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Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

LETTERS
NOVEMBER 2002

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CORRECTION

Page one of our September issue carried a picture of a priest whom we identified as Bishop Cummins of Oakland. Though taken from a videotape on which Bishop Cummins does appear (flanked by police), the priest pictured was not Bishop Cummins, but Father Richard Mangini. We apologize for the mistake.


BISHOP SHEEN A "SCREAMING QUEEN"?

So much of your "reporting" about the "homosexual crisis" in the church insists on reminding us of the high percentages of homosexual relationships between priests and teenage boys. Yet these articles consistently leave out an important adjective when referring to these cases. That adjective is "reported," as in "reported cases."

It's perfectly logical to assume that a seventeen-year-old girl is less likely to get sympathy, or even seek it, if she has an affair with a priest. In many countries such a relationship is not even illegal. Yet only God knows how much of this has gone on.

If we are to use pornography as a guide, there is a very large male population out there that fantasizes about "barely legal" females. I think we can safely assume that many of these dreamers are more interested in the youth of such teenage girls than they are in the legal boundary of eighteen. No doubt, many of these men are priests and bishops.

Therefore, I assume that your newspaper vigorously supports clerics who have such inclinations. Among other reasons, this is because I have read so much diatribe against those professionals who try to properly frame this recently hot issue as an ephebophile issue rather than a homosexual one. I also haven't read a peep about how these heterosexual ephebophiles should be barred from the seminaries or priesthood. Your paper also rings with an entirely false assumption that all homosexual priests are only interested in younger boys. Get real. If we are to use Christ's guidelines, only the materialistically greedy cannot enter the church. This was made very plain by several teachings of Christ. One of the most explicit ones can be found in Luke 14:33. I've read very little in your supposedly "Catholic" paper about this gravely important issue. I'm assuming this is because your paper is more "right-wing" than it is Catholic. Right-wingers are famous for their greed and concurrent dishonesty regarding it. They are also famous for bigotry, bigotry of the type that your paper shamelessly endorses against even chaste homosexuals.

Incidentally, did it ever occur to you that many saints and holy people had homosexual temptations? There's an old saying: "It takes one to know one." Most gay people I know believe our beloved and saintly Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was a "screaming queen," whether or not he ever acted out on any homosexual inclinations.

Tom Saltsman
received via e-mail

Editor's note: Mr. Saltsman criticizes us only for reporting what has been verified. Would he rather that we reported surmises? Certainly it is "logical" that clerics go after young girls -- in fact, if history is to be trusted, they certainly have been guilty of violating their vows in this fashion. Yet, according to the available evidence, the majority of clergy sex abuse cases have involved young, post-pubescent boys and this suggests homosexual ephebophilia. Mr. Saltsman may not like that, but that is what the available evidence suggests. It is possible that there are many more cases of sex abuse involving young girls, but the evidence to establish such a fact is not yet in. If it makes Mr. Saltsman feel better, we assert that all molesters, whether hetero- or homosexual, should be barred from the seminary. Yet, the current crisis seems of a more homosexual than heterosexual cast.

Mr. Saltsman's reading of the teachings of Jesus is exclusive, indeed. Certainly Our Lord condemned avarice (as did St. Paul, who called it the "root of all evil"); yet, when the rich young ruler asked Jesus, "what must I do to be saved," Our Lord did not simply reply, "obey the commandment, 'do not covet your neighbor's goods'"; rather, He said, "keep the commandments" -- which include prohibitions against lust as well as avarice. When Jesus spared the woman taken in adultery, He did not say, simply, "go in peace," but, "go and sin no more" (presumably referring to the mode in which she had been caught sinning.) St. Paul, too, taught that "neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor the evil-tongued, nor the greedy will possess the kingdom of God." As Catholics, we stand with Jesus and St. Paul. What else does Mr. Saltsman expect us to do?


WHEREFORE, WEIGAND?

When I read my September 8 parish bulletin, I was appalled at an announcement that the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was sponsoring an interfaith service in cooperation with Governor Davis on September 10, the eve of the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The announcement went on to say that the bishop would begin with a blessing, followed by others, and that Governor Davis would also speak.

