Message:
BY rob1 The Supreme Skirmish Is On Pertinent to “The American Pontifex” by Scott McDermott (Commentary & Opinion, July 3-9): President Bush will soon pick a judicial nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Because of the U.S. Supreme Court, more than 44 million pre-born babies have been killed, approximately 3,000 a year through the grisly partial-birth-abortion procedure. Abortion groups want minors to be able to get an abortion without parental notification. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against displaying the Ten Commandments in Courthouses, which is censorship. Here's a quote from John Quincy Adams: “The Law given from Sinai [The Ten Commandments] was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code.” Then the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government can take any property under the guise of using it for a “public benefit.” This is what activist judges do; they simply ignore the Constitution to do whatever they please. Call the president and tell him that you want him to pick a judicial nominee like Justice Scalia or Justice Thomas, as he promised. Contact the president by phone at (202) 456-1111, e-mail him at president@whitehouse.gov or fax him at (202) 456-2461. BEVERLY MORAN Corinth, New York Helping or Enabling? Regarding “An Open Letter to Caroline Kennedy” (Commentary & Opinion, July 10-16). Although I agree with Father James Gilhooley's recognition of the late Gov. Robert Casey's courage in steadfastly opposing abortion within the overwhelmingly pro-abortion Democrat Party, I do not share his seeking of approbation of any sort from the Kennedy clan, whose most prominent surviving member is notoriously pro-abortion, and nominally “Catholic.” Furthermore, I take strenuous exception to the praise heaped upon Casey's traditional tax-and-spend liberalism. Father calls “outstanding” the governor's record of promoting usual leftist programs to “help” the poor, the elderly, teen mothers, etc, etc. My own view is that using the government as the primary agent of granting material assistance to people in unfortunate circumstances is a well-intended mistake — and, indeed, is antithetical to Christianity in practice. (See 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “… anyone who would not work should not eat.”) For the government thereby aids and abets often irresponsible behavior by subsidizing it, while at the same time punishing those taxpayers whose money is extorted from them. The money taken by government is no longer in the possession of the people who earned it, and is no longer available to them for the purpose of practicing the virtue of giving of their own free will to the less fortunate, or even to those who brought their own misfortune upon themselves by being irresponsible. The larger issue, beyond Father Gilhooley's immediate concerns, has to do with why so many Catholic Church leaders seem to equate Christianity with socialism. Why do so many well-intentioned priests, in particular, succumb to the siren song of socialism? Since when are socialist, government-funded “gimme” programs a legitimate surrogate for private acts of charity? Why is it right to forcibly take tax dollars from responsible people in order to subsidize dysfunctional behavior? By all means, Gov. Casey ought to be recommended as a “profile in courage,” as ought all people who are pro-life in our culture of death — yes, including “ignominious” conservative Republicans! But Casey's own muddle-headed use of government to foster supposedly just aid to the supposedly needy ought not to be so honored. Such socialist, statist views inevitably aid and abet a community that is at its heart rigidly secularist, and rabidly anti-Catholic. With regards for your otherwise fine publication, I remain your faithful reader. JOHN G. BOULET, M.D. Austin, Texas Terri's End The article about Terri Schiavo's autopsy, “Autopsy Leaves a Mystery: Terri's Heart” (June 26-July 2) has a neuropathologist discussing Terri's death by dehydration and stating that, “based on a clinical definition of ‘persistent vegetative state,’ Terri did not suffer.” I did not see anything in the article to dispute that. Father Frank Pavone has said, “It is inaccurate to describe her death as peaceful and gentle. I was with her for several hours the night before she died and again the next morning until 10 minutes before she died. She was in agony unlike anything I have ever seen.” DOROTHY STATHIS Victoria, Texas Editor's note: The article quoted David Gibbs, attorney for Terri's parents, who said the Schindlers were still