Msgr Ellis's stand against McCarthy and his fanatical Catholic supporters saved me from some possible danger.  In an early school grade the Catholic kids on my block kept threatening me with violence because I said that McCarthy was wrong and a bad influence. I would not back down. I was never hit because the parents of my tormentors would have severely punished their kids (bullying was not tolerated). But after Ellis took his stand my pastor and all the priests spoke against the lies of McCarthy and the mob mentality of his supporters. That ended the situation because the parents listened to the priests. All along my parents thought McCarthy was a fascist. But keep in mind that Robert Kennedy was a fervent supporter of McCarthy before he learned to think more deeply about things.