Letters

Priestly 'uniform' (letter)

Philip Robinson

Contents - Sep 2002 - Buy a copy now Editorial: AD2000's Fighting Fund launched - Michael Gilchrist Is the self-destruction of Anglicanism to continue? - Nigel Zimmerman News: The Church Around the World - AD2000 Vocations: Corpus Christi Seminary enrolments bounce back - Michael Gilchrist Promoting Catholic vocations in the Melbourne Archdiocese - Joanne Grainger CHURCH ATTENDANCE: The family, feminism and the declining role of fatherhood - Richard Egan The 1960s 'cultural revolution': from self-sacrifice to self-fulfillment - Fr Gregory Jordan The strange case of Father Damien and Robert Louis Stevenson - Fr F.E. Burns PE Australian Rosary CD wins international recognition - Colleen McGuiness-Howard John Paul II and World Youth Day in Toronto: an Anglican perspective - David Warren Letters: Church design (letter) - Greg Briscoe-Hough Letters: Renovations (letter) Letters: Abortion (letter) - Bob Denahy Letters: Seminaries (letter) - Andrew Sholl Letters: Media complaints (letter) - Michael Daniel Letters: Feminism dead? (letter) Letters: Teaching the faith (letter) - Kevin McBride Letters: Zero tolerance (letter) - J. Dekker Letters: Priestly 'uniform' (letter) - Philip Robinson Letters: Horse and cart (letter) - Arthur Negus Letters: Shakespeare (letter) - John Doherty Letters: Vatican II (letter) - Valentine Gallagher Books: Open Embrace: A Protestant Couple Rethinks Contraception - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: The Arians of the Fourth Century, by John Henry Newman - Peter Westmore (reviewer) Books: The Lost Shrine of Liskeard, by Claire Riche - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: Christianity for Buddhists, by Frederick Farrar - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: Think Piece: Religious, Ethical and Moral Values, by Sebastian Camilleri OFM - Mark Posa (reviewer) Marilen Studios: a Christian approach to business - Joe Padero Music: CD specials from AD Books Reflection: The Christian way to spiritual maturity - Fr Dennis W. Byrnes PP

Fr Fabian Duggan's "Reflection" (August AD2000) prompts me to ask all priests to adopt the stratagem of "attack is the best form of defence."

I refer particularly to the current problem of sexual abuse by a very few clergy that unfortunately throws a shadow of suspicion over the vast majority of their colleagues.

I would strongly suggest that our clergy, particularly when in public, wear their respective 'uniforms'. This would be seen by many as a statement that they are proud of their calling and proud to wear the 'uniform', as well as being a witness to Jesus Christ. To those few who currently do so, I congratulate and encourage them to keep it up.

Quite some time ago the Pope directed this 'reform', but like so many of his directives, they were ignored by many and not insisted upon by our bishops. It may be too much of a cultural shock for many of our priests, who prefer to look like the janitor rather than the priest of the parish, but for those who do so, I am sure they will be pleasantly surprised at the priestly good that they will achieve.

PHILIP ROBINSON
Holt, ACT

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 15 No 8 (September 2002), p. 15