Being involved as a parish representative of D&P and knowing the good work it is doing, I strongly feel that withholding funds or delaying them is unjust. 

First, the money was given to Development and Peace in support of their work. It belongs to them. 

Second, this money (a few millions of dollars are in question) is urgently needed to relieve poverty. 

Because of this delay, some people may die from starvation. Allowing people in low-income countries to suffer and die because of rigid adherence to the principle of the sanctity of the unborn life is wrong.

Bibiana Cujec,

Edmonton, Alta.

Intellectually dishonest

If Catholics are to understand the cause of clerical sexual abuse of minors, they should also understand what it isn’t. 

Clerical sexual abuse of minors has nothing to do with celibacy or a male priesthood. The small number of perpetrators of sexual abuse within the ranks of our priesthood are damaged, depraved and predatory. Worse still is whatever system allowed them in and protected them. 

Celibacy does not “cause” this cancer, the same way that marriage doesn’t “cause” spousal abuse or adultery. I shudder to think about what such an abuser priest would do to his spouse or children were he to be married. 

These are deep-rooted, personal illnesses and naïve opinions suggesting that celibacy is a root cause of pederasty and other forms of minor abuse are uninformed and do nothing to address the problem. 

Clerical sexual abuse of minors is deviant and criminal, and using this crisis to further the cause for female or married priests, or push forward other radical social agendas within the Church, is intellectually dishonest.

Mario Loreto,

Toronto

Enough is enough

For the past several weeks, The Catholic Register has been making merry with many tales of abuses by Catholic clergy which happened a long time back. 

Enough is enough. Now it is time to stop delving into the past and giving publicity to events of the past. Let us concentrate on what can be done to salvage the Church’s integrity, reputation and ethical standard. 

Pope Francis is not sleeping. He has already taken punitive action against a few (priests and bishops) and is convening a conference of bishops next February to deal with this subject and take vital decisions. 

Let us leave him and the bishops to sort out this matter. 

Benedict Thomas,

Scarborough, Ont.

Unprecedented

It is important to understand that Pope Francis finds himself in an unbelievably difficult position — one that is unprecedented historically.

He is faced with an enigma. Why this many allegations of abuse against priests in our time? Celibacy cannot be the issue because priests have been celibate for centuries. 

And why have so many been accused who were known to be good people? 

The pontiff has a right to doubt some of the allegations. When he hesitates he may be striving to be prudent, rather than “covering up,” as the media constantly insinuates. And perhaps he also feels we are not in possession of the whole truth regarding this terrible problem.

Maria J. Busch,

Mississauga, Ont.