Letters

Liturgy abuses

Peter Lynch

Contents - Sep 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: 2004 Fighting Fund launched - Michael Gilchrist Morwell: Vatican decision backs parish priests who uphold Church teachings - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World Pulp Fiction: Religious illiteracy and 'The Da Vinci Code' - Fr Martin Tierney Books: Exposing 'The Da Vinci Code' fraud - James Hitchcock Iraqi bishop: positive developments despite the violence and bloodshed - Bishop Rabban Al-Qas Terrorist attacks on Iraqi Christians - Catholic World News Mass Attendance: Where have all the worshippers gone? - Fr Martin Durham Sydney Catholic Adult Education Centre courses prove popular - Peter Holmes Mission: Sydney seminary's evangelisation program revitalises parish - Bishop Julian Porteous Events: Carnivale Christi Melbourne to celebrate Graham Greene's centenary - Liam Houlihan Why not a little Latin in the liturgy? - Angus Sibley Adult education: Latin language course in Melbourne Letters: Thank you from East Timor (letter) - Fr Marcos de Oliviera SDB Letters: Mass translation? - Philip Holberton Letters: NRSV Bible - Mrs M.A. Ross Letters: Liturgy abuses - Peter Lynch Letters: 'King Arthur' an anti-Catholic movie - Fr Brian Harrison Letters: Permissiveness - Ena Makaus Letters: State Aid - George Caruana JP Letters: Maronite Church - L.L. Booth Letters: Support given - Barry O'Brien Letters: The Power of One - Carola Morgan Letters: AIDS in the Philippines - Christopher Rule Letters: Freedom to be Born pro-life march - George F. Simpson Letters: Moral relativism - Tim Coyle Books: The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, by Philip Jenkins - John Barich (reviewer) Books: The Decline and Fall of the Catholic Church in America, by David Carlin - Fr James Schall SJ (reviewer) Books: Interrupted Journeys: Young Refugees from Hitler's Reich, by Alan Gill - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Books: Catholic Family Catechism: 2004 Disciples Edition with 50 Questions and Answers - Fr Peter Murphy Books: More new titles from AD Books Reflection: Why the priesthood is absolutely necessary - Fr John O'Neill

Re: "New Liturgy document: Rome affirms right to complain about abuses.

Reading Michael Gilchrist's account typifies why many Catholics do not attend Mass or follow the Church's laws. The reaffirmation of the Church's role to dictate practices in our lives is repressive and it is certainly not conducive to the message of the Gospels having "spies" reporting to authorities on clergy and parishioners who obviously know their flock and where we are on our journey of faith. This typifies the belief that the Church and its so-called "authorities" are way out of touch.

People of today are well-educated. We think for ourselves, form opinions, have a value system, (something that has been lacking in the Church's stance on paedophilia) and are pro-active in ministering to the needs of the wider community. While it may not be condoned by the Church, we are certainly on the coalface living out the message of the Gospels according to Jesus not to the men in frocks in Rome who only see the call for more regulations and controls to stifle the believers. Well those days are gone!

PETER LYNCH
Doncaster, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 8 (September 2004), p. 14