grieving over the “barbaric” way her life was ended; he also said Terri's life had been “worth saving and the quality-of-life analysis that was used to end her life was wrong.” Also, the article's concluding paragraph quoted a statement from Father Pavone: “Terri did not die from an atrophied brain. She died from an atrophy of compassion on the part of her estranged husband and those who helped him to have her deliberately killed.” Amen to Exxon Thank you so very much for your ProLife Victory, “Exxon/Mobil Alone” (June 19-25). It would be unseemly for me to use this as an excuse for promoting the company in your pages, but I cannot help but voice an “Amen” — and add a word as to why. I joined Exxon right out of college. After 30 years, at the strong leading of the Lord, I elected to retire at age 51. At the time I signed the papers, I didn't know what I was going to do, but I had God's assurance that He'd neither leave me nor forsake me. And my wife Sheila was right behind me, though we didn't know from whence would come college expenses for four kids. A few days after signing the papers, Judie and Paul Brown of American Life League offered me a job at more than the difference between my former Exxon salary and my upcoming pension. Of course, I asked them to scale it back — I didn't retire to get rich on the pro-life movement! That was 1986 and the intervening years have been glorious. What's that have to do with Exxon? A number of things. First off, I found it to be a highly ethical, well-managed company. I can't say that I was ever put in a difficult ethical situation and I daresay that would be difficult for most people to say. Moreover, the management training and experience I received have served me well (and I hope also the pro-life organizations I've worked for). Upon reading your article, I asked why Exxon stockholders might be more pro-family, more supportive of a Judeo-Christian ethic in the public square. The answer has to be Exxon management, the way they've handled shareholder relations and communications over the years. It seemingly conveyed what they are and what they believe. I'll also note that I had a sales-management job where we were selling chemical additives to other oil companies. Thus I got to know these other oil companies pretty well and I found Exxon to be clearly the class of the industry. I thanked God for leading me there. It sure wasn't my doing — I'm not that smart! DICK REEDER Green Village, New Jersey Editor's note: The writer was the subject of a Register ProLife Profile earlier this year (“Pro-Life Pro,” Jan. 30-Feb. 5). Disposable Devotionals Joseph Hiebel of East Dubuque, Ill., wondered what to do with all the unasked-for religious articles many of us get in the mail (“Mailbox Dilemma,” Letters, June 19-25). One very constructive thing to do with them is to give them to your parish's director of religious formation, who can then use them as little prizes for the children in religion classes. Ditto for all the religious greeting cards we get: They are great craft items for class projects, etc. This is much more positive than throwing them into a trash basket or burying them. Thank you for such a great Catholic newspaper! JEANNETTE SCHLICHER Director, Adult Ministries St. Thomas Aquinas Church Rio Rancho, New Mexico In Persona Christi In your May 29-June 4 editorial, “Priests Are From Mars,” there is a heretical statement: “Priests are [Christ's] representatives.” Not you, too! To make the role of the priest so understated is shameful of you. Say it ain't so! The priest is Christ. In the same issue, I notice that Monica Migliorino Miller is mistranslating the meaning of the Latin phrase In persona Christi (“Why Are Only Men Priests?”) I'm convinced that one of the reasons Christ came when he did was because Rome with its very precise Latin was dominant. Latin says what it says. In persona Christi means “the person of Christ” in as emphatic a way as possible. KENNETH STUDINSKI Albany, Wisconsin Editor's note: Here's how the Catechism puts it: “Christians come together in one place for the Eucharistic assembly. At its head is Christ himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist. He is high priest of the New Covenant; it is he himself who presides invisibly over every Eucharistic celebration. It is in representing him (emphasis added) that the bishop or priest acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis) presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings, and says the Eucharistic Prayer” (No. 1348). http://www.ncregister.com/info/email-a-friend/letters_to_the_editor

