Category: Opinion

On
Laura Green

Pope ties ecological justice to social justice

To the editor:

In reading through Pope Francis’ most recent encyclical, he reminds us that by hurting God’s creation, we are also hurting ourselves. We are causing pain to the poor and most vulnerable among us. We are damaging all life on this planet, including our own.

I was struck by the ways Pope Francis ties ecological justice to social justice, urging us “to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” These cries are inextricably linked, though some try to frame them in opposition to one another.

Read More
On
Trudi Jenny

Will we answer pope’s call to action?

To the editor:

I would like to express my gratitude to Pope Francis for writing his encyclical, Laudato Si’. He inspires us all to act on our calling to care for the gifts of God’s creation.

In 2001, the U.S. Catholic bishops said, “global climate change is not about . . . partisan advantage or interest group pressures. It is about the future of God’s creation and the one human family. . . ”  Pope Francis’ encyclical endorses this and moves the climate change conversation beyond politics to the moral realm where it belongs.

Read More
On
Jane Tarrell

Judging who should live

To the editor:

I just read in the very last paragraph of an article in the June 2 Wisconsin State Journal, “Walker ready to sign 20-week abortion bill,” this statistic for 2013: “89 of 6,500 abortions were performed after 20 weeks.” A mere 89 little people were killed after 20 weeks and the rest were younger. No big deal!

It’s sickening to see the apathy of a once-great nation in regard to standards of living. Who are we to judge which is more important, the life of the child or of the mother?

Read More
On
Tom Roberts

Posture for Communion

To the editor:

The article “Reception of Holy Communion in the U.S.” (Catholic Herald, May 28) quotes “the danger of a loss of reverence for the august sacrament of the altar” with the reception of Communion while standing.

Historically, kneeling has been a gesture of submission to emperors and civil authorities. The Communion postures being advocated are the very ones Diocletian, the great Roman persecutor of Christians, decreed to increase the authority of the imperial office.

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Protect pain-capable unborn children

Our society today seems to be obsessed with controlling pain. Most people experiencing pain of any kind run for the nearest bottle of pain-relieving pills to stop their discomfort.

There are also people who protest the supposed pain felt by animals in scientific research (there is disagreement over how much pain animals actually feel during experiments). And there are those who don’t like farm animals to be raised in environments which cause them pain and distress.

Unborn babies’ pain

But where is the outcry about the pain experienced by unborn babies during an abortion procedure? We don’t hear much about their pain.

Yet, there is growing medical evidence that unborn children do feel pain at 20 weeks or more of gestation. It’s not surprising that a child dismembered in the womb would feel pain.

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Show respect and care for our seniors

May is a busy month filled with many special occasions and observances, from Mother’s Day to Memorial Day — and many graduations inbetween.

Since the 13th century, the Catholic Church has dedicated the month of May to Mary, our Blessed Mother. In May of 2002, St. John Paul II said, “In accord with a long-standing tradition of devotion, parishes and families continue to make the month of May a ‘Marian’ month, celebrating it with many devout liturgical, catechetical, and pastoral initiatives.”

Since Mary is the mother to all of us, I’m sure she would encourage us to cherish all members of our families, especially those in their later years of life.

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Remember our deceased veterans

Several years ago, I made my first visit to Arlington National Cemetery. I had a specific destination: to visit the grave of one of our deceased neighbors.

She had served as a nurse during World War II and met her husband during the war. They decided to be buried at Arlington.

However, when she died, her husband was not able to attend the burial ceremony there because of his age and health. I happened to be traveling to Washington, D.C., for a meeting, so I told him I would visit her grave and take pictures.

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Keep Serra statue in U.S. Capitol

Just when Pope Francis plans to canonize Blessed Junipero Serra on September 23 during his visit to the United States this year, the California Senate voted April 12 to replace Serra’s statue in the U.S. Capitol with a statue of the astronaut Sally Ride.

The vote must still be approved by the California Assembly and by Governor Jerry Brown.

Statue in Capitol since 1934

Each state can place two statues of its important citizens in the U.S. Capitol. The statue of Serra has been in the Capitol since 1934. The other California statue is of former President Ronald Reagan.

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Let’s do more to encourage motherhood

As we look forward to celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10, it is an opportunity to reflect on motherhood.

Motherhood is something we take for granted. After all, we wouldn’t be here if our mothers didn’t give us life. Yet, motherhood is not a given in society today, especially in our country.

In 2012, I wrote in my “Editor’s View” column that the number of births in the United States had been dropping. Is that trend continuing?

Yes, it is! In checking on statistics for births, I found that our country continues to experience a decline in births. The last statistics I found cover the number of births for the 12-month period ending in June of 2013. That number was 3,932,181, down from the count of 3,952,841 in 2012. This continues the decline in the number of births from the all-time high of 4,316,233 in 2007.

Read More