Dear Editor, I read the article by Matthew Carlson, ‘Listen to what gay people have to say, WMOF speaker urges’ (IC 05/07/18), and the supporting letter by Louise Clarke (IC 12/07/2018). Gay people are described as being on the margins and must be shown mercy, compassion and welcome. They have felt distanced from the Church because of its teaching on homosexuality. They should be listened to. I think that this assessment is completely at odds with reality.
There is no evidence whatsoever that gay persons are treated unkindly by the Church.
The Catholic Church teaches that there is a beautiful complementarity between man and woman for the creation of family, the most important unit in society, for the nurturing of children and the continuation of the human race. Same sex unions are a denial of the true nature of marriage.
There is a great difference between loving our gay friends, which we do, and actually promoting their lifestyle. Love must be based on truth and involves sharing with all people the joy of leading chaste lives. How many heterosexual persons have lived chaste lives because they never married and believe that sex is for marriage?
Who heard about the organisation Courage which helps gay people to live their lives according to God’s law and do it with respect, compassion and sensitivity?
So, who is on the margins now, not only in our society but also in our Church? Absolutely and without doubt, Orthodox Catholics are on the margins: those who still respect God’s 10 Commandments and the teachings Christ gave to our Church.
The Catholics who have rejected the teachings of the Church are the ones who are not listening!
Yours etc.,
Dr Janina Lyons,
Blanchardstown,
Dublin 15.
It’s not about temptation but about engagement
Dear Editor, In reference to the article on Fr James Martin in your paper (IC 12/07/18), it cannot be argued that love is the core principle demanded of followers of Christ. We must love God with all our heart and might and from that we must love and cherish our neighbour as ourselves. Fr James Martin SJ says that LGBT persons have suffered and still suffer in society. He adds that they feel distanced from the Church because of certain teachings on homosexuality but he doesn’t clarify what those teachings are.
We are all weak human beings who are tempted to do wrong by God and by our neighbour. St Paul refers to his weakness as a thorn in his side. Some people’s struggle is with same sex attraction. When we suffer temptation, it doesn’t mean that we offend God but when we actively engage in what is forbidden by Him and by natural law then we do fail to follow our higher calling.
Is the inclusion of the theme of homosexuality at next month’s World Meeting of Families appropriate and will it not cause confusion among faithful Catholics? For the ordinary person, a family unit consists of a father and a mother and their children, when and if God blesses them with children.
Yours etc.,
Theresa Kerins,
Laytown, Co. Meath.
Sex is more than a commodity
Dear Editor, It was great to see that your paper extensively covered the topic of Humanae Vitae last week. It was a profound document and, indeed, prophetic for its time. It outlined many of the problems that would be augmented if Church teaching pertaining to sexuality was liberalised, and such predictions came true. Undoubtedly, many young people today view sex as a mere commodity, as is evident in our hook-up culture, where sex can be ‘transacted’ in the pursuit of pleasure.
Yours etc.,
James McCaughley,
Newry, Co. Down.
Theme of Humanae Vitae has broad support
Dear Editor, In the context of Humanae Vitae there are other notable voices concurring with its condemnation of artificial birth control.
Mahatma Gandhi trenchantly opposed the use of contraceptives, whether within or outside of marriage. “But I know from my own experience that, as long as I looked upon my wife carnally, we had no real understanding. Our love did not reach a high plane. There was affection, of course, between us. Affection there has been between us always but we came closer and closer the more we, or rather I, became restrained.”
He rightly forecast the destructive social consequences of the ‘condom culture’. “I know what havoc secret vice has played among school boys and school girls. The introduction of contraceptives under the name of science and the imprimatur of known leaders of society has intensified the complication and made the task of reformers who work for purity of social life well-nigh impossible.”
E.F. Schumacher of Small is Beautiful fame is recorded by his daughter, Barbara Wood, as saying, on the publication of the encyclical: “If the Pope had written anything else, I would have lost all faith in the papacy.”
Yours etc.,
Colm Ó Tórna,
Dublin 5.
Catholicism of David Quinn is not in doubt
Dear Editor, I have long been an admirer of Mary Stewart’s letters to the press; she is in particular an indefatigable defender of the cause of the sanctity of life. However, her recent remarks on David Quinn deserve correction (12/07/18).
When Mr Quinn wrote on June 28 that “a leading member of a parish can be openly pro-choice” he was not (contrary to Mary Stewart) giving his approval to individuals such as Josepha Madigan. In fact (as a careful reading of his piece will show) he was stating the opposite. He contrasted Josepha Madigan’s position as a prominent member of her parish – despite her dissent from clear Church teaching on abortion – with her party’s expulsion of pro-life members in 2013.
He concluded his article by drawing attention to the silence of most Church leaders on this matter as well as on other recent attacks on Catholicism. I don’t think that Mary Stewart has any need to doubt David Quinn’s Catholicism.
Yours etc.,
C.D.C. Armstrong,
Donegall Road, Belfast.
Quality in vocation is preferable
Dear Editor, Fr Rolheiser’s apologia in defence of the merits of consecrated celibacy (IC 12/07/18) is a timely piece that merits attention. There is no doubt that for anyone considering a religious vocation, making a commitment to lifelong celibacy is a really a daunting prospect and counter cultural. But Fr Rolheiser, while acknowledging the risks of a “repressed sexuality”, states that one can make a “healthy” commitment to both a life of celibacy and to faithfulness within a marriage.
It seems to me that the key to any healthy commitment is having a maturity and there must be a positive to the fact that while the numbers of men and women entering religious life is falling, there are more mature persons doing so. Bearing in mind past failures and scandals, quality is surely preferable to quantity.
Yours etc.,
Frank Browne,
Templeogue, Dublin 16.
Acknowledging the plain facts
Dear Editor, Your article entitled ‘Filtering out the Fumes’ (IC 19/7/18) was very informative and highlighted how susceptible young people are to smoking in Ireland. The author writes that “tobacco companies are known to target children and young people to create new waves of smoking addicts”, and that colourful packets are one way to entice them. How wonderful is it then that come September, plain packaging legislation will come into force and hopefully dissuade young buyers from purchasing cigarettes? It’s obvious that those already addicted will not be fazed by the new packets, but for young children who have never smoked before, this might, in some incremental way, help towards reducing them taking up the habit. I remember a time when smoking was promoted everywhere because of its ‘health benefits’ – it’s incredible how in a few generations, this mentality has been totally flipped.
Yours etc.,
Mary O’Dowd,
Glasnevin, Dublin 11.