Letters

Lapsed Catholics

Robert Garratt

Contents - Sep 2007 - Buy a copy now Editorial: How to ensure AD2000's continuing impact - Michael Gilchrist Pastoral Letter: NSW and ACT Bishops call for a shake-up in Catholic education - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World A successful quest for vocations in Melbourne - Br Barry Coldrey Rome reaffirms Vatican II's teaching on 'one true Church' - Frank Mobbs New Age: Centering Prayer and other spiritualities: are they Catholic? - Wanda Skowronska 'Thought that has been thought out' - John Haldane Rediscovering the real history of Australian Catholic education - Eamonn Keane Catholic education must be 'unashamedly Catholic' - Bishop Robert Finn Laity: How the Legion of Mary can benefit parishes - Fr Hugh Thwaites SJ Letters: Vatican II - Peter D. Howard Letters: Infallible? - Francis Vrijmoed Letters: Dr Mobbs' response - Frank Mobbs Letters: Extraordinary? - Mark Szymczak Letters: Lapsed Catholics - Robert Garratt Letters: Preaching - Kevin McManus Letters: Religious attire - Tom King Letters: African prisoners - John Evans Poem: A poem for Mary's Birthday - Brian Joseph Mulligan Books: THE BEAUTY OF THY HOUSE, by Mark Alessio - Tim Cannon (reviewer) Books: FAITH AND CERTITUDE, by Thomas Dubay SM - Tim Cannon (reviewer) Events: Silent Retreat 9-12 November 2007 Books: Books available from AD2000 Reflection: An informed conscience: what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches - Bishop Luc Matthys

Recently Cardinal Pell warned NSW Catholic MPs, including Premier Morris Iemma, that there would be 'consequences' if they did the 'wrong thing', and voted for a bill supporting embryonic stem cell research.

I congratulate Cardinal Pell and other public officials who, with courage and determination use their positions of leadership to promote respect for all human life. Some declare that 'you can't legislate morality' and if the expression means the law is not the basis of morality, that is true. Morality comes not from law, but from the nature of the human person, which ultimately flows from the nature of God.

In Australia we are continually assailed by opinion polls that tell us that a substantial percentage of Catholics believe that it is not wrong to practise contraception, extra-marital sex is not wrong, abortion is a woman's choice, or it is all right to be an active homosexual.

The secular media appear to present these poll results as evidence that the Catholic Church is on its way out; that its moral authority has been broken.

The greatest moral power at work in the world today is the Catholic Church. She does work of the highest value in training citizens of the future. In her firm defence of the code of Christian morals, in her undaunted upholding of the principles of authority, in her unwavering stand for Christian truth, she is peerless.

ROBERT GARRATT
Wodonga, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 20 No 8 (September 2007), p. 15