Letters

Church teaching

Mark Moriarty

Contents - Dec 2006 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The first Christmas - Peter Westmore Benedict XVI challenges 'de-Christianisation' of society - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World Sydney RCIA conference for 2007 on authentic formation of new Catholics - Paula Flynn 'Lost!' controversy: Archbishop Bathersby's reply - AD2000 Report Catechesis of the Good Shepherd: the Montessori method for RE - Anne Delsorte A 'best practice' guide to priestly vocations Modest dress: Suitable attire for Mass: the moral dimension - Bishop John W. Yanta Religious Life: Tyburn Sisters' communities spread around the world - Tess Livingstone 2006 National Church Life Survey: important questions overlooked - Michael Gilchrist Shrines: Marian Valley: Queensland's centre of pilgrimage - Peter Westmore Letters: Vatican guidelines on Holy Communion for politicians - Vincent Bemowski Letters: A must read for faithful Catholics - Frank Bellet Letters: Liberal Catholicism - Paula Gartland Letters: News from India - Fr Francis Pinto CSsR Letters: Church teaching - Mark Moriarty Letters: Infant Baptism Letters: Community? - Peter Gilet Letters: Christian differences - Alan Barron Letters: True Church - E. Makaus Letters: Linguistics - Matt Bruekers Letters: Liturgical language - Ted Hayhoe Letters: Why apologise? - Concerned Catholic Books: The Shroud Story, by Brendan Whiting - Peter Westmore (reviewer) Books: COME, LORD JESUS:Reflections on the Advent and Christmas Seasons, James Tolhurst - Michael Gilchrist Events: Advent and Christmas Ceremonies - Priestly Fraternity of St Peter Books: SACRED PLACES, PILGRIM WAYS: Catholic Pilgrimages in France and Belgium - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Books: New Titles from AD Books Reflection: Jesus' law of love and the Ten Commandments - Fr Dennis Byrnes

I have considered carefully how to respond charitably to Don Ford (November AD2000) who has basically stated that I do not know much about Catholic Church teaching. So in the nicest way I wish to inform him that I probably know a lot more than the average Catholic.

I have read and studied all of the Vatican II documents, read and been to a course on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I keep up to date with pretty much every Church document.

I was also a member of the committee that wrote the We Belong to the Lord RE syllabus for the Diocese of Wagga Wagga. In fact I typed, designed and edited every word in this syllabus. I subsequently wrote hundreds of lessons for catechists and teachers based on this syllabus, including Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation programs.

In the preparation of the RE syllabus my faith and belief in the teachings of the Catholic Church was deeply strengthened. I still maintain, as the Church teaches, that children who die unbaptised will be cared for by the great mercy of God. It is interesting that Don Ford quotes paragraph 1257 but only the first part.

The last sentence is very telling and worth quoting in full: 'God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.'

Please read n. 1260 which also gives hope to those who have not received actual baptism: 'It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.' Why could this not be the case for unbaptised infants?

The fact is the Catholic Church in the Catechism pretty much states it does not know what happens to unbaptised infants except to rely on the mercy of God that they will be saved. Limbo is not and will never be Church teaching.

One has to be careful quoting 'infallible' statements. There have in fact been very few and the ones quoted by John Young are not infallible, being Church teaching, not all of which is infallible, though it may in fact be the truth.

MARK MORIARTY
Lavington, NSW

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 19 No 11 (December 2006 - January 2007), p. 15