Board Certified?

Regarding “Abuse Board Member is Abortion Activist” (Oct. 31-Nov. 6):

The background of persons to be nominated to serve in the U.S. Bishops' National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People should be evaluated more carefully.

That one of its current members, attorney Pamela Hayes, is an abortion activist is ludicrous. Somebody who brags about promoting a practice that leads to the killing of innocent unborn children certainly does not meet the qualifications to serve on this board. When questioned about her support for abortion, she answered: “So what? What are they going to do about it?” The answer to her arrogant comment is quite clear: She should be removed from the board at once!

Raoul Carubelli

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Editor's note: Shortly after the Register published the article cited above, Pamela Hayes resigned from the National Review Board.

When a Whim Becomes a Law

Regarding “Judge Casey: Pro-Life, ProLaw?” (Editorial, Sept. 5-11):

I agree with you that it's “only through the rule of law that we will end abortion.” It is precisely Roe v. Wade itself, however — more than any other judicial decision in our history — that shredded the rule of law in this nation. The servile obeisance of the executive and legislative branches to any utterance of any justice anywhere in the United States — an obeisance often given willingly — has transformed our former republic from a government of laws to a government of men.

Thus does the right of free political speech get perverted (literally) into the right to produce and market pornography. Thus do the courts command tax increases (the Kansas City school system being the most infamous example). Thus do California judges order (order!) that Catholic charities pay for contraception. Thus do judges order (order!) the Massachusetts Legislature to allow gay “marriage.” Justices throughout the United States, often appointed for life and impeachable only with enormous difficulty, have become a “law” unto themselves: each a Caesar, basing their rulings upon nothing but their whims. And those whims now encompass even so-called “international law,” as explicitly and publicly stated by several of our current Supreme Court justices. I consider this last development to be outright treason: a betrayal of our Constitution, a betrayal of our heritage, a betrayal of the wishes of the American people.

As for Roe itself: That the Court should have discovered in our founding documents the right to abortion as having been somehow “overlooked” and “there,” in the Constitution's penumbras, all along, is preposterous. (This is actually what Roe asserts!) The truth is that Roe never has been “law.” It was the end of law as God gave it, and as originally acknowledged and respected by our Declaration of Independence and Constitution as actually written.

Aside from courageous civil disobedience, we can all pray. We must re-dedicate ourselves to our faith and to our families every day. And then we must go forth and work to overturn the prevailing view that the courts have the final say in every aspect of our lives.

John Gerard Boulet, M.D.

Austin, Texas

Silence Spurs Suspicions

Archbishop Alexander Brunett from Seattle deserves congratulations and thanks for having had the wisdom to appoint a 10-member lay review board to evaluate the 13 allegations against that diocese (“Abuse Rooted in Poor Preparation for Life of Celibacy,” Nov. 7-13). It took courage for him to take this action and to openly report the board's findings.

Wisdom and courage must be his hallmarks. I found it telling that, as a young priest serving as an academic dean at a seminary in Michigan, Archbishop Brunett tried to warn his bishop about potentially problematic seminarians, but he was branded “counterproductive” and moved to parish work. It is pathetic that his good instincts were thwarted. Back then, many priests knew about sexual abuse by fellow clergy — and they kept it a secret to avoid looking bad.

I would like to know how our Church leaders developed the mentality of silencing men of wisdom and stubbornly defending the unfit. Is this mentality still prevalent today? My guess is that it is.

That article only addressed abuse of children by homosexual priests. But what about priests who are disobedient to God (and their bishops) by having sex with women? What about all the priests who have fathered children but are shielded from all responsibility by morally clueless bishops? Why do priests who know about fellow priests having sexual relations with women stay so quiet? Is it possible that, somewhere, there is a still small voice of God questioning all these injustices, but it is branded “counterproductive”?

Ronna Devincenzi

Palo Alto, California

Incorporating Indulgences

The best way of encouraging prayers for the poor souls in purgatory is by performing indulgences. Thus I was disappointed to see that your otherwise excellent article “Prayers to Purgatory” (Nov.14-20) failed to make more than a passing mention of indulgences.

The doctrine of indulgences is still critical to Church teaching. Indeed, the Holy Father made a point of granting a special set of indulgences for the recent Jubilee Year, just to highlight their importance. And doing indulgences is easy. The Calendar of Indulgences produced by Bridegroom Press (bridegroompress.com) lists every indulgence the Church offers us in a 128-page appointment calendar that can also double as a prayer journal.

The Church has honored 20 days during the year by attaching special plenary indulgences to those days. For those who want to live the liturgical year the way the Church intends, this calendar demonstrates how to follow the bright lights of indulgenced days and prayers toward a fuller life of holiness throughout the year.

Steve Kellmeyer

Peoria, Illinois

The writer is founder of Bridegroom Press.

Online Singles Resource

Regarding “Dating for Life” (Prolife Profile, Nov. 7-13):

It is a great blessing that you recognize this ministry to singles for the pro-life apostolate it is. I've had several people respond to the dating and courtship article asking for more resources.

Please let your readers know that there are lots of resources on the single life and on dating at our website, GodofDesire.com.

I ask you and all of your readers to pray for this purity apostolate.

Dave Sloan

Atlanta

The writer is director of the singles ministry “God of Desire: From Dating to Courtship to Paradise.”