Death Culture

On Nov.14, 1996 we lost one of the greatest Catholic leaders in the United States.I am, of course, referring to Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, whom I believe is a saint.His life and death are truly an example for everyone.His strength and unshakable faith in Christ in the midst of his ordeal with terminal cancer are truly extraordinary examples for us all.

It is, perhaps, because of the cardinal's courage that I read with diligence the inspiring interview with Richard Thompson (“Taking on Dr. Kevorkian Proved Costly for Prosecuting Attorney; ‘I Enforce the Law,’” Jan.5).I hope that Thompson's story serves as a wake up call to all of your readers.It is truly alarming that someone like Kevorkian and his lawyer, Jeffrey Fieger, could have so much influence on our society. Thank God for leaders like Thompson, who is wise enough to never be misled by this death culture.

As St.Thomas More said: “A man may very well lose his head and yet come to no harm — yea, I say, unspeakable good and everlasting happiness.”

Valerie Terzi Manhattan, Kansas

Obvious Revelations

The headline and article “Poll Reveals Active Catholics Are ‘Highly Committed’”(Dec.29, 1996) was unbelievingly sophomoric.I can't believe anyone funded or spent time working on the “Catholic Pluralism Project” if this is new news to them.Could “inactive” Catholics be “highly committed”? Could “active” Catholics be “uncommitted”? Isn't someone who attends Mass, contributes to the parish and obeys our rules by definition “committed”?

I also question how someone identified as being on the “religious right” could be accused of ignoring the core doctrines of Catholicism.My understanding is that they are quite strict in these very beliefs. Davidson's sociology study sounds quite naive to me.

Fred Holt Englewood, Florida

Right, Left, Center?

The article “Poll Reveals Active Catholics Are ‘Highly Committed,'” (Dec.29, 1996), brought good news that more Catholics follow the teaching of the Church than other polls show.However, one statement of Professor James Davidson, the chief author of the project, causes me concern:

“The Left is Call to Action, the Right is Mother Angelica.By and large these are highly informed, highly motivated groups, representing extreme points of view.And statistically they represent a rather small percentage of all Catholics.Most Catholics tend to fall somewhere in the middle.”

First, the liberal element is so far left that the center appears to be the extreme right.This is a technique for social change introduced by the radical organization Students for a Democratic Society, which was active in the 1960s.The process works like this: Create a stir, make radical statements, upset people, etc.Then, calm them down by presenting a “compromise,” which in reality is still liberal and another step to the left of the original position.Then, repeat this process again and again until major changes occur so gradually that people do not realize what has actually happened.It is a method that has worked well in dismantling family and moral values.It is fast making inroads in the Church as well.

Second, the extreme right rejects the Holy Father and Magisterium as much as the extreme left.

Third, Mother Angelica is not extreme right.She may be slightly right-of-center, but she is not extreme. Her recent return to a more monastic style habit and the Latin Mass is in keeping with Vatican II (Perfectae Caritatis, 17; Sacrosanctum Concilium, 36).The content of the programs on her cable network, EWTN, are solidly in accord with the mainstream of our Catholic faith and theology.She is perhaps the single most effective communicator of the Catholic Church in the country today.Without EWTN, the Church would probably be in much worse shape than it is.Mother Angelica and EWTN are instructing and nourishing millions of Catholics in their faith.

Sister Mary Jeremiah OP Lufkin, Texas

Correction

In the Jan.12-18 issue, readers were advised of the availability of the full text of the First Things symposium entitled “The End of Democracy.” The text is available for $3 from First Things, 156 Fifth Ave., Suite 400, New York, NY 10010; (212) 627-1985.

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