SIR – Melissa Kite (Notebook, April 29) is right that the EU Referendum is a matter for both the head and the heart and the most important aspect is not ultimately the economic/financial arguments put forward by both sides of the debate. Whatever its present imperfections, which bear no relation to the distorted information on the EU regularly published by the English press, the EU represents a movement – still a work in progress – to change the paradigm of European history following the catastrophes of the last century, not to speak of the previous ones; it is also the result of decisions taken by successive UK governments of both major parties, along with their European counterparts, over the past half century and today commands the support of a large majority of the House of Commons.
The key, as Jean Monnet saw, was that whereas human nature does not change, when nations and men accept the same rules and the same institutions to make sure they are applied, their behaviour towards each other changes. A lifetime spent working with nationals of other countries in different areas of international cooperation has convinced me of the truth of Monnet’s vision. Hence both my head and my heart tell me that the UK should not only remain in the EU but should play a leading role in the future in its development to
its final form.
Yours faithfully,
David Quinn
Paris
SIR – Dan Hitchens is absolutely right to highlight the urgent pastoral issue of pornography addiction (News focus, May 6).
Most confessors now will know how this habitual sin can cripple people. So yes, I agree that, given the growing awareness of the totality of the impact of pornography and widespread revulsion at its grip on young people, the life-giving vision of the Church for authentic sexuality will be more openly received than we assume. Mr Hitchens mentions the US bishops’ document on the topic, A Clean Heart Create in Me, which frankly should be obligatory reading for all parents, clergy, seminarians and pastoral workers. As it’s just 10 pages long, there’s no excuse not to access it. Knowledge is power, so the more we understand this problem the better equipped the Church will be to address the pain effectively.
Yours faithfully,
Edmund Adamus
London SW1
SIR – In further response to Kieran Tapsell’s most recent letter of May 6, I am obliged to reiterate that the pontifical secret applies in cases such as those he cites to the documents and processes of canonical penal procedures – that is, to internal legal processes of the Church. The relevance of this point to cases of child sexual abuse is twofold.
In the first place, it does not prevent, as I have previously stated (Letter, April 22), the presentation or repetition of objective facts known by anyone to anyone else; rather, it reserves the acts of a legal process, including depositions and reports compiled in the investigation and prosecution of the case. While I might agree with John Beal’s conclusions, quoted by Mr Tapsell, that doing so in perpetuity in some instances seems inimical to ecclesial values and counterproductive, it does not excuse the failure of some bishops to cooperate in the civil prosecution of instances of child sexual abuse, nor does it provide any meaningful barrier to them doing so.
In the second place, seeking to apply the pontifical secret to everything connected to allegations of child sexual abuse assumes that everything asserted to be so protected is part of a coherent canonical process. Far from being the case, the horrific cycles of abuse and cover-up were abetted not by canon law but by wilfully ignoring it.
Had canon law been followed, it would have required them to act according to a juridically coherent and legally mandated process and arrive at a true conclusion serving justice, the truth and the community, all of which it was their obvious aim to avoid. The actions of some of the most scandal-hit dioceses, where known abusers were quietly sent for psychological “evaluation” and “treatment” before being returned to ministry, are as alien to canon law as they are morally repugnant. This was the original point of my letter in response to Quentin de la Bédoyère’s article (April 1): the actions of such dioceses were violations of canon law as much as civil law.
I continue to concede Mr Tapsell’s point that a different interpretation was accepted by diocesan bishops and their advisors, and also by civil courts in several jurisdictions. That such argumentation was accepted and advanced by those it was designed to protect and excuse, both from canonical and civil responsibility, is hardly surprising. That it was accepted by civil courts in no way competent to judge canonical questions of procedure and interpretation is unfortunate but canonically irrelevant. The actions of some bishops in refusing to follow proper process – and knowingly – and repeatedly transferring abusive priests, is not protected by canon law; it is condemned by it. For this reason, Pope Francis announced the creation of a new tribunal, within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the prosecution of such cases of abuse of office; its operations cannot begin soon enough.
I suspect Mr Tapsell and I share an outrage at the obfuscations and obstructions of some dioceses in the child sexual abuse scandal, and a sincere desire for justice to be delivered to the victims. But I am unwilling to allow them to cloak their actions in the law of the Church, whose demands for justice they ignored for decades, and which they have attempted to pervert to protect themselves.
Yours faithfully,
Ed Condon
By email
SIR – You report that the Vatican is seeking cordial relations with China (April 5). In this context, consider the following announcement: “There is no right or wrong about playing golf, as it’s just a sport.” This relativistic statement was made last month by the Chinese Communist Party’s central commission for discipline inspection. In contrast, St Paul teaches that we must run in such a way as to get the prize (1 Cor 9:24).
According to St John Paul the Great, the dignity of sport can encourage the young to develop in human and Christian virtues. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, described team sport as a way to encourage respect for our adversaries, while Pope Francis emphasises its role in promoting loyalty and perseverance. Albert Camus acknowledged that football taught him much about morality and obligations.
Perhaps we should keep these points in mind before a possible compromise between Rome and Beijing.
Yours faithfully,
Benjamin Hazard
By email
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