Church dilemma
Overdue transparency
Regarding “Clergy abuse requires transparency” (Editorial page, Tuesday): Cardinal Daniel DiNardo mentions that the Catholic Church has engaged the Kinsale management consulting group to help them compile the list of abusers in this diocese that will be made public in the coming months.
I went to the Kinsale Management Consulting website and discovered that the company published a book, “Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church,” that has been hailed as the definitive work on this scandal. It traces a decade of reports that were spearheaded by the Boston Globe’s spotlight series back in 2002. The publication date listed on the book is 2011.
Although we all certainly applaud any move toward transparency and justice by church leaders, I feel sure I am not the only reader left wondering: “Why in the world has this taken so long?” Sylvia S. Villarreal, Houston
Wart on the church
The op-ed was well written and well documented by His Eminence, but it appeared to me he was trying to outrun a crisis that has overwhelmed the church. There was nothing new in his commentary. He simply repeated what we already know about the scandal. We need action!
Aside from suggesting transparency to eradicate sexual abuse evils in the priesthood, Cardinal DiNardo takes us back to square one. He provided no plan to address the detestable scourge. I am afraid February 2019 will arrive and the matter will once again be swept under the rug.
I have seen this horror movie before and I fear little or nothing will be done to end this madness. What has changed in this movie rerun are the character’s names, the setting, and the time. The story depicting sexual abuse against children and young people remains the same.
I fear my church will soon face a serious crisis of faith, if corrective measures are not taken quickly . Mike Gonzales, Houston
Issue of the day
Regarding “Maybe next time” letter (Letters, Sunday): The writer says that Robert Francis O’Rourke lost to Ted Cruz because of “… reflexive Republicans who would never vote for anyone with a ‘D’ by their name …” shows his view to be dead wrong.
I’m a registered Republican and Trump supporter who recognizes the shortcomings of Ted Cruz as a senator from Texas and his obvious challenge with likability. I did not vote a straight Republican ticket and normally don’t because the best candidate isn’t always Republican, although with the stunning lurch to the left taken by Democrats over the last five to 10 years, there may be very few Democrats I would consider voting for in the future.
In the 2018 election cycle I seriously considered O’Rourke but found him far too liberal — just like Andrew White’s column suggested. Greg Groh, Spring
Simply inhumane
Regarding “Belgium probes euthanizing of autistic woman” (Nation/World pages, Wednesday): The only thing more appalling than learning that doctors in Belgium so aggressively pursued euthanasia for a person suffering from a medical condition — Asperger’s Syndrome— is the revelation that any state would sanction euthanasia for any “mental health reasons.” What civil society allows mentally challenged people to commit physicianassisted suicide because they are mentally challenged?
This is eugenics, pure and simple, and it’s hard to imagine a clearer violation of the Hippocratic Oath. Pete Smith, Cypress