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Denver Catholic Register

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Catholic Pastoral Center

July 10, 2002

 

Letters

• Support priests

  We watched with dismay and utter disgust as the Catholic bishops in Dallas tripped over one another trying to placate the liberal anti-Catholic press. It reminds us of the chilling words we hear on Good Friday, "Crucify him, crucify him." What about the thousands of good, holy priests in the United States? Is there no one to speak up for them? When is the national conference of bishops going to do positive things for our priests?

  We Catholics — cardinals, archbishops, bishops and lay people — have an obligation to come to the aid of our parish priests. Catholic priests have been backed into a corner and accused as one. We have men who have dedicated their lives to serving us who are so demoralized that they will not even wear their roman collars in public; they fear that they no longer have the backing and support of us Catholics.

  When we have no priests in our parishes and cannot attend Mass or receive the sacraments, do not ask "Why?" Look in the mirror. Ask, "What have I done to help?" As Catholics the most important people in our religion are local priests. It is now way past time for us to stop criticism of our priests and come to their aid with every kind of prayer and support. The need in our Church is great and the time is short.

  George Johnson

  Lakewood

• Welfare reform works

Welfare reform is overwhelmingly successful. Counties are able to utilize TANF funds either to divert applicants from welfare by paying for rent, clothing, transportation, and other needs or to assist welfare recipients with supportive services both during and post-welfare. Catholic Charities and Jim Mauck (June 26 Register) seem to prefer that a mother with two children receive a Colorado welfare grant of $356 a month indefinitely instead of getting a job, then a better job, and finally a career.

Welfare reform is designed to get people the initial experience they need, not to get them out of poverty, which has a much higher dollar threshold. Moreover Catholic Charities does not calculate the added dollar benefits of subsidized child care, supportive services, and Medicaid in their "earnings" calculations, nor do they calculate the child support which is only released to the parent upon leaving welfare.

And working 40 hours a week is too harsh? Maybe we should ask the majority of Americans if they agree. Let's give welfare families the support they deserve and not trap them in the endless poverty of a meager welfare grant, which was done prior to welfare reform.

Allen Murphy, S.F.O.

(Secular Franciscan Order member)

Wheat Ridge

• Help Franciscans repair the Church

  Archbishop Chaput's article (June 26 Register) about Christ's words to St. Francis "Repair my Church" are being answered today. Consider those who are working on the repair — many good Franciscans including our own archbishop.

  Then there's EWTN, faithful orthodox Catholic TV station begun by Franciscan Mother Angelica (she is a Poor Clare Nun of Perpetual Adoration, a second-order Franciscan congregation). Through the work of her audiovisual media, the Gospel is carried to the ends of the earth.

  Father Benedict Groeschel is actively educating and bringing converts into the faith with the help of his Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

  Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word is a new order of young priests and brothers who preach and teach the good news of God's saving presence in the world.

  Francis is indeed working to repair the Church today. It's now up to the rest of us to respond in a spirit of humble obedience to the teachings of Christ's Church.

  Rita Kelley

  Loveland

• Dobson's advice is nonsense

  I appreciate your reprinting the James Dobson interview (June 26 Register) that originally appeared in the Denver Post. I missed it when it appeared in that paper.

  I can agree with Dobson that homosexuality is probably not genetic, that early parent-child relationships are critical and that homosexuality is not chosen, but the tone of his remarks saying watch-out for boys who like to dress in girls clothing or for those boys who walk and talk like girls, is insulting. That if you see your son engaging in these behaviors just take him bowling or fishing or play catch with him, that will straighten him out. What nonsense. I am gay and my dad did play catch with me. He was a stereotypical "man's man." Three of his sons are straight, one is not.

  Many of my gay friends enjoy all sorts of sports. They are some of the biggest Bronco fans that I know. The point is there is no proven relationship between homosexuality and behavior that is considered masculine. There are feminine straight men, and there are masculine gay men.

  One does not choose to be gay any more than one chooses to be straight. If one is inclined to be heterosexual he can play with all the dolls he wants to, he will grow up straight. On the other hand, I played all sorts of sports when I was a kid — none very well I might add — but I recognize that my homosexuality is an inherent part of me.

  Bob Rosenberg

  Denver

 

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