Prayer Power

Relevant to “The Slippery Art of Abortion Polling” (Aug. 12):

It behooves us to begin now to seriously commit to praying each day that we can elect a pro-life, pro-family president in 2008. We also need to activate the prayers of our friends, relatives, parishioners for this great need for our country and its future.

Miracles are encouraged by prayer. Let us begin today.

Shirley Van Devere

Akron, Ohio

Fortunate Survivors

There is another reason why the 18-29-year-old pro-lifers are increasing: This group considers itself fortunate survivors of the abortion holocaust, unlike their millions of aborted peers, colleagues, friends, classmates, siblings, etc.

There is a gaping hole in our society that can never be filled. My oldest son is one of those survivors who came very close to being aborted. My husband and I thank God every day for our wonderful “mistake that we weren’t ready for and definitely could not afford.”

He’s a blessing from heaven.

Maureen Claypool

Lemoyne, Pennsylvania

Meeting the Challenge

I just want to thank Barb Ernster for her great article on the Knights of Divine Mercy, “Knights Unafraid to Fight” (Aug. 12). They are meeting a deep hunger for sound male spirituality and are changing lives. Thanks so much for your support in sharing the good work they do!

Judy Winter

Platteville, Wisconsin

Simple Faith

Regarding “IRS Catches Up With Early Campaign Season” (Aug. 12):

Is our tax-exempt status our 30 pieces of silver? Do we compromise the truth to be politically correct? What about the simple faith of a Mother Teresa or a Mother Angelica? Where would they be if money was their first priority? Where will we be counted, as the “lowly lifted up” or “the mighty cast down from our thrones?” The question to be considered is “What Would Jesus Do?”

Don Daudelin
Canaan, New Hampshire

Love of Homeland

Although I always read your columns, that entitled “Patriotism as a Sacramental” (Aug. 12) especially captured my attention, especially as to heaven as the ultimate homeland (patria) of the saints, with whom we wish to be as eternal co-citizens. Thank you!

As an avocational historian, I do wonder if love of homeland was the same for the ancients as it is for the best of Americans today. As to that subject, I specially refer you to R.A. Lafferty’s The Fall of Rome and its section on that subject. That book (The length of a short novel) is more than worth the time to read for other reasons, as it is the most human-centered story of that dreadful, but necessary, event and age that I have read.

James Pawlak

West Allis, Wisconsin

Teaching Moment Missed

I am rather surprised that the letter, “Mandatory Celibacy” (Aug. 5) from the Voice of the Faithful in response to the article on the organization’s call for a review of mandatory celibacy did not merit a response from your publication since it states as fact that “celibacy emerged as a discipline to respond to abuses of priestly power.” This statement is misleading.

Celibacy existed from the days of the early Church and is mentioned by Jesus himself. While married men could become priests, in the early Church they had to request permission from their wives, since once the husband was ordained, he and his wife would live together as brother and sister. The Eastern Churches broke from this tradition early on, though even today, if an unmarried man is ordained, he may no longer marry. This is only a sparse summation, but more information is available from various faithful Catholic sources.

As for the statement that “Mandatory celibacy appears to cause a culture of secrecy,” this is tendentious. The seeds of the sexual abuse crises were sown in the days of the rejection of Humanae Vitae and the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, when the Church began to rely more on psychology than its own disciplines and an anything goes mentality pervaded the Church.

All of this led to the day when bishops and superiors relied on lawyers and psychologists instead of dealing with the matter as a churchman should have — through spiritual discipline and mortification. I also think the laity was complicit through the abandonment of Church teachings on sexuality and in not expecting priests to act as fathers instead of just our friends. The fear of admonishing sinners has pervaded the Church to our great detriment.

I would expect a newspaper to allow readers to express their opinions, but also to take advantage of a teaching moment to correct inaccuracies.

Nicholas Picini

Kearny, New Jersey

Surprising Remarks

Regarding “Pope: End ‘Useless Slaughter’ of War (Aug. 5):

I was surprised to read the Pope’s remarks on war including “War never again” in the Register. While we all pray that there will never be another war, the evidence from history is that wars are necessary to stop the evil slaughter of people.

I love the Pope as a man of great faith and reason, but his statements seem to contradict the Catholic “just war” position. Killing in self defense is certainly permissible in Catholic morality. Had we stood up to Hitler much earlier, many lives would have been saved. Germany and Japan are our allies today after we forced them into unconditional surrender. Look at Palestine, where there have been 60 years of “peace agreements” and the carnage and the conflict continues for millions. Often, one has to win the peace like in the U.S. Civil War.

Is the Pope suggesting the American Revolution, wherein we are “endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights ... life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” should not have been fought? Is he suggesting we should be pacifists and let Iran nuke us? Hopefully not.

Following the law is a good objective, but as Catholics believe, there is evil in the world and people do bad things. We can sit back and let them continue or pursue justice, which at times requires military action.

William J. Downey

Manhasset, New York

Thorough Investigation

Regarding “Helping Accused Priests Is His Calling” (July 15): In our clinical experience in evaluating accusations against priests, a major problem is often the failure of pastors, review boards or personnel directors to evaluate thoroughly the background of the accusers, including the level of anger and possible emotional conflicts in them.

When this essential aspect of an investigation is done, the history often reveals accusers with serious anger problems, which they misdirect at priests or even sociopathic or hysterical personality traits or disorders, as was the case with the accuser of Cardinal Pell.

We recommend that a more thorough history be taken of accusers of priests before any action is taken against them.

Richard P. Fitzgibbons, M.D.
West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

Keep Your Eyes on Him

I would like to thank Amy Smith for sharing her article “Martha and Me” (Spirit & Life, July 22) issue. I was recently in another conversation (having many through the years) of Martha and Mary, in which Martha was criticized for cooking and not being at the feet of Jesus. I thank God for the revelation to me through your article: “Jesus set Martha straight spiritually, but he didn’t call her to drop what she was doing.”

So many people overlook (I admit I have) Luke 10:41: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things ...” and go straight to verse 42. That brings to mind Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Thank you, Amy, for encouraging us to always have our hearts and minds on Our Lord, no matter what we are doing.

Carie Fortney

Roanoke, Virginia

Raw Deal

Regarding “During Dark Hours in L.A., Catholics Move Forward” (Aug. 5):

L.A. Cardinal Roger Mahony got a raw deal in the recent sex-abuse lawsuits. Some of the accusations dated back to the 1940s. How exactly was the archdiocese supposed to defend itself against accusations made about long-dead priests while hysterical plaintiffs wept on the stand?

The jury would have been prepped by the media to believe that the Catholic Church was uniquely guilty.

But last April 13, ABC’s “20/20” reported how other organizations protect themselves from lawsuits. The Jehovah’s Witnesses excommunicate any whistle-blower who can’t back up her claim with two other JW eyewitnesses. And the Southern Baptist Convention has a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and so has no files for lawyers to sift through. And the Southern Baptist Convention, at 13 million, is only three times the size of the L.A. Archdiocese (4.4 million); all the other denominations are smaller, and harder to line up plaintiffs against.

So why doesn’t this, or the situation you reported on with the public schools, bother the self-appointed protectors of teenage “children”?

Don Schenk

Allentown, Pennsylvania