Act of love
Re: Best, worst of times for abortion debate (Peter Stockland, Sept. 12):
Mr. Stockland’s observations are, as usual, insightful, thoughtful and poignant. I am however perplexed by his concluding paragraph. While I acknowledge that the Church discerns that vaccination is “a matter of individual conscience,” also note that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith dismisses the objections some individual Christians have regarding the morality of using some of the COVID-19 vaccines. More recently, Pope Francis has stated: “Being vaccinated with vaccines authorized by the competent authorities is an act of love. And contributing to ensure the majority of people are vaccinated is an act of love.”
The first official National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is Sept. 30, “an opportunity for each public servant to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools,” the government says.
I now know of two people who ended their lives through euthanasia. They died in August and September.
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.
Saving the planet is a pretty tall order, so it’s understandable that we can feel a little overwhelmed by the task. After all, what’s one person going to accomplish?
Have you heard of “The Warning” (aka “The Illumination of Consciences”)?
Then, miraculously, everything returned to normal. Or so it would seem.
At the beginning of the current pandemic, there was much discussion about the need for a new normal to emerge after the crisis. Yet increasingly, old divisions are being exacerbated and the dominance of the rich over the poor is being repeated in new ways. Instead of moving toward a more equitable global sharing of resources, wealthier nations cling to the sad tradition of “me first” in allocating vaccines to battle the coronavirus.
Fear and anger. These are some of the strong emotions many Canadians have experienced in preparing to vote in the Sept. 20 federal election.
Universal approach
Re: A discouraging message on Latin Mass (Charles Lewis, Aug. 1):
Reading Charles Lewis’ vitriolic article excoriating Pope Francis for his support of the regular rather than the extraordinary liturgical form of Mass was shocking because it displays a total disregard for the universality of the Church and our participation in the mystical Body of Christ.
The Catholic Register is not going to tell you who you should cast a vote for in this federal election. As a registered charity, we must remain non-partisan.