The following letters to the editor appear in the edition of May 6, 2004. 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.

One or the Other?

I was disappointed to see that you chose to publish the letter by Brian Schafer (ACH 4/22/04). It was solely political in nature and had nothing to do with religion or the Church. He seems to have forgotten how the Republicans were out to get Clinton from the time he took office, regardless of the effect on the country.

I am a Democrat, as well as a Catholic, and it looks more and more like some think it should be one or the other. I am pro-life and do not believe in abortion. I am also against the death penalty and the loss of life, both American and Iraqi, brought about by an unjust war.

James E. Halpin
Alexandria

Priority Basis

The writer in the letter "Eucharistic Leverage" (ACH 4/29/04, pg. 4) appears to equate certain moral equivalents regarding politicians being able to receive the Eucharist or being refused same (e.g. Kerry et. al. and Archbishop Burke of St. Louis). The writer equates capital punishment, social justice teachings, just war considerations in Iraq and the like Catholic areas of concern with the extermination of over 40 million unborn babies in this country (since 1973). Abortion has to be addressed first when compared to other areas on a priority basis due to the lopsided effect on humanity. The number of so-called Catholics in Congress that are pro-abortion is a scandal. These people should, at a minimum, be refused the Eucharist in view of their visibility and influence in the media.

Richard Kirk
Gainesville

Political Risk

The silence of Church leadership (bishops and cardinals) regarding prominent people who publicly profess to be devout Catholics in good standing and personally pro-life but unwilling to impose their views on others in the public forum, is a modern-day Church scandal.

Support of life is not just a Catholic regulation like observing days of fast and abstinence or holy days of obligation. Abortion violates the Natural Law and God’s law and it is intrinsically immoral. The Church must stand firm on this issue. Sadly the current politically correct position, even among many Catholics, is to not impose personal moral views on others and it is often taken by politicians to garner votes in an election.

Would anyone today say, "I am personally opposed to slavery and Nazi death camps, but I am unwilling to impose my personal moral views on others?" Of course not, because today there is no risk in opposing slavery or death camps. However, there is political risk in standing for the protection of the unborn. I am heartened to see people of courage like Archbishop Burke who are willing to call to task those who publicly claim to be good Catholics yet actively support abortion. Archbishop Burke is truly a voice crying in the wilderness.

It is my hope and prayer that all of the U.S. bishops will stand with Archbishop Burke.

Daniel P. McKim
Springfield

Ill-Disguised Diatribe

I am appalled at the tone and length of the HERALD's coverage of the just execution of a cold-blooded murderer, "The Last 48 Hours on Death Row" (ACH 4/22/04, pg. 1). This was a story designed to evoke pity for the killer and contempt for those officers of the law involved in his well-deserved execution ("hungry lions ready to devour their prey"). The innocent victim, 39-year-old Rick Burnett, is hardly mentioned. Yet, the HERALD somehow saw fit to devote 63 inches -- almost half of page one and an entire inside page — to this ill-disguised diatribe against capital punishment.

To offer the tiniest bit of balance, it's important that your readers understand the absolutely vicious, unprovoked nature of the killing. Burnett was working nights as a clerk at a gas station/convenience story to earn money for his family. The killer robbed the store at 3:30 a.m. and shot Burnett in the chest with absolutely no provocation. At the trial, the lead prosecutor called it a "cold-blooded random act of violence for absolutely no reason whatsoever."

The mercy shown to the killer by the Catholic nun described in the story is commendable. But the piece virtually ignored the victim and his family. This huge imbalance does a disservice to the tens of thousands of Catholics in the diocese who support capital punishment when appropriate.

James A. Noone
Fairfax

Editor’s Note: Pope John Paul II has said in recent years that moral justification for capital punishment is virtually non-existent in the modern age. The U.S. bishops have stated: "In the condition of contemporary American society, the legitimate purposes of punishment do not justify the imposition of the death penalty."

The Real Danger

It is important to correct the misinformation contained in Lawrence Caines' letter "Eucharistic Leverage" (ACH 4/29/04). He takes Archbishop Raymond Burke to task for suggesting that Catholic legislators who openly defy Catholic teaching by voting for and promoting abortion on demand should not receive the Eucharist. Caines uses the well-worn and incorrect argument that the same standard should apply to issues such as support for capital punishment, the war in Iraq and even social justice teachings.

If Caines would read the Catechism of the Catholic Church (sections 2266-2275), he would know that capital punishment is not against Catholic teaching, but abortion is. He also should be aware that the opinion of the pope concerning the war in Iraq is not Catholic teaching (and one would hope that the alternative action that the U.S. could have taken — allowing Saddam Hussein to continue to murder innocent Iraqis — is not condoned by the pope).

There are also many ways that Catholic social justice teachings can be upheld, not just through the socialistic government programs preferred by certain politicians (who often are motivated more by political power than altruism).

The argument that Caines and others use to try to claim moral equivalence between the Church's clear teachings on abortion, and other issues favored by liberal politicians, is itself an extreme act of partisanship to use Caines' own words. When the Catholic Church excludes from the Eucharist those who promote the taking of innocent life, it is not dangerous. Instead, the real danger is the misuse of the true teachings of our Church to mislead others and absolve politicians who openly defy God's laws.

Edward Preston
Herndon

Copyright ©2004 Arlington Catholic Herald.  All rights reserved.