Greencastle man is one of 40 'hate groups' in Pa.
The Southern Poverty Law Center posts the name of a Greencastle man on its Hate Map.
Robert Sungenis is listed as one of the 14 “radical traditional Catholicism” hate groups in the U.S. According to the SPLC, the separate groups comprise “the largest single group of serious anti-Semites in America (and) subscribe to an ideology that is rejected by the Vatican and some 70 million mainstream American Catholics.” Adherents routinely pillory Jews as “the perpetual enemy of Christ.”
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As recently as 2009, Sungenis publicly denied that millions of Jews died at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust of World War II. Earlier he wrote that the Jews and Israel were conspiring for Satan to take over the world. Sungenis stated in 2014 that he would refrain from writing about Jewish issues and remove political content about Jews and Judaism.
“I am a professional Catholic apologist by trade,” Suingenis said in a statement to Public Opinion, “and the SPLC doesn’t like me because I stand up for traditional Catholic morals and doctrine. Why does the SPLC do this? In my case, it is because the SPLC is an atheistic and politically leftist organization that is opposed to any group that promotes traditional morals and values.”
The SPLC, based in Montgomery, Alabama, defines hates groups as having “beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.” The nonprofit compiled the list of 917 hate groups from writings, field sources and police, media and citizen reports.
Sungenis self-publishes his writings through his company, Catholic Apologetics International Publishing. His 1,100-page book “Galileo was Wrong: The Church was Right” argues that the earth is the center of the universe. He also contends that the 9/11 terrorist attack was an inside job. He is “an agnostic about the moon landings.”
His writings and speeches have roused debunkers and supporters across the internet.
Sungenis, a graduate of George Washington University and Westminster Theological Seminary, has a Ph.D. from Calamus International University, incorporated in the Republic of Vanuatu.
Sugenis declined to speak to a reporter on Thursday, and instead emailed a statement.
His statement said in part, “The SPLC has turned its crusade against racism into a cover for its deeper desire to marginalize and destroy any group that does not agree with its leftist agenda. In order to combat their perceived adversaries, the SPLC engages in little more than smear campaigns.”
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Mark Potok, a former spokesman for the SPLC, said in 2008 that the SPLC aims to embarrass hate groups to destroy them.
The SPLC made a name for itself in the 1970s by standing up for civil rights. It has come under fire recently from groups on the Christian right.
D. James Kennedy Ministries, formerly known as Truth in Action, filed a federal lawsuit in August against the SPLC. The religious ministry, based in Florida, claims that the SPLC labeled it an “Anti-LGBT” hate group with the intention of defaming it and crippling its fundraising.
Sungenis stated that “SPLC makes close to 100 million dollars a year in donations, spending 80 percent of its income on fundraising, and keeps 300 million in off-shore accounts.”
Public Opinion found that SPLC spends less than 20 percent of its income on fundraising, according to the organization’s tax filing for 2014-15, the most recent year available. SPLC had an income of $52.3 million. Any offshore funds could not be verified.
Jim Hook, 717-262-4759