Letters Extra

In addition to the letters published in this week’s issue of the The Tablet you can find more correspondence here, available free.

Pope Benedict’s visit to Britain is too costly

The escalating cost of the mixed political and “pastoral” event of the Pope’s visit is embarrassing, not to say scandalous overall. Muddled objectives and management can be a disaster. The estimates, even, at this late date do not include policing and it is probable that the total cost with management unchanged will reach £25 million. Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor said in 2002: “It has become a commonplace that the invisible father at Vatican II was John Henry Newman.” Is not his recognition our real purpose, but is not his true genius being written out of the script of the visit?
    The courtesy visit to the Queen remains necessary. Beyond that, it is worth recalling that before the cult of “the pope” became inflated in the nineteenth century, pilgrimages to Rome were to the tombs of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul – not to view the pope. Most beatifications take place in Rome anyway, at much less cost. Newman would probably be embarrassed either way. So, should not a firm cap on the expenditure burden be set?
    Perhaps the only person who can resolve the present unreality is the Holy Father. If apprised personally of the facts, he must surely advise everybody that such an expenditure for a beatification cannot be justified – let alone in the present financial climate. Also, if “smaller, but purer” is the new watchword, are large crowds appropriate?

Why we can’t blame Satan for our misdeeds

Pope Benedict’s reference to “the enemy” comes straight from the Gospel we read on Sunday (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20). But this was pre-Resurrection – the axis of powers shifted after the Resurrection. We, now, are in the situation when we have to take the responsibility for good or evil. At the Easter Vigil, we affirm each year that through the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, that Satan and all his works, has been defeated once and for ever.
     The question is: “Do baptised Catholics believe and understand this?” There would appear to be a lack of practical catechesis and theology on the devil. Through our baptism into the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church, i.e., you and me, surely we must understand that the Devil or Satan has no power over us. To believe anything else is superstitions. We, each one of us, have free will. It is our decision and choice, as fully paid-up members of the Body of Christ, whether we act for good or evil. The only power the devil has now in this post-Resurrection era is what we give him through our choice of evil actions personally or collectively.
     As the sisters and brothers of Christ, and the sons and daughters of God our Father, living with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we have everything on our side in order to sculpt the image and likeness of God in our world.
     As this image and likeness of God increases through our good thoughts, intentions and actions – so we build up the Kingdom or reign of God here and now. But so does any power we may choose to contribute towards evil in our world, diminishing this aim. The choice is ours – not God’s or the Devil’s – the buck now stops with us.

How long should patients be kept alive?

It is disconcerting to see that allowing a gravely ill person to die is being described as a form of euthanasia (“Churches split on euthanasia go-ahead”, The Tablet, 3 July). The Church rejects euthanasia because “Thou shalt not kill” remains valid. Allowing a severely ill person to die who is suffering from an irreversible condition is labelled by some as “passive” euthanasia. The Church should resist doing so and avoid confusion.
Traditional Catholic teaching is that it is unnecessary to use “extraordinary means” to keep a person alive. As technological advances make extraordinary means more readily available, all too often people close to death without hope of recovering are not allowed to die. With the help of technology Arial Sharon is supposedly still alive. Is that the future? One and a half centuries ago Arthur Hugh Clough perfectly summed up the reasonable approach: “Thou shalt not kill but needst not strive, officiously, to keep alive.”

Campaign to overturn Act of Settlement

You note that the UK Government wants to shelve plans to repeal the 1701 Act of Settlement (The Tablet, 10 July). This Act prevents Catholics or those married to them ascending to the monarchy. Readers who disagree, and believe this Act should be repealed, are invited to make their views known via the Government's own consultation website.

New translation of ITC papers is being made available

Both Lewis Ayres and Phyllis Zagano are right (The Tablet, 26 June), but for different reasons. In his review of Ignatius Press' The International Theological Commission: texts and documents, Vol. 1: 1969-1983, Vol. 2: 1986-2007, Michael Sharkey and Thomas Weinandy, eds (The Tablet, 12 June) Professor Ayres commends the style of the document that treats the diaconal office in the New Testament and Catholic Tradition. Dr Zagano is right in pointing out that the document was published at the end of 2002 and that the French original is the official text. Many who do not read French were grateful at the time for the Catholic Truth Society's swiftly issued unofficial translation of this long-awaited document.
     Unfortunately with the haste came a number of flaws and deficiencies and it is a pity that these were not noticed and corrected in the collection by the Ignatius Press editors. The name of the document is The Diaconate – perspectives on its development. Both CTS and Ignatius Press omit the Preface and the Introduction as well as failing to translate the Latin, Greek and German footnotes, some of them crucial to the arguments, which limits this version's usefulness for many readers.
    My fresh and complete translation has been appearing in instalments in The New Diaconal Review and the forthcoming issue (November, 2010) will offer my rendering of the section on The Ministry of Deaconesses, a subject of particular interest to Dr Zagano. I trust she will find my translation more satisfactory. The following issue of our journal (May, 2011) will carry a major new article on the same subject.

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