Tradition

All those involved in selecting the design for the cathedral of the third millennium (“A Cathedral for the Third Millennium,” Dec. 8-14), which scuttles 2,000 years of Catholic tradition and doctrine, should be forced to watch the film Fiddler on the Roof until they can sing the song Tradition by heart. They apparently forgot Jesus Christ who said he would be with his Church all days until the consummation of the world (cf. Mt 28, 20).

Martin Maher

Imogene, Iowa

Mormon Agenda

Perhaps a better title for the Dec. 8-14 front page story on Mormons (“Conversions Aside, Catholics, Mormons Gel”) would have been: “Catholics Aside, Mormons Gel Conversions.” After a partial list of the many Mormon heresies is brushed aside as if they were insignificant “theological issues,” we are offered more than a dozen “similarities” that make Mormonism like Catholicism. This superficial sort of euphemistic ecumenism is precisely what the Pope rejects in his recent encyclical Ut Unum Sint. There, he warns against “accommodating truth” and affirms that a simple “being together” on a social level is not enough.

With this in mind, the challenge to Catholicism in Latin America (8,000 leave the Church every day) is a good indicator of the Mormons' true likenesses—and differences—with the Catholic Church. A case in point is the proposed Mormon Temple in Monterrey, Mexico. Like its projected counterpart in Bedford, Mass., both in size and cost ($30 million), it has been the target of heated opposition from numerous civic groups who collected over 15,000 signatures against its construction. Neighbors have disclosed procedural violations; claiming disregard for multiple zoning restrictions and transit problems in an already highly congested area. What irritates neighbors most is the Mormons'attempt to portray their critics opposition, in this overwhelmingly Catholic country, as “religious intolerance.”

No, we cannot simply put “conversions aside” and “gel” with a Church whose main mission in Mexico, all of Latin America and the world is only to coax conversions by any means.

While some in San Diego are exchanging cookies, others, less fortunate, are exchanging their Catholic faith in not-so-far-away lands. Please, let's not be so naive as to sit back and invoke simplistic “similarities.”

Father James Mulford

Monterrey, Mexico

Anglican Photo-op

I am disappointed by the oppressive contents in “Pope, Anglican Leader Call For Continued Dialogue” (Dec. 15-21), but I am grateful to the Register for calling this to our attention with two photos of Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey standing next to Pope John Paul II.

It never ceases to amaze me how often a major influence, such as a member of clergy, especially certain Church hierarchy, use a major photo opportunity with the Pope, only to annoy us with shallow opinions.

Evidently Archbishop Carey has not contemplated how absolutely necessary it is to maintain an all male priesthood long enough to come to any correct conclusions. Otherwise he may realize how absolutely foolish he appears to be when standing next to those who have.

Valerie Terzi

Manhattan, Kansas

Cardinal Bernardin

Columnist Clarence Page wrote in a Sept. 11 commentary: “You don't have to be Catholic to learn from Joe Bernardin. His optimism is infectious. As he dies, he teaches the rest of us how to live.” The day after his death, Ann Landers titled her column: “Joe taught us how to live—and how to die.”

On Aug. 30, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin announced that his cancer had spread, and that his illness was terminal. The cardinal stated “we can look at death in two ways, as an enemy or as a friend. As a person of faith, I see death as a friend.” In a letter that he dispatched to the United States Supreme Court, he asked the justices to reject arguments that the dying have a right to a physician-assisted suicide. He went on to say, “I will soon experience new life in a different way. Although I do not know what to expect in the afterlife, I do know that just as God has called me to serve him to the best of my ability on earth, he is now calling me home.” In many ways, Cardinal Bernardin died an enviable death. He was given the grace of three months to prepare for the end we all face, and to reconcile himself with God.

We should not let the death of Cardinal Bernardin go unnoticed. The way he handled his death should set an example and give the necessary courage to those contemplating assisted suicide. “Dying with dignity” is the catch-phrase coined by the proponents of euthanasia. Where is the dignity when some so-called doctor mounts a gas mask over your mouth, thereby triggering the end of your life. As God has given you life, isn't God the one that should be entitled to take it back? To disagree with this logic is like playing a wild hunch. To wager your eternal life on this hunch is indeed dealing in high stakes poker. If you are a gambling person, which way will you place your bet? The odds are heavily stacked in favor of Cardinal Bernardin.

Earl Hagen

Grand Blanc, Michigan