Letter to the Pope

Yes, Virginia, Catholicism once again has an earthly leader. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, a hardliner guardian of Catholic doctrine, prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Dean of the College of Cardinals, the "Inquisitor" was elected by his peers to succeed John Paul II and lead the flock of 1+ billion Catholics worldwide. Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, was the early odds on favorite to walk away with all the marbles. At the age of 78, it is not likely that he will hold the position for the quarter of a century as John Paul did, but that he will bridge the gap between John Paul and a future Pope who will forge the sweeping changes necessary to rebuild the Church. Benedict XVI will not be the breath of fresh air as hoped for by more liberal Catholics. His views on celibacy in the priesthood, ordination of women, homosexuality, euthanasia and contraception, to name a few of the issues, parallel those of the departed Pontiff. However, there always remains the hope that one day Benny (I'm almost certain that this will become his nickname if it hasn't already) will awaken and decide that the time for change is at hand. After all John XXIII was a so called transitional Pope and he revolutionalized the Church via Vatican II. So I'm donning my anti-lightning rubber suit and sending off my wish list to his Popeness for review.

1. Revise the rules on the prohibition of married priests. The rule is antiquated and dates back to the time of Paul and his travels and letters to the various church communities distant from the reach of Rome. Paul felt that a woman at his side would be a detriment and most certainly a distraction as he prodded on in his quest to evangelize the heathens. The current church agrees that a marriage would distract a priest in performing his pastoral duties. But are not local priests, parish priests, distracted by the new duties and responsibilities heaped upon them? Oversight of parish councils, budget reviews, personnel issues and other businesslike pursuits detract from priestly duties. Ministers of other denominations marry and seem to preach the gospel quite well. This should be remembered, Your Holiness, as you reach out to members of other faiths since you once publicly denounced them as being deficient. We often look back to the teachings of the Old Testament for inspiration. We find that the holy men of the time were married and were responsible for a great number of offspring. Were they distracted in their love for their God because they were married? The number of priests on the front line is dwindling and the rate of attrition has reached the critical stage of meltdown. Compromise is necessary.

2. Permit the ordination of women. So if we are unable to compromise on the celibacy issue, let's apply it to all and shore up the priesthood by ordaining women. Women can be celibate, too. Remember, women have played a major role in the workings of faith. Women were present at the inception of the Catholic church on Pentecost. Christ's Mother was a woman. Need I say more? I have personally known women who can preach the Gospel with much more passion than some of the priests I have encountered. Why does the Church fear their involvement in areas other than Easter and Christmas decorations? The same process, the same theological studies would be addressed. I fail to find any biblical passage that would prohibit women from being ordained. If the word priestess in some way conjurs up a negative connotation, a neutral gender classification would be acceptable. A surplus of messengers of the Good Word might be a blessing.

3. Ease the rules on the use of contraceptive devices. Exceptions to the rules on birth control are necessary. Exceptions are in fact granted in cases of medical necessity. Women of the "cafeteria Catholic" variety while abhorred by the mere thought of abortion, routinely partake of the pill and still seek the sacramental benefits of the Church. In Third World countries beset with the epidemic of AIDS, the use of condoms equates with heresy. Your Holiness needs to cut some slack.
I know you are busy right now, getting situated and all, so I'll dash off another wish list in six months after you have had a chance to implement some of these suggestions

Long Playing Records

Criminal background check required. Not a bad idea. After all we want to know the past of an individual applying for a job which involves close contact with our children at a school or daycare center, a youth association volunteer, the elderly at a long term care facility or even working the cash register at the neighborhood convenience store. How thorough the search depends on the length to which an employer wishes to travel. How accurate are the results? Are we able to separate all of the chaff from the wheat?

Modern technology has given us the tools necessary to delve into one's personal history, but it has also permitted alteration in order to assume a new identity. For a mere $2.50 a prospective employer or volunteer organization may search an Internet database to determine the worthiness of a candidate. A larger fee will reveal much more relevant information. However, the accuracy of output is only as good as the input of data otherwise convicted felons would not be discovered at a later date to be employed in positions of trust. Not that convicted felons should be barred from all forms of employment, but we really don't want a sex offender on the payroll of a school or daycare center.

Employers require a criminal background check and send the applicant down to the local constablatory for a records check. The applicant fills out the form and receives a "No Record" stamp on the sheet and proudly submits the document to the employer and is hired. But these checks are related to locality and not nationally. So if the applicant has a sordid past in another state, he has gotten one over on us. And if an individual was convicted in a Federal court for lets say, child pornography, this conviction might not show up on a local record check. Individual courts could be searched for records, but with 3100 +/- county courts in the country the likelihood that this method would be considered is remote.

