One true church

Any religion that proclaims itself to be the only "true path" to salvation is divisive and deleterious to interfaith dialogue and shared good works. Pope Benedict XVI is not running Judgment Day. To assume he is speaking for God and judging non-members to be defective and their religions untrue is making himself one of the "false gods" he rants against. It is not surprising Pope Benedict XVI is claiming a Roman Catholic monopoly on the truth. When he was the head of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he oversaw the harassment and silencing of eminent Catholic theologians. His totalitarian treatment of those within the church who have valid questions is now being applied to all religions that object to papal allegiance and obedience. We Catholics who believe in the ecumenical teachings and spirit of Vatican II will continue to ignore papal pronouncements that insult our intelligence and our friends and companions from other faith communities.

The church hierarchy needs to focus on its path to salvation: Confess and publicly repent the sexual abuse of children, reveal all transfers of known pedophiles, admit all cover-ups, and fully disclose the amounts paid to lawyers to re-victimize the victims. Authoritarianism and more Latin liturgies are cultic distractions that are not relevant to living the Gospel message.

NANCY A. MOEWS

Greendale, Wis.

COPYRIGHT 2007 National Catholic Reporter
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning