THE WAY OUT
In his interview (“Truth to Power in the Church,” April 27),
Jim Callan never mentioned the primary responsibilities of Pope Benedict XVI:
convincing the world that practicing the Roman Catholic faith is the most
effective means for achieving the salvation of souls. You may not see Pope
Benedict take part in pagan ceremonies or kiss the Koran as John Paul II did.
Based on his writings while he was a Cardinal, it appears that Pope Benedict is
more attuned to maintaining what Catholicism has consistently taught, as handed
down from Christ and his apostles. But it remains to be seen.
Rev. Callan decided of his own volition (while on Bishop
Clark’s sympathetic watch) which rules of the church he was bound to and which
ones he would protest against. With his ordination, Callan had taken an oath of
obedience before God to his superior. When he refused to obey his bishop’s
order to cease practices that were in opposition to those established by the
Majesterium, he severed himself from the Catholic church. This is what Martin
Luther (who, like Callan, was also a priest) and many others did. Today we do
not refer to any of them as Catholic, no matter how nice they were.
Jim Callan had a history of protesting church rules. He
rebelled in the seminary, on his first assignment, and during his tenure at
Corpus Christi. Some protestations were only pastoral, but the theological ones
did him in.
Although Protestants have many theological disagreements
with each other, they all share the opinion that the theology of Catholicism is
in some way erroneous. Is Jim Callan ashamed of fitting the textbook definition
of a Protestant? He needn’t be, if he is true to his convictions on ecumenism.
My impression of Callan is that he is a kind but confused
person. Nothing exemplifies his confusion more than one of his statements: “To
be true to our mission as a church, we have to break the rules.” No, James,
that is what you do to leave the church.
Antonio M. La Pietra,
Lakeshore Boulevard, Irondequoit
CHURCHES, REBUILT
It was lovely to see in the same issue your article about the
restoration of old churches and an interview with Jim Callan (“Old but not
Forgotten” and “Truth to Power in the Church,” April 27) — thus, two articles
about rebuilding the church.
It’s great when our church buildings are beautiful, but the
real beauty is in the people who are themselves the church. I’d rather worship
in a warehouse with people who are on fire with love for God and each other and
the poor than in a beautiful building with no loving community in it. That kind
of life doesn’t just happen. Inspired leaders, willing to put love for God and
the people above maintaining the status quo, and inspired people, willing to
let the light in their hearts lead them wherever it might go, even at the price
of exclusion from the institutional church: That’s where life and growth and
new energy happen.
It seems to me that in many churches the community is like
straw, waiting to catch fire, but the institutional church has wet matches. The
only way I know to dry those matches is to stop worrying about the rules and
start being radically open to the Spirit of God — the Spirit that never seems
to be worried about the status quo, only about the life and growth of the
people of God.
And the kind of trouble you get into when that Spirit starts
moving is going to be a lot easier to deal with if you’ve got a vibrant and
loving community, like Spiritus Christi. Chava
Redonnet, Middlesex Road, Rochester (Redonnet is the author of
“Standing in the Light,” about the events of 1998 at Corpus Christi
and the formation of Spiritus Christi.)
IT’S MINE!
On March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward
agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7 million. So why is it that these
“natural resources” are going to Bush and his rich greedy friends?
Doesn’t the oil belong to all of us? And doesn’t that apply
to Texas and all states? I want my fair share! I’m tired of supporting the
rich.
David Kaspersin, Rochester
WRITING TO CITY
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This article appears in May 11-17, 2005.