The most accurate method to search for a criminal history is fingerprinting of an applicant. Utilized by most school districts in the country, it is costly and time consuming. Local law enforcement agencies send off the fingerprint card to the FBI database and if there is a match it will be exact. Sad to say though, the method is not always used because of the cost factor and, read this, that this form of search is invasive. Invasive? That's the whole scheme of things. To pry into the past.

In this era of over legislation maybe the powers that be in D.C. could give the nod to a new idea. Upon issuance of a Social Security card, a red or yellow card, similar to the ones utilized by soccer refs to signify a wrong doing, would also be issued. Upon conviction of a crime, the card would reflect the information. The card would be a prerequisite to employment. No card; no job. Just a thought

An Ethical Dilemma

A fine line draws the distinction between what is consdiered unethical behavior and legal compliance. The former raises issues of moral principles governing appropriate conduct, while the latter concerns matters established under the law whether through common law or legislative decree. While the two sets of conduct are neither mutually inclusive nor exclusive, an accusation of ethical impropriety will be met with a defense based upon the legality of the action. Then again the issue of legality is passively addressed and the point that the action is not illegal is vehemently stressed.

Cardinal Bernard Law tendered his resignation as the head of the Boston archdiocese amidst allegations that he knowingly moved priests accused of sexual molestation from parish to parish and failed to take any action against these priests. Parishioners were never informed of the transgressions. Clearly unethical conduct, but not patently criminal. Yet, he walked away with a promotion to a cushy assignment within the walls of the Vatican.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) faces allegations of unethical conduct. Representative DeLay supposedly had family members on the payroll of a campaign committee, questionable overseas travel concerns and connections to lobbyists who extended their glad hands to him for other reasons than a handshake. The allegations could possibly fall into the category of unethical/criminal. However, DeLay has the benefit of additional defenses outside the "not illegal" vindication. Since DeLay is Republican, the liberal Democrats on a witch hunt excuse stands in the playbook. The Republicans also are looking to change the rules concerning the procedures regarding allegations and subsequent removal from position. The fact is that some Republicans are not all that keen with Rep. DeLay and consider him an embarrassment to the GOP. Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn) has been vocally critical of DeLay.

A position of public trust is not to be taken lightly. Too often is the case wherein individuals bend the rules in an effort to accommodate their needs. They or their representatives look to the loopholes. Which bears the most importance: ethical or criminal? The standard should be raised to concentrate on even an appearance of ethical impropriety.

A Very Weakly Contribution

The Michael Jackson circus has taken a new turn this week. Previous testimony alluded to Michael’s prowess as a master hand puppeteer, but know we learn that he may in fact have orally entertained members of the Barney generation audience. How damaging can that be? Isn’t that what accomplished vocalists do?


Harmony Brands recently recalled some of the products that they distribute, namely condoms and home pregnancy kits. Seems the products didn’t work correctly. And the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Air Purifier was also recalled due to inefficiency to clean the air in a supposedly protected space, but also due to its potential to release harmful ozone. I can just imagine the phone call that might be placed by the consumers of a household utilizing all three products:

Wife: Hello, Dear? I have some bad news.
Husband: What Dear?
Wife: Well, on a hunch I took one of those home pregnancy tests I bought at the dollar store
and it showed that the rabbit died.
Husband: But I used one of those condoms that I bought at the convenience store. How can
that be?
Wife: Worse than that, Dear. The rabbit died from STD and severe respiratory Finally,
complications.

Martha Stewart is complaining that this house arrest thing is cutting into her business ventures and she should be granted an early release. Wonder if the guys in the halfway houses complain when they have to take a bus or walk to their minimum

Military SNAFU

Since the time that spears, swords and catapults were the weapon of choice, fighting men have looked upon their departure from military service with eager anticipation. Some like to hear the cannonball roaring and that’s fine. But for those wanting to sever their relationship with the military, being a short timer and having a precise date of discharge is of the utmost importance to them as they make plans to get on with their lives. Our beloved Pentagon has decided that in the words of Dr. Phil, "It ain’t about you".

The Pentagon has implemented a stop-loss order pursuant to emergency wartime orders. The rationale for employing the order is to provide for cohesive units with the ability to fight as a team. And so on the whim of the powers that be, safely situated in that strange looking five sided building in D.C., any military member scheduled for deployment to the combat zone less than 90 days prior to discharge will be held over to deploy and complete said deployment. Yikes, this smacks of indentured servitude.

An Oregon National Guardsman has brought a lawsuit against the Pentagon for extending his enlistment under the stop-loss program. Having completed his original eight year enlistment in 2004, he was reactivated and became the lucky recipient of an extension under which he will continue to receive full benefits and entitlements until Christmas 2031. Have a holly jolly Christmas, grunt. If a criminal received a five year sentence, more than likely he/she wouldn’t do the nickel. And if for some quirk of fate he/she did stay one single day over, there would be a hurried scamper of civil libertarians to the courthouse to right the atrocious wrong.

