Letters

Balanced presentation (letter)

Denis O'Leary

Contents - Aug 2001 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The Assumption of Our Lady: 15 August - Michael Gilchrist Melbourne's new Archbishop receives Pallium from John Paul II - AD2000 Report News: The Church Around the World After 14 years: why does AD2000 continue? - Michael Gilchrist Denver Archdiocese: the future of Catholicism - David Scott US bishops implement papal teaching on Catholic universities - Charles E. Rice Appreciating the Mass: a successful new publication - Fr Robert Egar PP Australian scholarship for African priest Letters: Balanced presentation (letter) - Denis O'Leary Letters: BEC success stories (letter) - Errol P. Duke Letters: BECs not new (letter) - John Barich Letters: Radical feminists (letter) - Dr T.R. White Letters: Statement of Conclusions (letter) - Mark Power Letters: Orthodox seminary (letter) - Paul Chigwidden Letters: Finding more priests (letter) - Theo Silvas Letters: Evolution/Original Sin (letter) - John Schmid Letters: Vatican II 'ambiguities' (letter) - George F. Simpson Letters: Choosing life (letter) - Mark Whybrow Letters: St Thomas Aquinas (letter) - Valentine Gallagher Letters: Generous response (letter) - Fr Stephen B. Muchemwa Letters: Mass leaflet (letter) - Stephanie McClarty Letters: Correct statement (letter) - Elizabeth Carr Books: Genetic Turning Points, by James Peterson - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: The Cross of Anzac, by Tom Johnstone - Mark Posa (reviewer) Books: Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God, by Scott Hahn - Catherine Sheehan (reviewer) Books: Learning to Pray, by Julie Keleman - Anthony Cappello (reviewer) Books: The DNA of God: Newly Discovered Secrets of the Shroud of Turin, Garza-Valdez - Anthony Cappello (reviewer) Books: The Christian Travellers' Guides: France, Britain, Italy, Germany - F.T. Long (reviewer) Events: Victorian Thomas More Winter School 2001 in Ballarat, 3 - 5 August 2001 Events: Cardinal Lustiger to visit Australia, 6 August 2001 Events: Second National Chesterton Conference, 30 Sept - 1 Oct 2001 Reflection: Clerical celibacy: Giving ourselves up completely to God and the people He loves - Fr Dennis W. Byrnes PP

Hardly had I time to read the story in the July Southern Cross (Adelaide's archdiocesan newspaper) announcing that the Archbishop of Adelaide had taken on AD2000 over its bagging of BECs than AD2000's July issue turned up with, on the page opposite from that carrying Archbishop Faulkner's response, another attack in the form of a report by Peter Finlayson on the Marins BECs workshop in Ballarat!

In the interest of a balanced presentation of fact and opinion, it is good that the Archbishop, someone regularly on the receiving end of much express and implied criticism in AD2000, has been given an opportunity to state the Adelaide Archdiocese's position, as well as emphasising the Holy Father's support for the BEC idea.

As one of the "undecideds", as to the appropriateness in the Australian context of BECs, essentially for some of the reasons to be found in the AD2000 articles, I am nevertheless delighted that this contentious topic has been the occasion for what may be seen as a journalistic breakthrough. There has to be room for rational and civilised discussion in this area.

Surely it is also time now for liberal opponents of AD2000 in the Adelaide Archdiocese, and elsewhere, to reconsider their hostility to this robust defender of Catholic orthodoxy. And let's not shut down legitimate debate by pretending that terms like "liberal" and "conservative" are inappropriate in this context. There is incontrovertible evidence that among committed Catholics there are fundamental differences of opinion to do not only with dogma and liturgy but on a whole range of social issues.

I therefore appeal to those parish priests and parish councils opposed to the AD2000 approach to do better than make vague general assertions that the reason for excluding the magazine from sale or display on library shelves is that AD2000 publishes material that is false, misleading or distorted. My own experience has been than when such assertions have been challenged there has been not one example forthcoming.

May I note in conclusion how gratifying to find in the June and July issues of The Southern Cross illuminating articles on the strong differences of opinion among three learned and influential Cardinals, Ratzinger, Kaspers and Dulles, concerning the proper relationship between the universal and the diocesan or local Church.

DENIS O'LEARY
Huntfield Heights, SA

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 14 No 7 (August 2001), p. 13