‘Go, and Sin No More’
As a Roman Catholic priest and a reader of NEWSWEEK for at least the past 30 years, I think that your May 6 cover story may have been the best article I have ever read in your magazine (“Sex and the Church: A Case for Change,” Religion). I found the piece to be historically, theologically and scripturally accurate; balanced, informative and thought-provoking. I also thought it raised and addressed all of the right questions. Kirk Reynolds Morristown, N.J.
Your excellent cover story on sex and the church has very little discussion of the cover question, “What Would Jesus Do?” Based on the Biblical record, I’d say his primary interest would not be whether the church hierarchy contains the proper balance of homosexuals and heterosexuals, women and men. Jesus’ emphasis on individual accountability makes me think he would sternly insist that the abusive priests, and all who assisted their crimes through improper actions or inactions, admit the full scope of their sins, then beg forgiveness of God and of every person they have harmed. Only then would he be likely to say, “Go, and sin no more.” Rhoda Meier Charlestown, Ind.
As a Protestant woman married to a Catholic man, I have long marveled at some of the Catholic Church’s most basic teachings, especially the idea that the priesthood should be reserved for men. To me it seems obvious that an ever-growing church in dire need of clergy members should embrace an enormous and talented pool of potential applicants: women. Therefore, I was both baffled and offended by Kenneth Woodward’s argument against women’s joining the priesthood (“A Revolution? Not So Fast,” May 6). He worries that women might “aim for the job of bishop” and that female priests would threaten “the last bastion of male presence in the church” (the altar and the pulpit). If Catholic leaders truly want to stop the sexual abuse of children and its cover-up, they should certainly give serious consideration to opening their ranks to the most nurturing and protective among us–the women–who, I dare say, would be less likely to look the other way while a defenseless child or teenager was victimized by a man of the cloth. Laura Messer Austin, Texas
Kenneth Woodward fears that ordaining women would “fatally feminize” the Catholic religion. This is ridiculous. What women can bring to the priesthood can only help the church, which, in my eyes, has been “fatally fraternalized”! Lucille daCosta Aberdeen, N.J.
Kudos to Kenneth Woodward for seeing the current scandal in the Catholic Church for what it is. Celibacy is not the problem, but the answer. Priests need to be steeped in prayer and holiness to remain celibate, but we can’t ignore the role that underlying sexual inclinations might play when evaluating candidates for the priesthood. The majority of the molestations being brought to light in the current scandal have been homosexual in nature. The church needs to seriously re-examine what constitutes a true vocation to the priesthood, and can no longer ignore a man’s sexuality in light of the current scandal. Peter W. Zimmer Montgomery, Ala.
As a former student in a Roman Catholic seminary, I find the revelations about so many U.S. priests appalling, but all too humanly understandable. When I was in the seminary in the 1960s, the biggest taboo was on “particular friendships.” The motto was “Semper tres, numquam duo” (“Always three, never two”). A measure of how effectively this message was drilled home is how clearly I recall it some 40 years later. The not-so-subtle message here is that any form of human intimacy is “dangerous” to one’s moral being. And the result, I believe, is priests so cut off from their own humanity and the humanity around them that some of them crack emotionally and act out in highly inappropriate (indeed, criminal) ways. As a friend of mine said, recalling the days we shared at the seminary: “If you had a personality to warp, this was the place for you.” James Stoecker Los Angeles, Calif.
