Letters

Buddha in church in South Brisbane

Richard Stokes

Contents - Jul 2008 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Significance of World Youth Day 2008 - Michael Gilchrist Liturgy: Archbishop Coleridge calls for an end to liturgical experimentation - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World Abortion: A false concept of moral equivalence - Babette Francis Selective tolerance: Queensland University Student Union censures Catholic student group - Allison Atkins WORLD YOUTH DAY 2008: Juventutem Australia: young people devoted to the traditional liturgy - Alice Woolven WORLD YOUTH DAY 2008: Authentic Catholicism: a fertile ground for vocations to flourish - Fr Anthony Denton FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH: Jesus: how do we know he was God? - Br Barry Coldrey CFC Religious faith and the power of music and song - Andrw Kania Liturgy: Why Paul VI saw liturgical abuses as the 'smoke of Satan' - Cardinal Virgilio Noe WORLD YOUTH DAY: Turin Shroud display in Melbourne to coincide with World Youth Day - Max Crockett Letters: Anne Lastman's Remarkable book 'Redeeming Grief' - Fr Raymond Wells Letters: Culture of life - Fr Bernard McGrath Letters: Vatican II - John Schmid Letters: Buddha in church in South Brisbane - Richard Stokes Letters: Climate concerns - Dr Brian E. Lloyd Books: Cardinal Pell's new Mass Book - This Is The Mass Books: TURMOIL AND TRUTH, by Philip Trower - Tim Cannon (reviewer) Books: SERMONS PREACHED ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS, by John Henry Newman - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Books: Books available from AD2000 Books Reflection: The Real Presence: 'an essential element of the deposit of faith' - Bishop Arthur Serratelli

Readers of this journal will find this quite incredible, but, at the time of writing, a statue of Buddha is back in front of the altar at St Mary's Church, South Brisbane, after being previously removed from this position by concerned parishioners.

We arrived at the church early on a recent morning, and there he was, in his old location, in front of the altar. Now, when we kneel to Christ, we are kneeling to Buddha at the same time.

One of our daily Massgoers, a Vietnamese woman named Thuy, had left a note for the priests, after the statue had first appeared, to the effect that kneeling to Buddha is idolatry.

We subsequently found a reply in the sacristy, urging tolerance. I have taken pictures of this note, as well as the Buddha before the altar.

Tolerance is all well and good, but there are some things we should never tolerate, and these include idolatry.

We moved the statue again, over to a table near the altar. One of our daily Massgoers has already rung the Archbishop who indicated he would look into the matter.

Meanwhile 'toleration' continues to thrive at this church which is the headquarters of the Gay and Lesbian choir, with their meetings scheduled in parish notices.

RICHARD STOKES
Morayfield, Qld

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 21 No 6 (July 2008), p. 15