Letters: May 2019

Absentee Church

Thank you so much for Tom Roberts’ “The Rise of the Catholic Right” (March 2019). This article clearly defines the issues and helps place my position in the church. It is increasingly difficult to develop as a Catholic and a Christian when we see the right wing of the church dominate the conversation. When parts of the church are always condemning and never loving, it makes it difficult to articulate the positive, loving message of my church within society. At times, it is not that people have left the church; it is that the church has left the people.

David Pitt
Kilbarchan, Scotland

Hostile Billionaires

According to Vatican II, the Catholic Church is supposed to be the sacramental presence of Jesus Christ in our time and place. Jesus’ ministry was about love, healing, and forgiveness. While Pope Francis is leading the Catholic Church to become the loving, merciful presence of Jesus Christ, the hostile billionaires referenced in “The Rise of the Catholic Right” are [like the religious leaders of his day] Jesus labeled as hypocrites. It is sad that so many of the hierarchy are fellows with the billionaires.

Thomas Spring
Wailuku, Hawaii

Cleansing the Temple

Tom Roberts’ article “The Rise of the Catholic Right” was insightful and penetrating. The name Jesus is never mentioned in the seven-page article: I suspect that Roberts is right, the name Jesus does not fit nicely into the vocabulary or worldview of these billionaires. They have no room for a Jesus who serves others and have no interest in the legitimate Catholic goals of helping to make this world more like what God intended it should be. Rather, they want self-serving control, self-enriching legislation, and self-rewarding financial favors that are achieved by dominating others. It is tragic when a legitimate, compassionate religious system is dominated by such non-Christlike forces, especially when they do it under what they see as Catholic legitimacy. Perhaps we, who are the body of Jesus in our world, need to join together and have another cleansing of the temple!

Don Blosser
Goshen, Indiana

A Unity That Lacks Integrity

In Diana Butler Bass’ “Why I Don’t Fear Schisms” (March 2019), she writes: “Right now churches aren’t making decisions that will matter to the American future.” I disagree. I don’t think Donald Trump would have been elected without the indirect support of evangelical churches. It could be possible that this branch of the church is having the same kind of impact that the mainline churches had in the past; that impact is very real and troubling. I celebrate Bass’ call to courage, hospitality, justice, mercy, and faith. And I sadly agree that there are times when it is better to divide than to hang on to a unity that lacks integrity. Thanks for this important contribution to the big conversation we are having today.

Terry Cathcart
Ishpeming, Michigan