Wonder why the military recruiters are having trouble meeting their quotas? How do you square the idea of a contract with a prospective recruit when the government can simply declare it null and void? In a war which we should have never entered into? The Pentagon claims that stop-loss is not intended to bolster the number of over all personnel in the military, but simply addresses the issue of the necessity of cohesive combat units. It doesn’t even pass the laugh test.

A Legal Eagle

We have become conditioned to accept what is important based upon media coverage. The Schiavo case caused us to hold our breath as we awaited each court decision. Pope John Paul's failing health and foreseeable death consumed us. Yes, two major stories worthy of intense coverage. But during the time we were so engrossed with these accounts of life and death, the word of the passing of a great legal icon found its way to what can only be compared to a short blurb on page 7, Section B, of your local daily rag.

No matter what one thought of Johnnie Cochran, he was a stalwart champion of the common man. While his legacy will erroneously reflect his successful defense of the murderous O.J., he was much more valiant in his triumphs representing the "NO.J.'s" as he called them. He gave his all, whether the client be celebrity or mere mortal. He represented those victims of tue police brutality and civil rights violations and not just those claims designed to earn a fast buck at settlement. A winning lawsuit brought attention to injustice of racial profiling. A wrongfully convicted man was freed from prison after 27 years because of Mr. Cochran's relentless endeavors. Should I interject that no fee was involved?

I'll have to dodge the slings and arrows of my friends in law enforcement for taking this stand, but that's life. Johnnie didn't care; neither do I.

The Legacy

Save for the most extreme fundamentalist living deep within the Bible belt, most people who admired John Paul II have resigned themselves to the fact that he has died and moved on to his justly deserved reward of a place with the God he loved so very much. During the death watch many hoped for a miracle that would bring their beloved Pope back from the precipice. I think that the thought of his death was often misplaced by fear of what would become of the Catholic Church after his demise. After all he did so much for not only the Church, but for all mankind as well.

The church has been around for a long, long time. The oldest established Christian religion has undergone numerous and controversial changes since its inception over two thousand years ago. It has been besieged by scandal, not only in this decade and the last, but throughout its history. Many Catholics have never known another Pope nor would they be able to communicate the legacy of others in the past fifty years. But as we trust that Fort Knox holds sufficient quantities of gold to cover our greenbacks, so go the Catholics with trust that the Pope is protecting one's spiritual and moral needs.

While the mechanics of the pomp and circumstance of rituals may change, the basic tenets of belief will not. I can remember a time when I was away from the Church and upon returning discovered that the Mass had undergone a drastic change. I learned to adapt as we all did. But the position on pro-life, pro-poor, peace, and the definition of marriage and family values will remain the same. While I personally do not agree with all of the teachings, a majority of Catholics do. While the Catholic church has been beset with the scandals of sexual abuse, other religious and secular institutions have also undergone similar scrutiny. Yet, the church has continued on despite the fact that leadership has changed some 260+ times.

The fact is that a Pope will be a Pope, but someone who will serve all mankind, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist notwithstanding, will serve best. This is what the people saw in John Paul.

Two Holy People

The Nation and the world once again sits waiting and watching on the door step of death. The media attempts to paint a parallel between the removal of Terri Shiavo's feeding tube and her ultimate death and the now imminent death of Pope John Paul II. The only commonality of the two cases is the final result; death.

Ms. Shiavo's case involved involved legal and moral issues. She supposedly conveyed her life or death wishes to her husband, Michael. The case was litigated and relitigated. The U.S. Congress became involved. More litigation. Accusations of improper motives, character assassination and the right to live or die divided a family and a country unlike anything evidenced since the Civil War. The term murder was loosely thrown about. Ms. Shiavo is now dead and even as the angels led her to her new home the feud continues.

As of this time, the Pope's condition has deteriorated to the point that there is no longer hope. Death is certain and interviews with the common folk reveal that they are resigned to the fact and only hope that the ending be hastened. Although a feeding tube has been in place for a few days now, no other forms of artificial life support have been considered since the Pope quashed that idea. The Pope is man having clear faith in God and an unconditional love for Him. He doesn't fear death for he knows the rewards of his endeavors. There have been no attempts by the Italian government to circumvent the Pope's wishes.

Two deaths both widely disseminated by the media. Yet a different value has been assigned to each. It can be said that Ms. Shiavo's parents were selfish in not allowing her to pass or conversely that Michael was a control freak consumed by hegemony. The judgmental will make their own decisions. Yet, while one may mourn the passing of the Pope, the world will allow him to pass in peace.