Perhaps the most illuminating statements in your recent article “Sex and the Church: A Case for Change” were: “Churches are not really democracies” and “There is no correlation between democratized theological stands and numerical success.” But the rest of the article seemed to ignore these truths by citing poll numbers to defend its every theological suggestion. It is one thing to make sociological arguments that the Catholic Church needs to reconsider how it relates to the modern world, but it is quite another thing to suggest that the Bible does not mean what it says concerning active homosexuality because that stand is unpopular. Although I have the utmost respect for NEWSWEEK’s polling data, I’m not sure that God changes his mind as a result of it. Neither should the church on issues of theology. Matt Duncan Akron, Ohio
What a wonderful article Jon Meacham has written on “Christianity at the Crossroads”! As someone who has taught in a United Methodist theological seminary for 35 years, I watched a major Christian denomination face the huge change that was the acceptance of women into ministry, and come through better for it. I hope for the day when the Roman Catholic Church will find new, creative ways to move forward on the issues of gender, sexuality, marriage and the ministry of clergy and lay alike. I am delighted to see NEWSWEEK give such thoughtful, informed and balanced coverage to an issue of religion; I am also delighted to see the writer of your cover story clearly identify himself as “a believing, middle-of-the-road, churchgoing Episcopalian.” That greatly helped my understanding of his point of view as I read the article. Donald F. Chatfield Professor of Preaching Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Evanston, Ill.
Enemies and Friends
Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir once said that there will be peace in the Middle East only when the Arabs love their children more than they hate the Jews. Sadly, as long as the Palestinians continue to use schools as indoctrination factories for turning their own children into human bombs so that they can have the “honor” of killing themselves while murdering scores of innocent Israeli civilians, that day of peace will remain far away. Stephen A. Silver Concord, Calif.
The Saudis accuse us of being favorably biased toward Israel (“Charm Won’t Do It,” International, May 6). This is entirely appropriate. Israel shares our cultural values. It is a democracy, has a free press and allows freedom of religious worship. Saudi Arabia has a family-run government, press censorship and Islam as the only form of worship permitted. We need oil, and therefore must remain on friendly terms with the Saudis, but we should never believe they are our allies. If we should have to decide between the Saudis and the Israelis, we must support our friend of similar conscience, rather than our friend of convenience. Robert Bendesky North Wales, Pa.
Mean or Clean?
When George Will was writing his May 6 column on energy, “Being Green at Ben & Jerry’s” (the last word), he must have been trying its new almond, pecan and hazelnut ice cream, Totally Nuts. Why else would anyone believe that the answer to America’s energy woes is to be found in more coal and drilling for oil in one of America’s most pristine natural treasures, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Carl Pope, Executive Director Sierra Club San Francisco, Calif.
Hooray for George Will’s no-nonsense commentary on the stranglehold that “feel good” politics has on U.S. energy policies. How refreshing to read the view of a realist. The United States requires energy to keep our economy moving and to defend our interests. Enough with the debate over how to create a dream world where the short-haired field mouse lives in harmony with the farmer, and juicy tomatoes grow in the shadow of “clean power” plants. While politicians stand around debating how terrible it is to trample the next blade of grass, our demand for energy needs to be fed. What is worse, a few “spoiled” nature preserves or a constant dependence on our sworn enemies to meet our fuel needs? Tony Casello Boston, Mass.
To depict the arctic-oil-drilling controversy, George Will compares a dinner table to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a dime to the proposed drilling area. Let us now supplement his tabletop model with a few details. Place five or 10 crackers near the dime; these will symbolize new buildings and structures. Scatter a handful of corn chips. Each chip will represent a species whose food supply has been depleted or obliterated. Finally, overturn a can of chocolate syrup, allowing it to penetrate the tablecloth to ensure permanent damage. You may now leave the dining room. Someone else can clean up the mess. Mary Willems Lompoc, Calif.
Lisa Lives
Your May 6 Periscope item “Transition: Crazy, Sexy, Cool” says that Lisa (Left Eye) Lopes was “more alive than most of us will ever be.” Oh, please. Must we keep raising celebrities higher and higher on their pedestals? Do I need to burn down my boyfriend’s house, become an alcoholic and have my own “Behind the Music” on VH1 to be truly “alive”? What kind of message is that? I like TLC’s music and was stunned to hear of Lisa Lopes’s death, but she was a person like anyone else. Jamie Klasinski Overland Park, Kans.