It is amazing that the bishop hosted this so-called Catholic governor just five days after he signed major legislation making abortion permanent in California, regardless of whether or not the U.S. Supreme Court continues to uphold Roe v. Wade. He also signed three other pro-abortion bills the same day.

Yes, remembering the 9/11 tragedy, the loss of life and human suffering is important, but so is recognizing the hundreds of babies slaughtered each day through abortion, aided and abetted by Davis and the majority of California Catholic legislators, as well as by legislators from other Judeo-Christian denominations.

Priests for Life reports on their web site that the killings of babies through abortion in the United States totals over 41 million since the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision. Since the first century, the Catholic Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion.

Do you think the bishop will sponsor an interfaith prayer service at the cathedral with Governor Davis to pray for an end to the worst holocaust in recorded history -- the killing of unborn babies through government-sanctioned and supported abortion? Do you think that Governor Davis would even attend such a prayer service? Has Bishop Weigand ever talked to the governor about the Catholic Church's position on abortion?

I have seen no public statement by Bishop Weigand or any other California bishop about the governor's recent bill signing ceremony with "reproductive rights activists" in San Francisco on September 5. Perhaps I have missed something or perhaps nothing was said. These are truly sad times for more reasons than one! The unborn babies, the weakest of all in our society, beg us to stop this madness of destroying human life.

May God have mercy on us!

Matthew
Sacramento


WHAT EVERY CATHOLIC SHOULD READ

I just love your gutsy and accurate articles. You are a credit to the Church.

I've read Literary Converts, by Joseph Pearce, and now I'm reading most of the books mentioned in italics in the book. It is such a pleasure to read Chesterton, Belloc, Dawson, Benson, Lunn and all the wonderful English writers that we used to read in Catholic colleges in the 1950's, before Vatican II. Some of these writers, who had converted from Protestantism, were still alive to see the changes that occurred in Vatican II. The reaction of these intellectual apologists to most of the changes after 1965 were shock and despondency. They foresaw all the results of what's happening now. Every committed Catholic ought to read these writers. Start with Literary Converts as a source.

Thanks again to both Jim Holman and Christopher Zehnder and your group.

Henry Zeiter, M.D., FACS, ODCS
Stockton


A LETTER TO BISHOP WEIGAND

It might be possible to overlook the recent effrontery to our faith with the appearance of Governor Gray Davis at the cathedral for the September 11 ecumenical memorial service, but for your on-air statement of a total lack of responsibility for his appearance.

In response to questioning by the "Bishop's Hour" radio host, you gave full credit to the cathedral staff for planning the event and inviting the official participants.

Bishop, you are the authority at the cathedral. The staff act at your direction. This is only the most recent in a long line of questionable usage of the cathedral. If this staff is acting independently of your authority then you deserve a new staff.

Governor Davis is the foremost and highly visible advocate, in this state, for the abortion industry and for the homosexual community. Though claiming the Catholic faith, he has done everything within his official power to denigrate and demoralize our faith. Only days before the September 11 ceremony, he traveled to San Francisco to stand beside Planned Parenthood and the California Abortion Rights Lobby to sign several bills granting further powers to the abortion industry in this state. One of those bills requires Catholic hospitals to either provide abortion services or make referrals for those services. This is moral blackmail.

The Democrat Party candidate for controller has stated publicly that he will refuse to issue warrants for payment of services to any facility that denies reproductive services to women -- referring to abortion. Davis, the titular head of the Democrats, has issued no disavowal of that stance.

You are not ignorant of these happenings. The legislature, dominated by pro-abortion Protestant and Catholic Democrats, continues to vote for abortion, even for minors, knowing full well that the church will not stand in their way.

The pope is urging bishops to be bold and plain in preaching the faith. The use of the cathedral for interfaith services is merely a pretense to cater to the personal and political vanities of elected officials.

God grant you the grace to recognize the pain you are bringing to Our Lord and the scandal to the faithful by your public recognition of those who would kill the soul.

Camille Giglio
Concord

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