The following letters to the editor appear in the edition of Dec. 16, 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.

Honoring a ‘Wicked Agenda’

Like it or not, Jim Moran is a politician with the power to influence decisions about whether innocent children live or die. This is a fact. It is also a fact that his political actions have contributed to the death of over 40 million innocent children in the United States. He advocates killing innocents, yet calls himself a "Catholic." Not only is he a murderer, he is a liar.

Based on these facts, why would you allow him to use the HERALD as a means to political gain? Do you support child-killing? If not, why do you give Mr. Moran the opportunity to do so in the Catholic HERALD? These politicians cannot act alone, they need public support, and you have given him that.

It is unfortunate that these 40 million dismembered children cannot offer their opinion of Mr. Moran's politics for you to print. Then again, I suppose that since they are helpless, they are counting on Catholics like yourselves to do that for them. Perhaps you owe your readers (many of them survivors of America's holocaust) an apology and to Mr. Moran, a phone call. After all, you have done him no favor by honoring his wicked agenda.

Therese Bukowski
Vienna

Editor’s Note: Last week’s story was meant to recognize Dr. Patricia O’Connor, a member of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Arlington, and the work she does with a substance abuse rehabilitation center. It was not meant to glorify Congressman Moran’s voting record on abortion.

Stop Confusing Catholics

There may be a legitimate disagreement among some Catholics as to whether the automatic and public withholding of the Eucharist is a legitimate response to a politician's persistent support of abortion and abortion services. This caution was reflected, I think, in a statement that the bishop issued just before the last election.

It is another matter altogether when the Diocese of Arlington, within weeks of the issuance of that statement, goes out of its way to promote the interests of a politician whose votes over and over again advance the wretched cause of violence against the unborn, even supporting what Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan called "infanticide." The HERALD, in its Dec. 9 issue, went the extra mile for such a man when it gratuitously praised Rep. James Moran, D-Va.

By publishing his picture, by putting his name in the second paragraph of the article, by quoting him, the diocese was telling its Catholic readers that it is OK to support abortion on demand and to vote for partial-birth abortion.

Abortion is not just a Catholic issue, but a matter of human rights. This was noted in Archbishop Chaput’s column in the Denver Catholic Register on Sept. 22, which noted that the Lutheran theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer called abortion "murder."

" 'Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God bestowed on this nascent life, ' " Archbishop Chaput quoted Rev. Bonhoeffer as saying more than 60 years ago.

As a journalist, you well know there were ways to recognize Dr. Patricia O'Connor and her work without confusing Catholics in Arlington on where the Church stands by simultaneously and needlessly honoring Congressman Moran.

The contrast between the HERALD’s stance and the Denver Register's position

is striking and poses the question:

Who deserves our pity more, the unborn who have been brutally silenced or a politician like Moran?

Douglas L. Turner
Springfield

Misleading Photo

The article "No Nation Has Perfect Religious Freedom Record, Official Says" (ACH 12/9/04) contains an undated photo of Catholics attending Mass in a central province of China.

While the article acknowledges religious persecution in China, this photo is misleading to your readers because it seems to show that Catholics are able to attend Mass freely in China. In fact, this photo is almost certainly of a Mass sponsored by the government-run church known as the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA). Since the 1950s, the Chinese government has used every means possible to eradicate Roman Catholicism from its country — going so far as to create its own government-run church (i.e. the CCPA) that is not loyal to our Holy Father and the Magisterium of the Church.

Any public masses since the 1950s are surely the work of the CCPA since the Chinese government has been relentless in its persecution of those still faithful to the Roman Catholic Church. Those faithful to the Roman Catholic Church are unable to worship freely for fear of persecution and imprisonment.

Despite the government's efforts, there continues to be an "underground" Catholic Church in China that is faithful to Rome. Even today, there are countless priests, seminarians and other religious who are imprisoned because they would not renounce their Roman Catholic faith.

My family had the privilege to know Cardinal Kung of Shanghai who spent 32 years in prison before being released in 1987 at the age of 86. His only crime was being a Roman Catholic who steadfastly refused to renounce his faith. Many others have died in prison.

The Cardinal Kung Foundation Web site (www.cardinalkungfoundation.org) describes numerous current and historical cases of similar persecution.

Many people are unaware of the facts surrounding the Roman Catholic Church and the Chinese government. Rather than misleading them, the HERALD should educate its readers on what is happening. This education will most certainly benefit those struggling in China by encouraging added prayers of support by your readers. In turn, it can only benefit your readers by helping them to appreciate the great religious freedom we have here in the United States, a freedom that we tend to take for granted all too often.

Renee Cheng
Oakton

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