Bishop Zubik is not shirking his responsibilities

As we enter the Hebrew month of Elul, the 30-day period of introspection ahead of the Jewish High Holy Days (Elul began on Saturday night, Aug. 11), I have been absorbing the impact of the recent grand jury revelations concerning the pervasive pattern of abuse, willful ignorance, obfuscation and complicity by those in positions of ecclesiastical authority.

Though this scandal’s particulars concern the Catholic Church, no one who values religion’s role within society, or who identifies with a faith tradition of any kind, nor any who know or love good, sincere clergy or religion, is unaffected. I hurt for the victims and for all who love them. I hurt for religionists everywhere who know the value and virtues of a community of faith committed to the inherent dignity of all.

For this reason, I am heartened by the example being set by my good friend Bishop David Zubik, a man whom I know as a stalwart shepherd of his flock and a champion of the most vulnerablewithin our world.

Having to answer for past priests’ bad behavior and former bishops’ bureaucratic malfeasance is, I know, enormously painful and surely all but overwhelming. And yet, Bishop Zubik is neither shirking nor ducking his responsibilities.

Indeed, Bishop Zubik’s willingness (1) to confront the dastardly deeds perpetrated by priests against those they were pledged to protect and (2) to address the conspiracy of silence within his church (and our larger society) is unflinching. And it is precisely his example that reassures me that the church’s conscience and society’s culture may yet be better tomorrowthan it was yesterday.

I take comfort and courage in the knowledge that there are righteous individuals such as my friend Bishop Zubik who are committed to reflecting on past failings, reorienting ourselves and our priorities, and who are determined that, in this new year, things over which we have control will be better going forward than has been true of the past. RABBI AARON BISNO

Point Breeze groups advocating for a nonpartisan (he calls them unelected) commission will be chosen on a political basis and will be accountable only to political bosses. He states that it is impossible to remove politics from redistricting and that the process works just fine. I disagree.

The U.S. is the major democracythat allows legislators to draw the maps that govern their own elections — clearly, a conflict of interest. It means that legislators (both parties) choose which voters are in their districts, ensuring that most incumbents are re-elected. This year Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, chair of the State Government Committee, refused to allow a bill co-signed by a majority of elected state representatives to be released from “his” committee. Is this the kind ofdemocracy that we want?

Pennsylvania has one of the mostgerrymandered maps in the U.S. In each 10-year census cycle, unaccountable government gets worse. Changing our current redistricting system will ensure a process that is impartial, transparentand accountable.

Readers may obtain further information and get involved by contacting the nonpartisan fairdistrictspa.com. MARTHA RAAK

Squirrel Hill

Regarding the Aug. 16 editorial “No More Enemies”: Once again the Post-Gazette editorial board has engaged in faulty logic on how to end the “enemy of the people” argument presented

We welcome your opinion

by the current occupant of the White House.

The editorial board’s view is summed up with the saying: “go along to get along.” This argument fails to realize several things: 1) that’s not how you deal with a bully, 2) anything said about him that is not complimentary is either “fake news” or makes the commenter an “enemy of the people,” so he will never be happy with the free press, and 3) it is not the function of the press in this society to just go along. The free press is not state-run media.

Onlywhen said occupant quits lying and spreading his own fake news should the press back down from its critical functions in this country. I suggest that if the PG editorial board can’t stand the heat, its members find a new line ofwork. JOSH BAYER Lawrenceville