the iconic nun and peacemaker now being considered for sainthood, have wanted most for her 100th birthday?  Well, it’s likely not a press brawl, but that appears to be what she will be receiving thanks to Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League.

Donohue, furious that his request that the Empire State Building be lit in blue and white on August 26th in honor of the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birth, has been waging a 70-day-long campaign to try to force the building management to change its mind. 

But despite Donohue’s claims, not all Catholics are frothing at the mouth over the lack of lights.  Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, said in a press release:

“There is no controversy here.  Bill Donohue is simply manufacturing a cause for complaint.  We recognize the building management’s discretion in this decision, and hope that they will stand firm.   While Donohue carries on with his attempts to bully people when he doesn’t get his way, we look forward to the building’s management providing him a 102-story message that he can’t simply demand and receive anything he wants.”

O’Brien also pointed out that Mother Teresa herself would not have sanctioned a “celebration” of her birthday of this kind:

Despite his claims to want to honor her, Bill Donohue has been ignoring Mother Teresa’s legacy at every turn. Mother Teresa specifically opposed the use of her name for fundraising efforts or as part of any celebration. Mr. Donohue has used it for both. When she won the Nobel Prize, she only agreed to accept the award in person if the customary dinner were cancelled and the money given to charity. It was the only time that a celebratory dinner was not held. Not only is Donohue calling for a significant celebratory acknowledgement of Mother Teresa, he is also using this campaign to raise funds for his organization.  Bill Donohue is a disgrace.

Donohue’s organization has a budget of $20 million dollars and he draws a salary in excess of $400,000 per year.

A letter sent by the group, signed by numerous other Catholic organizations including Take Back Our Church, Call To Action, Dignity/New York and National Coalition of American Nuns, all of whom express support for the Empire State building managment’s decision, states:

As progressive Catholic organizations, we say, ‘enough.’ As those who know her work have attested, Mother Teresa rarely celebrated her birthday herself, and would, we are sure, be appalled to hear that this anniversary of her birth had been used to create such a storm. There are many ways to mark the life of Mother Teresa, and true to form Mr. Donohue has chosen the wrong one. We urge you to stand firm and withstand whatever vitriol that comes your way from the Catholic League.

For those who believe that a proper birthday tribute must involve brightly-colored displays,  “Peace Bridge,” which crosses over the Niagara River, will be doing the honors instead.  But you won’t see Donohue there.  He’s already stated he will be at the Empire State Building anyway, holding a demonstration protesting the building.