The following letters to the editor appear in the edition of July 31, 2003. Letters appearing in this space do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arlington Catholic Herald or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. The editor reserves the right to edit letters as necessary. There is no guarantee of publication. Send letters to: letters@catholicherald.com.

Truth, Not Political Correctness

There is an intolerance that cannot be eradicated without causing great harm to individuals and to society, and that is the intolerance of sin. Homosexuality, in its behavior and its unrepentant obsession with perversion, is a grave offense against Almighty God, who alone has total jurisdiction over us all and who overrules the Supreme Court. The "highest court" in the land is not the Supreme Court, but the fullness of the Law of God as found in the pages of His Holy Bible and in His One, Holy, Apostolic Roman Catholic Church. True law is based on God’s Revealed Truth, the natural law and the voice of conscience and reason found in each and every one of us. Shame on Justice Kennedy and his co-justices who have decided to cave in to evil forces that seek, like a rip tide, to cross the currents of truth and to draw all into its depths of lies. Shame on those justices who profess Catholicism and/or have been baptized Catholic and have chosen lies, political expediency and apostasy for truth and Holy Mother Church!

The Bible condemns homosexuality in several passages. Each of them speaks of homosexuality as a crime crying to the Heavens for punishment. In the words of the Bible, "the wages of sin are death." The Supreme Court would do well to remember the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. The punishment for cold-hearted, unrepentant sin is eternal death, and not even a court of civil law can overrule that. Only the repentant heart and God’s grace can absolve. A judge cannot offer what Christ offers though His Church. We are all sinners, and we are all weak; but we do each other a disservice if we ourselves fail to hang on to the rope offered to us from above and allow our brothers and sisters to fall from our grasp. That rope is Truth, that rope is Christ, that rope is all that stands between us and perdition. Let us climb together with Truth, Senator Santorum and Cardinal Arinze, and not with politically correct laws that serve political expediency and self-indulgence to the exclusion of true justice.

Tim Ehlinger
Front Royal

Changes in Northern Ireland

Ken Concannon's account of life in present-day Northern Ireland, while instructive on some points, suffers from the same backward-looking focus he applies to the Protestant community of Ulster.

I count myself a proud Irish American, and a "republican" to the extent that Ireland's 32 counties should, with the consent of all communities, eventually be under one sovereign government. The northern "statelet" that now exists is an anachronism that will eventually wither and fade.

But it is counterproductive to suggest that "nothing" has changed for Northern Ireland's Catholics in recent years, particularly since the Good Friday agreement. That agreement reflects, more so than that of any other man, the work of John Hume, longtime leader of the Social Democrat and Labor Party, the true voice of the majority of Ulster's Catholics. We in America have long lived under the illusion that Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein, and even the terrorist IRA, speak for our Catholic brethren. Meanwhile, Hume and his peaceful, civil-rights-oriented movement, labored in obscurity. This led to the shameful phenomenon of some Irish-American donations flowing to "republican" groups to support outright acts of murder and brutality against civilians, not to mention the abhorrent IRA culture of revenge and retaliation.

Remarkably, Concannon's article does not even mention the "modern" IRA or its role in perpetuating the tragic aspects of Ireland's history.

The outrages committed by some in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (not to mention the Protestant paramilitaries) make them no better than the terrorists of the IRA. But under Good Friday, the RUC is open to Catholics as never before and the type of job discrimination that historically barred Catholics from major employers such as Harland & Wolfe (builders of the Titanic) is receding.

True, times can be tough in the North, and in some neighborhoods, things have not changed much in a century. But to suggest that the winds of change that have blown through the Republic of Ireland in the past 30 years stop entirely at the border with the North is to ignore both meteorological, and political and social, reality.

Edward Grant
Oakhill

Harmful Ads

I hope other Herald readers are as outraged as I am after reading a story in this week's Washington Post (7/22/03) reporting that groups are running newspaper ads in the "heavily Catholic" states of Maine and Rhode Island — with plans to possibly extend the campaign to other states — trying to turn the judicial nomination of Alabama Attorney General William Pryor, a Catholic, into a case of "Catholics need not apply" for judicial positions. Nothing could be further from the truth. Serious questions about Pryor's fitness for office have been raised, especially given reports that Pryor may not have answered Congressional questions truthfully. The more troubling aspect is the not-so-veiled attempt to pander to the Catholic vote, a tactic in cynical use particularly by Republicans.

As a lobbyist, I can tell you that I have never seen any evidence of a "Catholics need not apply" mentality. Indeed, the three ranking Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are Catholics — as are many, many members of Congress from both parties. Differences of opinion in matters of public policy and conscience do not translate into anti-Catholic bias, or that against other religions. It is insulting to members of our faith that these groups think we will fall for such a straw man; further, it is divisive. One of the groups reported to be sponsoring the ads is the Ave Maria List. Shame on them.

Mary Rouleau
Arlington

Distasteful Photos

Many parents all over the world are trying to teach their children how to dress with modesty, individuality and style. I know that the Arlington Catholic Herald has long been a supporter of common decency. Please understand, however, that when you print pictures of women dressed scantily and poorly — such as the recent photo of the three young women attending a ceremony in Rome honoring St. Maria Goretti (noted especially for living the virtue of chastity), or photos supplied by the movie industry of women in revealing attire, you do nothing to reinforce the standards of dressing with dignity and respect for the human person. Indeed, the revealing backsides and spaghetti strap tank tops were not appropriate choices for an audience with the pope. It is so important that we help each other in an effort to elevate the tone in our society.

Additionally, I wonder if the HERALD could take a different approach to movie reviews? How about printing movie recommendations that are family friendly? The majority of the reviews reflect the high degree of garbage that the movie industry promotes. It would be refreshing to not have to read about them in detain in our Catholic paper.

Mary Anne Wahle
Arlington

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