Letters to the Editor

Your Email:

Your Name:

To:

Subject:

Message:
BY rob1 Rich in the Theological Virtues My first task from Mother Abbess is to thank you. We are the community of Poor Clare nuns mentioned in a recent article you ran about the nuns and the conclave (“Poor Clares ‘Conclave’ Prayed for Pope,” June 12-18). My second task is: Mother wondered if you might consider running a two-liner with a real photo of us? One of our communities advised it and so we thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. I have attached several photos to this from which you could choose if you decide to honor our request. If none of them suit you, there are more at our website, poorclarenuns.org. The “domain” name is a recent gift to us from a young man here. When Mother finally decided to take the plunge and try using e-mail — another friend pays for that — the box included a website. I begged permission to try making a website and, with some reluctance, Mother gave it to me. Great! Only I had no idea how to do it, what “html” meant, etc. It was a long road, learning by studying sites of monasteries I found on the Web. That was back in 1999. The newsletter itself is very new, just started last November. A good friend who has real savvy in such matters all but twisted my arm off in her effort to convince me that we should do this. During the past three years we have lost more than half of our income. Since the very beginning of the foundation, three elderly Dutch religious donated their pensions to us; one has died and the other two needed to be admitted into retirement homes for medical assistance. That left us for the greater part dependent on our American friends, and the newsletter was envisioned by our friend as a good way to maintain contact. I was not happy with that approach but went ahead, knowing it would be a wonderful, quiet way of reassuring people of the value of their faith and also forward the real reason the site exists: fostering vocations to the religious life. Through it we have been able to guide young women who contact us to monasteries in America, Germany and England, and our youngest found us through the site. Perhaps the newest inquirer, if she is truly called, will have to come here (No monasteries are to be found in New Zealand). Again, we thank you for your kindness. Living in a virtually pagan country, watching the circle of those who still believe grow ever smaller, it all makes such gestures as yours as moments of strength. Since the foundation we have grown from six to 11. We do not aspire to be large, just to be what is most essential: true daughters of the Church, true children of Our Father. God bless you. SISTER MARY ANTONETTE Eindhoven, Netherlands Stem-Cell Sanity President Bush would be completely justified in vetoing the so-called Stem-Cell Research Enhancement Act, which forces taxpayers to fund the unnecessary destruction of human embryos (“GOP House Okays Embryo Research,” June 12-18). The fact is that we have made scientific progress toward curing maladies from paralysis to leukemia, but without destroying human embryos. On Thanksgiving Day last year, American and British studies were published that showed umbilical cord blood — and the stem cells it includes — could save the lives of many adults with leukemia who cannot find bone marrow donors. Three young American women, Laura Dominguez, Susan Fajt and Melissa Holley, who suffered paralysis resulting from spinal cord injuries, have regained muscle control after serious spinal injuries, thanks to a procedure using adult stem cells taken from their own nasal tissue. You may not have heard about them, even though on July 14, 2004, Fajt and 19-year-old Dominguez testified before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space. They are among more than 20 patients successfully treated with their own adult stem cells by Dr. Carlos Lima, a neuropathologist at Egaz-Moniz Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. Dominguez and Fajt never though they would walk again after near-fatal automobile accidents that left them paralyzed with severe spinal-cord injuries. Dominguez was a quadriplegic at the age of 16, with a C6 vertebrae fracture, but treatment using her olfactory sinus stem cells helped her walk with braces. There are almost 80 therapies — actual treatments, not theory or research — using adult stem cells. There have been over 250 adult stem-cell clinical trials. There are zero treatments using embryonic stem cells and there have been zero clinical trials. The simple truth is that most progress in stem-cell research is being made using the adult, rather than the embryonic, variety. And the truth is that the secular press and the secular media are largely ignoring that fact, while portraying opponents of embryonic stem-cell research as heartless Bible-thumpers prolonging human suffering. DANIEL JOHN SOBIESKI Chicago Off-Centering Regarding “Centering Prayer Priest Dies Following Car Accident” (June 19-25): I was surprised that you printed the obituary of Trappist Father Basil Penington without