Editorial

Holy Father:
World should pay attention to his message

On his visit to Poland last weekend, Pope John Paul II reminisced about the time of his youth. He remembered walking home after working at a chemical plant during Nazi occupation.

The Holy Father recalled wearing wooden shoes. After he mentioned the shoes in his remarks at the dedication Mass at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow, the people broke into applause.

Why applaud this mention of wooden shoes? As commentators on EWTN explained, during Nazi occupation, only the soldiers were allowed leather shoes. The Polish people - who were essentially slaves for the Nazis - had to wear wooden shoes.

Part of painful history. The Holy Father survived through that horrible time of occupation. He is part of that painful history. There was the threat of Nazi annihilation of the Polish people, yet they survived.

Therefore when Pope John Paul II speaks of war, peace, and struggle in the world today, he's not talking just theory. He has lived through some of the worst times and knows what it takes to survive.

World needs God's mercy. He believes the secret is God's mercy. "How greatly today's world needs God's mercy," the pope told the Polish people. "In every continent, from the depth of human suffering, a cry for mercy seems to rise up. Where hatred and thirst for revenge dominate, where war brings suffering and death to the innocent, there the grace of mercy is needed in order to settle human minds and hearts and to bring about peace."

Sr. Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun who founded the Divine Mercy movement, in 1938 said that people should open their hearts to God's merciful love, which "is stronger than even the greatest sin." The pope said that message is still relevant today, when people feel "bewilderment in the face of many manifestations of evil."

Pope inspires us. Pope John Paul II - despite his human frailties - is an inspiration to all of us. He continues to speak out clearly and forcefully on religious/moral issues of our day. His body may be weakening, but his mind and spirit are still strong.

From the young people who experienced his presence at World Youth Day in Canada to the poor indigenous people in Mexico to his Polish compatriots, all respond to his presence and message, "John Paul II, we love you."

Are people listening? The pope has become something of a media sensation. His trips throughout the world receive the kind of media attention usually reserved for rock stars or political leaders. But are people really listening to what the Holy Father has to say?

He is pleading with us to turn away from such evils as hatred, violence, and materialism and instead turn to God's mercy. Only then will we experience love, peace, and true happiness. Let us all pray for our Holy Father, for our church, and for the world that his message will be heard and followed.

Mary C. Uhler, editor

Mailbag

To the editor:

	Mailbag policy We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Limit letters to 200 words or less. All letters must be signed. Send letters to: Mailbag The Catholic Herald P.O. Box 44985 Madison, WI 53744-4985 Fax: 608-821-3071 E-mail: info@madisoncatholicherald.org

I read Fr. John Dietzen's reaction to reader comments on his birth control pill opinions with some amazement. It makes no sense at all that Dietzen would represent the birth control pill as anything but abortifacient, regardless of what "physicians who are competent, well-informed, and have a high regard for human life" have to say or have written.

There are political agendas involved in some of the statements such physicians make, and the facts from a pharmacological perspective do not rely on any opinions, including those of physicians who have not studied the mechanisms of action of the pill or, perhaps, who do not believe that a human being begins at conception.

Pharmaceutical companies know exactly how the pill works. They all admit to a mode of action that causes the uterine lining to thin and thus become inhospitable to the newly created human being. Thus that boy or girl dies, and that is abortion.

Chemical abortion does not happen every time but it can. And when a human being is in danger of death we do not take any action that might cause such a death. Thus the pill should never be taken. And of course the use of the pill is defined in church doctrine as illicit.

On the subject of married couples and sexual relations during a time when the wife is using the pill for therapeutic reasons, the response is again questionable. Many moral theologians are in agreement that sexual relations must be avoided BECAUSE she is on the pill and the pill can cause the death of a baby during his or her first few days of life.

Judie Brown, president, American Life League, Inc., Stafford, Va.

Sex abuse: We are in this together

To the editor:

One of the positive resolutions that came out of the Bishop's meeting held in June in Dallas was the following:

"Let us observe Aug. 14, 2002, as a day of fast and abstinence in reparation for the current scandal in the Catholic Church of the United States."

Then the Holy Day, Aug. 15, 2002, the feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, was to be a day of prayer.

These recommendations were for the Bishops and priests of our county, but the invitation to participate was to be extended to the laity.

It seems like these recommendations were overlooked in our parishes as a reminder to the laity. We all are in this together; how can we expect the mercy of God if we don't pray?

Please remember these three words: prayer, penance, and almsgiving. They are still a part of our religious practice.

Mary M. Hefferan, Janesville

Operation Rice Bowl contribution

To the publisher:

I thank you and the Diocese of Madison for your support of Catholic Relief Services' Lenten program, Operation Rice Bowl. Your generous gift of $21,777.21 demonstrates the commitment of the faithful of your diocese to reach out to our family in need around the world.

Through the diocese's participation in Operation Rice Bowl, you transform the traditions of Lent into support for the life-giving projects of Catholic Relief Services. We recognize that the work done by Catholic Relief Services and its partners is possible because of the many faith communities who came together during Lent to pray, fast, learn and give.

We thank you for your commitment to leading the faithful of your diocese as you grow in solidarity with all members of our family, especially those most in need.

Ken Hackett, Executive Director,
Catholic Relief Services, Baltimore, Md.