Letters

Courage Needed (letter)

Frank Bellet

Contents - Mar 2002 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Selecting and forming future priests - Michael Gilchrist St Thérèse's relics make Australian pilgrimage - Mother Teresa OCDM News: The Church Around the World 'Conservation Plan' recommends changes to Toowoomba's Cathedral - Michael Gilchrist North American vocations summit overlooks orthodox success stories - Zenit News Service Former Anglican Bishop of London explains why he became a Catholic - Monsignor Graham Leonard Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration spreads throughout the world - Fr Douglas Harris 'Liturgiam Authenticam', ICEL and the need for improved Mass translations - Anna Silvas The Benedictine medal: a long history of devotion - Fr Fabian Duggan OSB Thoughts of a recent convert to Catholicism - Rett Peaden Letters: Watered-down faith - Teresa Martin Letters: Testimonies - Raymond de Souza Letters: Apology - Fr M. Shadbolt PP Letters: Last straw (letter) - Justin Kearney Letters: Human Rights (letter) - Sr M.B. Eanswythe OSB Letters: Courage Needed (letter) - Frank Bellet Letters: Sunday obligation - Leo Willems Letters: Forgotten teachings - Mrs Hiske Deschepper Letters: Nicene Creed - Ken Bayliss Letters: Parish libraries? - Bob Cotterall Letters: Indian appeal - Kevin L. Fernandes Letters: Teaching position - Robert Anderson Books: Freedom and Virtue: The Conservative-Libertarian Debate, George W. Carey (ed) - Alex Sidhu (reviewer) Books: Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism, by Paul Vitz - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: Living The Catholic Faith, by Archbishop Charles Chaput - Anthony Cappello (reviewer) Books: Fatima Handbook, by Leo Madigan - Catherine Sheehan (reviewer) Books: Fr Werenfried - A Life, by Joanna Bogle - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: New Titles from AD Books Reflection: John Paul II: St Joseph's renewed significance for the Church - Br Christian Moe FSC

Although I agree with Fr John Speekman and Br Con Moloney's sentiments, concerning the problem of children, no longer genuinely connected with the Church, attending school Masses (AD2000 November and February), I do not agree that the substitution of a Liturgy of the Word is the answer.

The problem is not that they are attending Mass - which is a good thing - but rather that they are receiving Communion, when morally they have no right to do so. I know of one instance, where a non-Catholic girl, attending a school Mass, fronted up for Communion, took the consecrated host home in her pocket, somehow knew she shouldn't have, and ended up throwing it in the rubbish bin.

It is about time bishops and priests stood up for Christ and showed a bit of courage in this regard. They should tell non-Catholics and nominal Catholics at these Masses that they are not free to go to Communion. Compare the clergy's behaviour with that of the early martyrs.

Leading by example, Archbishop Pell would not give practising homosexuals Communion, when they publicly demonstrated against Church laws.

FRANK BELLETT
Petrie, Qld

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 15 No 2 (March 2002), p. 14