The Courant

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Hartford CT 06115

Re: “Stop Keeping Secrets”

Your editorial appropriate in a “Public “ setting fails to stress the “hurt” and “pain” of hundreds of abused in CT who have been abused and “raped” by trusted religious who should be in jail for their crimes.

The information released now needs to be examined to deal with the criminal issues which have occurred in several parishes in Connecticut.

Until the institutional church-Bishops, and organizational hierarchy- fully understand and accept as facts what has occurred and make amend for the crimes which have been permitted to go unpunished, the ‘trust of the laity” will be impossible to secure. When within the Family of Christ or any Family, such heinous activities are not dealt with but are denied as happening and assistance to those hurt not forthcoming, change and moving on is impossible.

The Catholic Church as any organization to continue must correct for the wrongs and crimes permitted within its priestly ranks. The activities permitted and now poorly dealt will give cause for the young to disavow the relevance of the Church.

I know 90% of the church hierarchy mean well; however lives have been ruined, marriages failed etc. that could have been saved if suitable timely corrective action had been taken.

It is time to avoid looking at the facts and deal with the facts “head on”. Just as one would in a loving caring family and as Christ would have us do, Listen to one’s heart and inner soul during prayerful moments and not one’s attorneys.

John Cullen

Re: the Nun's Story and other things

I read Maureen Dowd's column the day it came out and I'm delighted you provided a link to it here. I also read Sr.X's essay in Commonweal and wish you would have linked it also. I would encourage VOTF to take a firm stand for women in the church, making this as big an issue as the sex abuse cover-up because it is an equally atrocious affront to humanity. In my opinion the Church does not deserve the faithful women in their pews.

The current Church is shameless, having nearly succeeded in repudiating all of Vatican II. One has to wonder where the Spirit is and when or if we will get wise and enlightened leadership again. And they wonder why they are closing churches because they have no priests...? Good luck to them and to the newly accepted Anglicans who consider themselves better than women and gays. If Christ were here today I believe he would purge the temple of the Pharisees, starting in Rome!

Another sad indication of how far out of touch the church's leadership has become with the laity.
As a 70 year old product of sixteen years of Catholic education, and a Board member of a Catholic college run by nuns, I have been inspired by the intelligence and holiness I find among those nuns I have gotten to know. I wish I could say the same about many of the priests I've met in recent years; some are worthy of respect and friendship, while others expect to be deferred to just because they are ordained (last I knew, the laity had a co-equal role in the Church with the clergy).
The Vatican risks further eroding the limited number of vocations to the religious life if they are perceived to have a problem with the way American nuns are carrying out the mission of the Church. The Curia in Rome just doesn't seem to want to live on the same planet as the rest of the Church.

I can only hope that members of VOTF will recognize that the objective of this very broad brush visitation is to enforce obedience to 19th Century orthodoxy upon the womens' orders without regard to the actual consequences for the future of individual sisters and their ministries.

As such, it is an affront to the laity in the USA as much as to the orders and it would be well if VOTF were to respond with an appropriate defense of due process with a presumption in favor of freedom of choice for these and other orders.

The Vatican and backward minded bishops in the US seem intent in moving the American Church back into the catacombs under the streets of Rome.

If the pronouncement of the California bishops commending the nuns is evidence of solidarity against the intrusion from Rome I can't read it in their words - from which no push-back actions seem to follow. Neither is there even explicit acknowledgment that an authentic basis for contesting the objectives, form, and manner of the visitation is warranted. I find it too equivocal by far.

Bill Mullins

Hooray for Cardinal Mahoney!!! Just when I was wondering if we - VOTF that is - would ever make a difference in the structure of the church, here's proof, not to mention encouragement, to keep at it. After all, it was the turtle who won the race not the hare!

Perhaps this issue - checking out our women religious - is just what we needed to re-galvanize us to action but whether that's so or not, it's a great opportunity to get back on the front pages of the newspapers, remind all of us there's not only work to be done but that IT'S EFFECTIVE in a quiet way at changing old encrusted opinions/assumptions even in the heirachy. Some of these people think and pray!

THANKS ALL OF YOU!