Letters

Leadership

Joe Lopez

Contents - Feb 2011 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Challenges ahead for the Church in 2011 - Michael Gilchrist Book Review: Cardinal Pell and Pope Benedict XVI's interview - Cardinal George Pell News: The Church Around the World Liturgical rights of Catholics must be upheld - Fr Martin Durham Marriage: US bishops signal a tougher stance in the culture wars - Michael Gilchrist Vocations: Following in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi - Kay Cozad Key issues of ecumenism: new Vatican president's assessment - AD2000 Report Science and Christian faith: the case for intelligent design - Babette Francis That ubiquitous F word: don't demean the sacred - Fr Max Barrett CSsR Young children: never too early to love God - Bishop Arthur Serratelli Pope Benedict honours Catholic Women's League member Brenda Finlayson - AD2000 Report IVF: The Catholic Church and reproductive technologies - Fr John Fleming Letters: Euthanasia - Leon Voesenek Letters: Apostles' wives - Francis Vrijmoed Letters: Leadership - Joe Lopez Letters: Correction - M.J. Gonzalez Letters: From India - Fr S. John Joseph Books: Isabel of Spain: The Catholic Queen, by Warren Carroll - Terri M. Kelleher (reviewer) Books: Christ Our High Priest, by Cardinal Albert Vanhoye - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Books: MOTHER BENEDICT: Foundress of the Abbey of Regina Laudis, by Antoinette Bosco - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Books: MOTHER ANGELICA: Prayers and Personal Devotions, by Raymond Arroyo - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Books: Order books from www.freedompublishing.com.au Reflection: The great but neglected harvest of inactive Catholics - Joseph Agius

The Victorian Bishops' letter, Your Vote Your Values, Bishop Elliott's sermon at the conclusion of the Christus Rex Pilgrimage, and Bishop Fisher's statement on euthanasia were all answers to the prayers of many concerned Catholics.

For when these Catholics organise petitions after Mass to oppose State/Federal legislation that is anathema to the Christian concepts of life and marriage, they are liable to be met with remarks like, "I really don't know if I should sign", or "the Church has got it wrong on this."

One priest even informed his congregation that euthanasia was "a matter of conscience", and left it at that. After which a parishioner was overheard to comment, "that was somewhere between unhelpful and worse than useless."

But with bishops like the above-mentioned leading from the front, one might be entitled to feel that "while there's life there's hope."

JOE LOPEZ
Warrimoo, NSW

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 24 No 1 (February 2011), p. 16