Letters

Religious Freedom FactsRe “Bridging Our Divisions” (Editorial, 4/27): It is indeed unfortunate, but not unpredictable, that “religious liberty has become a partisan issue.” The legal adage quoted by Justice Ginsburg in her dissent to the Hobby Lobby case, “Your right to

F.D.R.’s LegacyIn “The Taxman Cometh” (4/13), Joseph Dunn writes that President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “massive experiment with redistribution failed to work as planned.” On the contrary, F.D.R.’s experiment exceeded expectations. Beginning in 1933, nearly

A Royal PriesthoodThe editors suggest all good things in “A Space for Women” (3/30), and I especially concur with Gudrun Sailer that the solution is not merely replicating secular structures. The problem of women’s roles in the church is a problem of an inadequate theology of

Prisoners’ RightsRe “Peace and Toilet Paper” (Editorial, 3/23): When we incarcerate people, we deprive them not only of their freedom, but of rights that you and I take for granted. Many well-meaning citizens have told me that when someone commits a crime, they give up all their ri

Listening WellRe “On Dying Well,” by Jessica Keating, and “Ars Moriendi” (Editorial, 3/16): People are often surprised when I tell them that in my 17 years as a hospice chaplain, I have had relatively few people discuss assisted suicide. Granted, it is illegal here and theref

Vigilant JusticeRe “Listening in Ferguson,” by J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B. (3/9): The Ferguson incident began with the policeman verbally attacking Michael Brown and his companion, shouting at them with rough language. Would it not be better if law officers always chose courtesy over domi

Status UpdateReaders respond to the passing on Feb. 26 of Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., former president of the University of Notre Dame and one of the most influential Catholic priests in the history of the church in the United States.Father Ted shaped my alma mater and by so doing shaped my life. He

Health Care RhetoricRe “A Sense of Solidarity,” by Kevin P. Quinn, S.J. (3/2): I was very disturbed by the generalization and characterization of “most, if not all, conservative opposition” in the review of Health Care as a Social Good, by David M. Craig. The implication is t

To Cuba’s CreditRe “A ‘Francis Effect’ in Cuba” (Current Comment, 2/23): Having served as the pastor of two parishes in Santa Clara, Cuba, from 1994 to 1998, I think I ought to point out some errors in this commentary. The editors write that “conditions in the cou

Local ProcessRe: “The Annulment Dilemma,” by Msgr. Paul V. Garrity (2/16): Finally, a seasoned pastor who is able to put a human face on the trials, tribulations and trauma faced by faithful Catholics seeking an annulment in our overly complicated and overly legalistic process. While I a