FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT

DULUTH - An upcoming play at the UMD has drawn criticisms from Catholics around the country.

"I said 'no this is a red flag'," Catholic League President Bill Donohue said.
Donohue says advertisements for the play "The Deputy" at UMD could be cited as hate speech, adding that he is disappointed in the school's choice to put it on.
"The Catholic Church is going to come out on the short end of the stick in this series," Donohue said.

The poster, that appears to feature a cardinal and a Nazi standing on top on a dead, Jewish body, invites the public to have tough discussions about the Holocaust as part of UMD's annual commemoration.

"It is controversial but that's the nature of academic discourse," Associate Professor Deborah Petersen-Perlman said.

Petersen–Perlman has been a part of the event for more than a decade.

She says a performance of The Deputy, that shows Pope Pius XII failing to take action against the Holocaust, is acceptable for a school.

"This is an issue of academic freedom; we're entitled to have these discussions," Petersen–Perlman said. "In fact, I think we're obligated to have these discussions."

The Catholic League's president says he respects the right for schools to put on whichever types of performances they want, but he hopes the discussion that takes place afterward is more honest and balanced.

"With freedom comes responsibilities," Donohue said. "So, you have a real dialogue as opposed to what could be a situation where the Catholic Church is set up as some kind of a piñata to throw their dogs at."

But the Diocese of Duluth said "defenses on the grounds of academic freedom are hollow and ironic the term is being used to privilege conventional thinking and popular prejudice while banishing opposing views."

Despite criticisms, UMD plans to hold the event as scheduled.

"Frankly, if there's speech that somebody doesn't like, the answer is not to squelch speech but to encourage more speech," Petersen-Perlman said.

For more information on UMD's Holocaust commemoration events beginning Thursday, or to see detailed responses from the Catholic community regarding the play, visit the "featured links" tab.