Letters

Taste, See, TouchTears came to my eyes on reading “Making Room for All at Mass,” by Judith Valente (8/17). I attempted teaching 12 young men with multiple handicaps at a state institution in Lincoln, Ill. I don’t know what they learned, but they responded best to touch, taste, smel

Separate IssuesRe “Selling the Unborn,” (Editorial, 8/17): The tragedy of abortion is a mother finding herself in a situation where she decides ending the life of her child is her best option. “Pro-life” is a euphemism for taking this hugely personal and difficult decision an

The Price of PowerRe “Of Many Things,” by Matt Malone, S.J. (8/3): Canon law as well as civil law in most jurisdictions makes the ordinary/diocesan bishop the actual owner or at least the principal trustee of all the property of the church, so that in many and varied actions that affect

Editor’s Note: This week’s Reply All section is dedicated to the many thoughtful responses to “After Obergefell" (Editorial, 7/20).Humility and Truth-TellingI found much prudential and sensible pastoral exhortation in America’s editorial on the Supreme Court decision reg

Troubled StarsRe “Mother and Sister Earth” (Editorial, 7/6): A Sufi teaching instructs: “To pluck a flower is to trouble a star.” Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si’,” presents a very comprehensive view of the human impact on earth’s community

Wage TradeoffIn “L.A. Wage Wars” (Current Comment, 6/22), the editors write, “The argument for exempting union workers, however, is a bit more cynical.” The pressures being faced by Homeboy Industries are not isolated. The Congressional Budget Office report issued when Presid

Nothing NewI found “The Gospel According to the ‘Nones,’” by Elizabeth Drescher (6/8), rather disappointing. The author drew broad generalizations about the alleged “Good Samaritan” spirituality of nones as opposed to the more restrictive “Golden Rule”

Deepening DialogueI welcome the suggestion in “Coping With Polarity” (Editorial, 5/25) that “after naming the wounds, we can begin to heal by toning down fiery words and divisive stances, by admitting differences with our friends and colleagues without alienating them or blaming th

S.J.’s and Ph.D.’sRe “Company Men,” by William J. Byron, S.J. (5/11): The fact is, the best way for a Catholic to be guaranteed a tenure-track university position is to become a member of a religious order and to get a Ph.D. Jesuit schools are drooling all over themselves to

An Archbishop RespondsI write to express my strong disagreement with the article “Confirmation Bias,” by Michael A. Marchal (4/27). I believe that the best time for confirmation in our time and in our country is in the high school years. I understand that some want the traditional sequen