Readers Speak Out: December 13, 2020

Ordinary acts

We commend Glen Argan for his courageous column (Nov. 22) on the sexual abuse by clergy.  He says “ordinary people” have done great things for the world by “telling the truth … or witnessing to an injustice.”

What could Glen have in mind for “ordinary people” right now? We feel inspired to get involved after reading his challenge.

Perhaps he is suggesting that ordinary people like us take up the call to finally obtain justice for the thousands of victims still suffering in our midst. These victims have lived with their pain for many years and have not been truly heard or properly acknowledged by our churches.

Perhaps Glen is challenging us to ask our bishops to open their files and bring the light of day to the sexual abuse history of their dioceses. Archbishop Miller of Vancouver deserves our sincere gratitude for his honesty and transparency in releasing a report on his files and providing a public apology to victims last January. It is obvious he was acting to address the CCCB’s 2018 document.

Glen ends his column by saying “conscience has power which far outstrips those of money or self-serving establishments.” Perhaps it’s time for ordinary people to follow their conscience and act.

Lorraine Urquhart, Brenda Coleman, Wayne Shepard,

St. Catharines, Ont.

Moral case

Re: Peter Stockland (Nov. 8):

Mr. Stockland’s son’s response to what was termed the French government’s “fatuous triumphalism of free speech over religious beliefs” was certainly au contraire to public expectations, but certainly a reflection of Catholic moral teaching of respecting others’ religious beliefs and for that reason alone a commendable reaction.

On the other hand, taking a life to defend a religious belief is to revert to religious medievalism which has no place in today’s secular world. 

Vilifying President Emmanuel Macron is irrational because all he is doing is defending the constitution, which he is legally obliged to do, and accepting Islamic exceptionalism will lead to chaos. In a multicultural society the next aggrieved citizen could very well be a Hindhu who may object to a cartoonist who might use an image of a monkey, which is revered as a member of the Hindu pantheon. 

The religiously radicalized is a very small percentage of these minority communities, but even the faintest hint of condoning their lethal opposition to freedom of speech will encourage their demands in the host’s cultural traditions so even though Mr. Stockland’s son has a strong moral case in opposing Macron’s initial response, it does have tendential consequences which should not be ignored  

J.E. Sequeira,

Pointe Claire, Que.

Inspiring story

Re: Crisis offers opportunity (Dec. 6):

What an inspirational article! Patrick Sullivan and his family are a fabulous model for successful Catholic parenting. What would our world be like if parents could learn from people like them?  Bringing God and our faith into everyday life could be the answer to many problems, right?

May God bless us all.

Claudine Goller,

Scarborough, Ont.