Empire State Building Says No To Special Lights To Honor Mother Teresa

Officials at the Empire State Building have turned down a request to light the building in honor of Mother Teresa. And Bill Donohue of the Catholic League is ever so pissed.

New York City's Empire State Building said ''yes'' to Mariah Carey, dog shows, cancer charities -- and even the 60th anniversary of communist China. But the landmark skyscraper's owners have declined to illuminate it in honor of the late Mother Teresa. ''They're bigots! They have an animus against Catholics!'' Catholic League President Bill Donohue told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He said his advocacy group requested that the building glow on Aug. 26 for the centennial of the late Nobel Peace Prize winner's birth. The request was denied in an unsigned, faxed letter, Donohue said, ''and they never gave an explanation.'' He said Empire State Building officials were ''stonewalling'' not only the Catholic League, but also the media and members of New York's City Council. Now, another prominent New York Catholic is voicing her outrage. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told the AP that she spoke Tuesday with Empire State Building owner Anthony Malkin. Although the real estate mogul was ''very professional'' and said he ''would reflect on the points I made,'' she said, he didn't give her a satisfactory answer.

On the last weekend of this month the Empire State will be bathed in a lovely gay lavender glow, as shown above, to honor LGBT Pride.