LETTERS

LETTERS
June 2004

---

WHAT MORE COULD BE SAID?

The "News Shorts" in your May 2004 issue mentions a letter to the editor that appeared Feb. 17, 2004 in the Valley Catholic, the newspaper for the diocese of San Jose. The letter commended "the courageous priests of the St. Paul, Minneapolis archdiocese for asking for a discussion of priestly celibacy by the U.S. bishops." In his letter, the writer pointed out that Jesus did not make the condition of celibacy a requirement for our first church leaders and that, indeed, it is believed that most of them were married.

The Faith noted that the Valley Catholic provided no editorial reply or rebuttal to this letter. I'm wondering how the Valley Catholic could have rebutted the writer's comment? The letter merely stated facts. Jesus did not make celibacy a condition for his apostles. St. Peter was married. It is believed that most of the other apostles were married too.

The Catholic Church has successfully had married priests before. St. Patrick's grandfather was a priest. St. Paul gave our church the ideal qualifications for ministry in his letters to Titus and Timothy. 1 Timothy 3:1-5 states that he is to be "the husband of one wife." St. Paul went on to reason that if a man cannot manage his own little household with dignity, how can he take care of the church of God?

I am grateful that in the diocese of San Jose letters from people in the pews are shared so openly through the Valley Catholic. Lack of communication often results in conflict. If a writer's view is not in alignment with scripture, then it would be an opportunity for dialogue and for teaching. However, this person's letter was 100 percent in alignment with Holy Scripture.

That said, I must compliment you on your excellent newspaper. I read it with gusto every month, although, sometimes your reports about the "New Age" influences that have penetrated our church make me sad. Thank you for keeping your readers up to date on these matters that concern us.

Ronna Devincenzi,
Palo Alto

Editor replies: Holy Scripture is not the sole norm for Catholic belief and practice; Apostolic Tradition is also authoritative. That the letter writer in the Valley Catholic said that Jesus did not demand celibacy of his disciples is not problematic; the writer's problem was his assertion that priestly celibacy is an "imposition" and "a violation of the basic human right to participate in God-ordained procreation." To assert that such a longstanding and venerable tradition as priestly celibacy is so grave a violation of human nature is to say that the Holy Spirit has not guided the Church in a discipline so central to her ministry in this world. In her disciplines, the Church cannot promote anything that is essentially erroneous in faith and morals. If the Church did so, she would betray her central mission -- to teach men truth and goodness -- and so she would cease to be the "pillar and foundation of the truth," as St. Paul calls her. In his encyclical, Testem Benevolentiæ Nostræ, Pope Leo XIII pointed out that Pope Pius VI in 1794 "condemned as injurious to the Church and the spirit of God who guides her the doctrine... 'that the discipline made and approved by the Church should be submitted to examination, as if the Church could frame a code of laws useless or heavier than human liberty can bear.'" One would hope the Valley Catholic, as the official newspaper of the bishop of San Jose, would be at pains to point this out to readers.

Further, the United States bishops do not have the authority to address a discipline, such as priestly celibacy, that falls under the authority of the Holy See. "The courageous priests of the Minneapolis Archdiocese," who asked the U.S. bishops to initiate a discussion on priestly celibacy, were, in reality, urging the bishops to take up a matter which does not belong to them and so subvert the hierarchical authority of the Church.

VAN DER PUTTEN IN HAWAII

Thank you for your articles on Father Benedict Van der Putten, which have been distributed widely. [See "Serious Misconduct," February 2004.] As you may know, he has set up residence in Hawaii, sponsored by some misguided Catholics, who, unfortunately, have large families, with girls. (I suspect he came here because Hawaii's version of Megan's Law is not as rigorous as on the mainland.) As president of Una Voce Hawaii, I invite anyone who may have been wronged by this man to please come forward and help us get him out of our state. This is a very perilous situation and we need any assistance we can get.

Austin T. Welsh, MD
received via e-mail

BEWARE OF VASSULA

On December 15, 1996, false seer and Jesus impersonator Vassula Ryden made an appearance here in San Francisco. At that time, Archbishop William Levada published in "Sunday to Sunday" the following announcement: "The Vatican has affirmed last year's warning to Catholics about information put forth by Vassula Ryden, an Orthodox Christian calling herself a 'Mystic from Switzerland'.... In May, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said again: Catholics should not consider Ms. Ryden's messages as divine revelations but as personal meditations. The meditations contain elements that are negative in the light of Church doctrine. The faithful are asked to preserve the purity of faith by not relying on presumed revelations but by following the Word of God and the directives of the Church's teaching authority.

"The 1995 statement about Ms. Ryden," Archbishop Levada continued, "said her writings contained several doctrinal errors including ambiguity and confusion about the Trinity. It also said Ms. Ryden was creating ecumenical confusion by receiving Catholic sacraments against the rules of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches."

Archbishop Levada's caution is still relevant, since Vassula Ryden appeared again in San Francisco on May 21. Those Catholics curious about Vassula can see for themselves the nature of her bizarre actions and "messages" by visiting her websites at www.vassula.org or www.tlig.us. Official Vatican documents and statements by bishops opposed to the Vassula phenomena can be found by searching for "Vassula" on www.google.com.

As Cardinal Ratzinger stated, Catholics should be "following the Word of God and the directives of the Church's teaching authority," instead of running after and being deceived and fleeced by phony seers.

Laurette Elsberry,
received via e-mail

GOD WANTED ME GAY

No wonder I stopped going to church. Moronic, idiotic, wishful, narrow-minded thinking as usual. I am gay because GOD wanted me to be gay. Deal with it.

William Roby
received via e-mail

I LEAVE EMPTY

I have given much thought to Stephen Frankini's piece, "It," from your October 2003 issue. As I live in the diocese of Monterey, I feel I can honestly agree with this piece. Too often it seems the '70s are just a thumb-snap away. Masses are seen as entertainment at a time when we truly need substance.

I realize many people may love the hand clapping, folksy fee, the almost-like-a-party sensation. However, after a Mass like the one described in the article, I leave unfulfilled, empty.

There is a lack of spiritual depth these days. The people around me don't get "it." Or perhaps I don't -- but I don't want "mariachi marimbas" or wishy-washy messages. Neither does my family or other Catholics I know. We would love to see a Mass with bells, smells, and sights of a truly Catholic celebration/sacrifice -- not a regression like some believe, but a full embrace of the traditions of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

Helen R. Russo

TOP