Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Now Catholics <em>Don't</em> Want ESB Lit Up For Mother Teresa
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 23, 2010
Modified Aug 24, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Aug 23, 2010
Modified Aug 24, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A few months ago the Catholic League got angry at the Empire State Building planners for not agreeing to light up blue and white to honor Mother Teresa's 100th birthday. City Councilman Peter Vallone proposed a bill to force the building to light up, Brooklyn Borough Hall and the Intrepid both agreed to light, and Christine Quinn called ESB owner Anthony Malkin a hypocrite. But now, some Catholics are saying Mother Teresa wouldn't want her birthday in lights anyway.
Groups including Catholics for Choice and the National Coalition of American Nuns sent Malkin a letter calling out Catholic League president Bill Donohue for creating a "controversy out of nothing." They write, "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...We urge you to stand firm and withstand whatever vitriol that comes your way from the Catholic League."
However, Donohue says that because they don't want the late nun's birthday celebrated by the lighting of a privately-owned building (and possibly because they don't pay many dues), they are not true Catholics. He told the Wall Street Journal, "They hate me, and, quite frankly, I don't give a s---. They're angry that we have muscle, and they have none...This is an issue which began with Mother Teresa—it now transcends her. What's at stake is this: We have a committed billionaire, secular humanist, Anthony Malkin, who has decided to, in effect, stick his middle finger into the face of Roman Catholics in the United States." Mother Teresa's birthday is this Thursday, and according to the ESB lighting schedule, the building will be the all white "ESB lighting."
Tagged
Catholic League
catholics
empire state building
lighting
mother teresa
Jaya Saxena
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Cuts to rural healthcare become key issue for upstate votes in race for NY governor
The fight over a consolidation plan for a hospital in Hudson captures a trend throughout the state.
By
Samuel King
Published Oct 25, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
The deal would compensate over 1,300 alleged victims and help the church avoid bankruptcy.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
The deal would compensate over 1,300 alleged victims and help the church avoid bankruptcy.
By
Arya Sundaram
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
By
Arya Sundaram
Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
Sean Carlson
NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .