Readers Speak Out: September 19, 2021

Enriching Gospel

Re: Church’s job remains sharing the good news (Fr. Raymond de Souza, Aug. 27):

Fr. Souza says that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was, and is, good news for the Indigenous peoples of Canada. I agree. With all the negative criticism the Church has received in the aftermath of the residential schools debacle that’s easy to forget. While the Church should apologize for sins committed against Indigenous peoples, it cannot apologize for proclaiming the Gospel.

Proclaiming the Gospel isn’t an option, it’s a command Jesus gave us when He said: “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations”(Matthew 28:19). It’s a duty for Catholics. Those who evangelized the Indigenous peoples obeyed this command and some, like St. Jean de Brebeuf, sacrificed their lives doing it. Truly the culture and traditions of the Indigenous peoples of Canada are enriched, not threatened, by the Gospel.

Claudio Ceolin,

Toronto

Real solution

The president of Afghanistan fled to a foreign country on Aug. 14, 2021.

The Taliban warriors took power. Fear of the continuation of the long war prevailed.

There is an option for a peaceful solution, without a war, a solution of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16, 15).

There is a problem. There are no apostles ready to preach the Gospel in Afghanistan. Let us pray to God for the new John the Baptist, to proclaim the Gospel in Afghanistan, to bring peace and prosperity.

Mile Pletikosa,

Scarborough, Ont.

Voluntary act

Re: Vaccine justice (Aug. 26):

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has stated that “... practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary. … Those who, however, for reasons of conscience, refuse vaccines produced with cell lines from aborted fetuses, must do their utmost to avoid, by other means and appropriate behaviour, becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent. In particular, they must avoid any risk to the health of those…who are most vulnerable.” The message is clear: vaccination must be voluntary. 
The editorial is one-sided and omits to say anything on the Church’s teaching about the conscience rights and religious freedom. Justice has nothing to with the number of vaccinated people. As Catholics, we should be uniting Canadians, not using the vaccine to justify possible discrimination and segregation.

Lou Iacobelli,

Toronto

Living God

Re: Can we prove that God exists? (Fr. Ron Rolheiser, Aug. 15-22):

God is a Living God who has manifested His presence through eucharistic miracles, incorruptible corpses of saints like that of St. Francis Xavier, visitations of Jesus to many including St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Faustina, not yet a hundred years ago. Mary has appeared in many places — Lourdes, France, Fatima, Portugal and for three years over a Coptic church in Zeitoun, Egypt.

Second, the biblical Book of Genesis recounts God’s evolution in creation from insubstantial light to the Earth from whence man originated. On the other hand, those who leave out God, theorize creationism from cosmic dust and gases with the understanding that somehow, perhaps stones bleed.

Dominick Lobo,

Thornhill, Ont.