The Irish vote is a victory for Christian teachings

The overwhelming vote in Friday’s referendum to allow same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland has been presented as a defeat for the Roman Catholic Church. But this may be Irish Christianity’s brightest hour.

For more than 1,500 years, the people of Ireland have been taught that all humans are created in God’s image, that one should treat others as one would wish to be treated and that neighbors should be loved.

These messages intersected with a strong tradition of hospitality and charity reinforced by centuries of marginalization and colonial oppression. Viewed against this background, the lopsided margin in favor of marriage equality becomes less surprising — as does the role of faith.

“I know the ever-loving God we believe in would say we did the right thing,” said Brighid Whyte, a septuagenarian grandmother in publicly advocating a “Yes” vote as the appropriately “Christian thing” to do on May 22. “We are Catholics, and we are taught to believe in compassion and love and fairness and inclusion,” her husband told a reporter. “Equality, that’s all we’re voting for.”

Call it a consequence of the law of unintended consequences: The constitutional referendum vote suggests that voters in the Irish Republic took the teaching from the pulpit more seriously than some in the pulpit might have imagined possible. PETER GILMORE

Squirrel Hill

Graduation disgrace

Recently my husband and I attended commencement ceremonies for Community College of Allegheny County.

After two years of hard work, my daughter was thrilled to be graduating with highest honors. We were proud and excited to see our first child graduate.

The beaming faces of other graduates glowed with that same excitement.

Our glow dimmed moments after we were seated. Screaming audience members made it impossible to hear those speaking at the podium. What we could hear was extremely disappointing. Between trying to listen to the choppy delivery of remarks by faculty and the commencement address over the din of constant yelling and screaming by some students and attendees, we thought we’d gone to the circus by mistake.

Some students screamed and danced across the stage to receive their diploma. Others mistook the stage for a fashion runway, stopping every few feet to model for the audience.

Graduates who’d waited for their two seconds of recognition could not hear their name above the melee. The noise may have been a blessing, however, for the grads whose names were butchered by the announcer.

My husband and I are graduates with advanced degrees. Some credits were earned at CCAC. Having attended many graduations, including our own, it was shocking to witness such disgraceful conduct during a usually joyous and dignified event.

Congratulations to the new CCAC graduates who had

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higher expectations for the graduation ceremony. The events of that evening will be eclipsed by your future achievements and ensuing success.

To the rest of the graduates, good luck. Behavior reflects the level of a person’s standards. Continue to set the bar low, and you’ll achieve every goal. DONNA MATTY

Bethel Park

Classy Fran Fisher

John Donne (1572-1631) said, “Every man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind.”

I thought about Donne’s words as I learned of the passing of Fran Fisher (“Longtime Voice of Penn State University Football,” May 15 news obituary).

I was privileged to have known Fran and saw him often at Penn State functions and always listened when he was doing a radio broadcast of Nittany Lions football games.

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was in State College to have dinner with an old friend and classmate.

We had just been seated and handed menus when Fran came to the table and said, “May I join you?” Almost at the same time we both said, “You don’t have to ask; of course you can.” Ever the gentleman, Fran said, “Well, I just wanted to be polite by asking!”

There wasn’t much talk that evening about sports, given the tragic events of earlier in the day, but as always, it was a pleasure to be in his company.

Whoever said that he didn’t know how to define class but knew it when he saw it must have had Fran Fisher in mind.

As former Major League Baseball manager and catcher Jeff Torborg said of longtime Detroit Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell, “Not only was he a Hall of Famer as a broadcaster, he was a Hall of Famer as a man.” Those same words apply to Fran Fisher. ROSS A. MATLACK JR.

Dormont

Bankers’ thuggery

After I read Tony Norman’s column “Thuggery Comes in Many Shades, Sizes” (May 22), I recalled the wisdom from a faculty member of the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Rocereto warned me to be on guard of people in three-piece suits with broad smiles but who work behind the scenes in their skulduggery.

Most, if not all, of the bankers who have immense and wellpaid law firms to protect them may have small fines, but none will face prison time and the public humiliation which they deserve.

Is this why many people take consolation in the existence of hell? REV. GREGORY C. SWIDERSKI

McCandless