Letters

Hammering Out the Issues In contrast to the sledgehammer approach used by many priests and bishops, the Rev. J. Brian Bransfield (“Conscientious Election,” 10/13) offered a thoughtful and nuanced argument. However, his list of significant moral dilemmas is telling. He writes that “

Historical Precedents In his guest editorial, “Racism and the Election” (10/27), Bishop Blase Cupich was correct to remind us of Archbishop Joseph Rummel, the courageous archbishop of New Orleans who in 1962 publicly excommunicated three Catholics, including a politician, for supporting

Identity Theft Re “Identity Crisis,” by Melanie Morey and John Piderit, S.J. (10/13): “Identity theft” is more like it. What really counts at a Catholic university is who teaches and what they teach. With the attenuation of theology and philosophy requirements at Catholic uni

Au Contraire Thanks to William Thompson-Uberuaga for his insightful look at the very important priest John-Jacques Olier in “Christians Who Can Breathe and Laugh” (9/15). As a priest trained by the Sulpicians, I learned much about Olier’s spirituality and the enormous influence his

To the Editors We are surprised and alarmed that America’s editors made numerous unauthorized changes to our article in the August 4-11 issue that explains the recent Response from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) on assisted feeding for patients diagnosed as being in a &ld

Good Fences, Good Neighbors Austen Ivereigh’s religious convictions may have colored his perception of the current reality faced by Israelis and Palestinians, and the impact that reality has on Bethlehem (“Bethlehem’s Wall,” 9/1). Ivereigh asserts that the separation barrier

Time for a Boycott Regarding your editorial on the situation in India (“Persecution in Orissa,” 9/22): it seems to me that much of the impetus for the growing religious intolerance in India stems from the booming economic strength of India that has empowered ethnic and religious majoriti

Justice for Africa As someone who works to promote social justice in Africa, I applaud “Decline and Progress in Africa,” by Peter Schineller, S.J. (8/11). Schineller is absolutely correct in suggesting that the solution to Africa’s problems must come from within Africa and that int

And God Saw That It Was Good As both a scientist and a Christian, I appreciated “Teaching Evolution,” by Paul Cottle (9/15). But there are several important theological aspects of the debate that he and other Christian apologists for evolution seem to ignore. First, a basic tenet of evol

National Treasures I was delighted to read Bryan Linden-berger’s account of the restoration of Our Lady of Purification church in Doña Ana, N.M., in “A Church Reborn” (8/25). I grew up in nearby Las Cruces, N.M. Our historic churches are truly a national treasure, and many h