Dear Catholic Exchange:
How sad it is that Mr. Sargent should describe Villanova's opposition to abortion as something in which the school has “no choice.” In fact the entire article seems to say, “Don't blame us for our Catholic position – we can't help it.” Wouldn't it be nice if Catholic Universities stood up for the TRUTH, proclaimed the TRUTH, taught the TRUTH, instead of apologizing for their “principles” with a “we have no choice” excuse. The real apologizing being done here should be the defense of the truth about the evils of abortion in contradiction to the world's view.
Don't get me wrong, I am appreciative of Villanova Law School for taking a stand on abortion, and upholding the Church's teaching, something few Catholic Colleges do today. However, I would encourage Villanova to rethink the reasons why they uphold the Church's teaching – because the Church's teachings are true and the truth will set you free, or because as a Catholic University they “have no choice.” Which one of these is more indicative of academic freedom?
Sincerely,
Edward Hester
Tyler, TX
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Dear Catholic Exchange:
The rejoicing of the Iraqi civilians at the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime makes one proud to be an American. My gratitude goes out to all the American and British soldiers who sacrificed so much to liberate them – some even giving up their lives. This victory over one of the world's worst tyrants could be a turning point for America's foreign policy in the Middle East. With our humanitarian aid we must continue to help the Iraqi people with adequate food, clean water, sanitation, and medicine.
More than humanitarian aid, we must first and foremost respect the Islamic culture that values children, family and marriage. The biggest mistake we can make is to jam our so-called family planning services down the throats of the Iraqi people. What they need are antibiotics and not birth control pills, vaccines and not depo provera shots, and adequate prenatal care and not abortion clinics. Americans are often viewed with contempt by many in the Arab world because our anti-child culture collides with Islam's respect for children and family. May our foreign policy be one of humble service and not arrogant agendas.
Mike Gannon
Coralville, Iowa
Dear Catholic Exchange:
In the article, Bishop Withdraws from Catholic College Commencement, Rev. Michael McFarland, the president of Holy Cross, defended the choice [of commencement speaker Chris Matthews], making the implausible argument that Matthews' support for legal abortion “is arguable within Catholic thought.”
I would like to forward this message to the withdrawing Bishop, and ask him how this priest (McFarland) can continue as the President of a Catholic university. Support for legal abortion is in NO WAY “arguable within Catholic thought.”
Fr. John Congdon
Diocese of Fresno
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