Acceptable bigotry

It continues to amaze that vile and express anti Catholic and anti Mormon prejudice is tolerated by the same people who dismiss any policy criticism of Obama as racist.

Without making any excuses for the Catholic Church's handling of the child molestation scandal(s), is there any excuse for this statement:

Dissent was much more intolerable to [the Pope] than child-rape.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/04/an-administrative-nightmare.html

Can you imagine any mainstream talking head using such exaggeration and hyperbole in discussing any other religious leader, and still getting to keep all his television guest spots?