Readers Speak Out: December 8, 2019

Sad reminder

Re: Nine priests identified in Archdiocese of Vancouver report on sexual abuse (Dec. 1):

The news is a sad reminder that the spate of media reports last year regarding the Pennsylvania grand jury’s scathing report on clerical abuse might well have been the tip of the iceberg of the sexual-abuse cases plaguing the Catholic Church. 

A report in 2014 by the UN had charged the Catholic Church for erring greatly in letting sex abusers get away with their crimes against children. However, by then significant steps had already been taken by Pope Francis, who ordered Vatican prosecutors and bishops to clean up their act by ensuring protection of children and holding abusers to account. 

The Catholic Church has stood the test of time for over 2,000 years because of the outstanding contributions of the great majority of Catholic priests, religious and many within the laity. It is time for the faithful to rally behind Christ’s Church and commit to play a key role to ensure that the lessons from past mistakes will now galvanize us to support lasting reforms.

Rudy Fernandes,

Mississauga, Ont.

Devaluing disabled

Re: Changes put disabled at risk, experts warn (Nov. 28):

The decision to rewrite Canada’s euthanasia law will further transform our country into an antithesis of God’s teaching. Dr. Catherine Ferrier is right to say the amended euthanasia law only encourages a “throwaway mentality” regarding the disabled. Most disturbing is the fact there has always been a disregard and devaluing of people deemed imperfect. There is a frightening parallel between this law and the actions of the Nazis, who eradicated mentally disabled German citizens they judged unfit to live. 

There is also a subtle temptation here: to disguise our intentions towards the individual as caring or loving when what we subconsciously seek is to free ourselves from the burden of caring for them. Worse, this law could intensify disability stigmas and foster self-loathing among the citizens it was supposedly created to help.   

Christopher Mansour,

Barrie, Ont.

Change system

Re: More co-operation needed to tackle poverty (Nov. 3):

The CCCB has found that the economic system perpetuates poverty and cites co-operation as the necessary ingredient to fight it. Surely, if the system perpetuates poverty then we must change it. Monetary reform that is consistent with the four pillars of the social doctrine of the Church exists. 

Catholics must clamour for an economy in which society issues credit to citizens to permit the flow of production for the purposes of consumption. Our productive system is not broken; it is the distribution of production that must be repaired. We do not need the crippling burden of the current system in which all money is born as a debt issued by private banks. Reform, not repair!

Helen Kay,

Belleville, Ont.

Teaching intact

Re: Words don’t alter Catholic teaching (Nov. 24):

As explained by this bright young woman, words inserted into the Toronto Catholic board on gender ideology do not change Catholic teaching.

Yes, it is tricky when the code of conduct presented by the government concerning gender ideology is in contradiction to Catholic teaching on gender.

Words do influence outcomes. The debates on euthanasia can attest to this. The word euthanasia was changed to Medical Assistance in Dying.  MAiD is more palpable to the public. I suppose, like the Toronto Catholic board submission to government’s demands for gender ideology code of conduct, it is also more palpable to the public.

Rose Galbraith,

Hamilton, Ont.