an accompanying article or some mention of the controversial nature of the “spirituality” he preached and wrote so much about. Having been taught that “centering prayer” is not consistent with Catholic theology, I did some research. The Vatican authored two documents on the irreconcilability of centering prayer with Catholic teaching: “Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life,” issued by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council on Interreligious Dialogue, and “A Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects Of Christian Meditation,” issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on Oct. 15, 1989. Father Pennington's teaching has been controversial for years, and some mention should have been made of that, lest some readers come to believe his teaching is orthodox Catholicism. It is not. RICHARD L. JOHNSON Kirkland, Washington Three's a Party Regarding “Betrayal” (editorial, June 12-18): You raised some excellent questions about the pro-life “leanings” of the Republican Party and, frankly, I believe actions and/or lack thereof, speak louder than words. Unfortunately, there is an appearance of the Catholic Church, as well as Catholic organizations (such as the Knights of Columbus) being “in bed” with the Republican Party, which impacts on how some rank-and-file Catholics vote. Sen. Rick Santorum is a good example of one who is otherwise soundly pro-life, yet shows himself to be a Republican first, as when he supported Sen. Arlen Spector for another term — instead of the very qualified and pro-life competing Republican candidate. Truth be known, I agree with the idea that the two-party monopoly is the major problem upsetting our government system. I'm hoping that a third party will be formed, with a firm pro-life platform as its base. Ideally, this third party's charter members will be courageous, currently serving members of Congress, otherwise unhappy with their respective political party. At a minimum, this development would provide a real choice when it comes time to vote. K. DALE ANDERSON Randallstown, Maryland Principle or Power? I have been at a loss trying to understand why anyone who is really pro-life, and is willing to vote for candidates or deny votes for candidates based upon this issue above all others, would support the Republican Party (“Betrayal,” editorial, June 12-18). When Ronald Reagan was elected, it seemed that the tide had finally turned. But absolutely nothing happened. Even Reagan's appointments to the Supreme Court (not to mention “pro-life” President Bush 41's appointments), as the major media like to say, “grew into” their offices. Even the people that President G.W. Bush has nominated for the courts have not been pro-life; they would not overturn Roe v. Wade or Griswold. Sure, some of them would permit a few additional “restrictions” that might save a miniscule number of children, but the tide has turned. Abortion and “family planning” (i.e., contraception) is unconditionally accepted by the two major parties. If Catholics woke up and abandoned these two parties and put their efforts into a third party, perhaps the Constitution Party (formerly the U.S. Taxpayers Party) it would guarantee Democratic wins for a while, but real change could be in the wings. Besides, eight years of Bill Clinton proved that this would not mean much of a change of course toward death and ceding our national sovereignty to the United Nations. We could finally have a nation governed by men of principle instead of men desirous of ruling for the glory of power. DANIEL A. PECK Greenfield, Indiana Father Gonzalez Fan I just want to say that your article “Dynamo on the Divine” (Priest Profile, June 19-25) on Father Marcos Gonzalez is the truth. I hope others are inspired to imitate him. He was the assistant pastor in our St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church here in Camarillo, and was everything the article said, and more. He taught a two-year Catechism course and was able to cover it while adding important background information as well. He was excellent in the confessional, and he was always the epitome of a Catholic priest. The Church should be so blessed to have him and thousands more like him. St. Andrew's is fortunate to have Father Gonzalez. We miss him. ROBERT E. WARREN Camarillo, California Correction In Joanna Bogle's June 12-18 commentary “That Election in Britain,” the Latin phrase gaudium magnum (great joy) was incorrectly rendered “gaudium magnamum.” We regret the error. http://www.ncregister.com/info/email-a-friend/letters_to_the_editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Most Popular Now

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Blogs

Blogs

National Catholic Register

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters To The Editor

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Most Popular Now

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Blogs

Blogs

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Daily News

Blogs

Blogs

E-mail Signup

National Catholic Register