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Andre Dubus III and his father, Andre Dubus (photo from the memoir, Townie)
Andre Dubus III is the author of House of Sand and Fog and a memoir, Townie. A complete collection of his father’s short stories has just been published.
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington talks with Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna as they leave the opening session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican, Oct. 5. (CNS photo/Paul Haring).
The pope has introduced “a far more open approach to addressing pastoral issues."

Beacons of Hope

Your editorial Saying No to Israel (3/5) provides a beacon of hope for the many who have raised protests in this Holy Land against the Israeli occupation, protests that rarely surface in Western media. These protests have come from Israelis and Palestinians, from Jews, Muslims and Christians, and they deserve a hearing.

Israel Shamir, a Russian Israeli journalist, has pointed out that these are the darkest days for the people of Israel, because the worldwide silence of Jews indicates that the country’s policies are now rapidly undermining the long-term achievement of Jews in the struggle for democracy, human rights and equality.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, has continuously appealed during these six months for justice and understanding. From the opening weeks of the intifada he pointed out that the Palestinian revolt should not be considered simply a public disorder that has to be quelled and punished. The issue that must be faced is that a people who have been kept hostage are struggling for their freedom. It is a struggle that must be carried out with love, not with hatred and vengeance. In his Lenten message he appealed to both Palestinian and Israeli to see God in one another. He called upon Israelis to see in Palestinians not the image of terrorists, of those who want to hate and kill, but rather the image of the poor and oppressed who are struggling for their liberty, their dignity and a right to the land. He called upon Palestinians to see in Israelis, who withhold liberty in the name of security, carriers of the image of God whom we approach with love, not with anger, and whom we ask with the full force of the Spirit to put an end to oppression and occupation.

In his long and distinguished career, Elie Wiesel has often mentioned that the vocation of the Jew is to teach the world how to be human. I fear that the policies of the State of Israel vis--vis the Palestinian people are a betrayal of this noble and ancient heritage of our Jewish sisters and brothers.

Donald J. Moore, S.J.

Trillions for Defense Re “Weakened by Defense” (Editorial, 1/18): I don’t know whether I should smile or cry when I hear the word trillion used so glibly in the media today. How much is a trillion dollars? No human being has ever been able to count to a trillion for the simple re
National correspondent Michael O'Loughlin is covering the USCCB gathering for America.
John W. O'Malley, S.J. (Georgetown University)
Synods are not anything new in the church. But is Francis changing how they work?
Mary Ann Glendon talks about the art of diplomacy
Charities Denied Injunction in Contraceptives CaseA Sacramento Superior Court judge has denied a motion by Catholic Charities of Sacramento for a preliminary injunction to block a state law that includes most religious institutions in a requirement that employers pay for contraceptives in prescripti
Six experts interpret what 'Charity in Truth' says about the issues of our times.
Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton
An interview with the 'peace bishop' on his lifelong struggle for social justice