SIR – In October 1999, St John Paul II wrote, when he named SS Bridget of Sweden, Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross as patron saints of Europe, “Europeans are called to leave behind once and for all the rivalries of history which often turned the continent into a theatre of devastating wars. At the same time they must work to create conditions of greater unity and cooperation between peoples. Before them lies the daunting challenge of building a culture and an ethic of unity, for in the absence of these any politics of unity is doomed sooner or later to failure.’
I wonder whether the writer of your leader of January 29 (“Let the voters decide on Europe”) has read these words. What does he or she think that they mean? Are they of no importance? Do they not apply to Catholics in Britain?
Your leader completely ignores the explicit support to political union in Europe given by successive popes, particularly John Paul the Great. Such a union needs a cultural and spiritual underpinning, but nevertheless it is clear that the Catholic Church has supported the aspirations of the European Union for real political unity for a long time. This has been reinforced by statements from bishops in Europe (particularly in Europe-wide bodies of bishops such as CCEE and Comece) and in statements from our own bishops such as The Common Good in 1996. This consistent view has become part of the body of Catholic social teaching, based on the key principles of solidarity and subsidiarity.
Catholics in the UK have a responsibility to be aware of this teaching and because of it the neutrality your leader calls for is not really an option. You cannot be a faithful Catholic and a Eurosceptic. The bishops should show a clear lead and urge Catholics to vote “yes” in the referendum.
Yours faithfully,
Fr Ashley Beck
St Mary’s University, Twickenham
SIR – In his cover story on Iran and the Vatican (January 29), Robert Wargas mentions Iran’s anti-Americanism, but not the origin of it, which dates back to the conspiracy by Britain and the US to overthrow Iran’s democratically elected government, and its prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, in 1953.
Without this Anglo-American inspired coup, Iran might now be looking back on 63 years of secular democracy, rather than 25 years of the fascistic Shah, followed by the Islamic Republic. America and Britain’s action earned them the Iranian epithets of, respectively, “Great Satan” and “Little Satan”. So while Mr Wargas did not need to worry about Pope Francis using a long spoon when he met the Iranian president, the president would certainly have had his long spoon to hand in his recent dealings with America’s John Kerry and our Philip Hammond.
Yours faithfully,
Robert Pellegrinetti
London NW5
SIR – I was interested to read Mary Kenny’s comment on “How to really help the aged”, (January 8). She asked where the volunteers were to provide stimulus for the elderly and ended with a question: “Wouldn’t there be a Christian ministry in providing stimulus to those who reside in care homes?” I feel compelled to answer those questions and offer some good news.
There is a growing army of volunteers across the country offering friendship and support to people in care homes. And indeed there is a Christian ministry in providing stimulus, and expressing God’s love in practical ways, to care home residents.
Our charity, Embracing Age, is dedicated to doing just that. We’re a new Christian charity that recruits and trains volunteers to visit care home residents. Volunteers may simply chat with residents, or play a game, or teach computer skills, or do any other activity that an individual might enjoy.
We only operate in the London borough of Richmond at present, but there are a number of other projects around the country run by other non-faith-based organisations, such as FaNs in Essex and Care Home Volunteers in Wiltshire.
In the borough of Richmond there are more churches than care homes and I suspect this is true across the country. If each church were to adopt a local home, with church members volunteering to offer friendship and support to residents, imagine the difference we could make. Together we could create good news stories about life in care homes up and down the country.
Embracing Age is willing to offer help and support to any church wanting to take up the challenge. Feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Yours faithfully,
Tina English
Director, Embracing Age
SIR – Chris Whitehouse (Letter, January 29) makes the same mistake as many others who, like him, seek to justify the bedlam in many Catholic churches immediately prior to and after Mass on the grounds that “God doesn’t mind”. Fortunately we do not have to rely on such intuitions about what would please God in his house, as God’s express position is an unequivocal: “My house is to be called a house of prayer.”
That being so, the question of whether God likes the sound of talking and laughter is not at issue. The question is whether talking and laughing in church are conducive to prayer, which clearly they are not. Were they, then according to the same mindset, God would be similarly thrilled if we all talked and laughed throughout Mass as well, or caught up on our emails to friends, on the grounds that these are healthy expressions of human community. Of course, a nuanced desire for community might also recognise that preventing others who wish to from praying to the Real Presence could be a contraindication.
So bad have things become that I am sometimes approached by kind people who, seeing me not joining in the “fun”, before or after Mass, have come to ask if I am “all right” because I am trying to pray in a Catholic church. St Philip Neri used to need to be distracted before Mass because he would go into ecstasy and be unable to focus on the externals of the Mass. No disrespect to your correspondent, but I suspect most of us have the opposite need and
difficulty.
Yours faithfully,
Pastor Iuventus
By email
SIR – Stuart Reid writes (Charterhouse, January 8): “In England we are preparing for a referendum on the EU.” Strictly true, but ignoring the fact that so too are Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Not that I’m complaining: as a Yes voter in the Scottish referendum, I welcome any confirmation that, for many south of the border, England is synonymous with the United Kingdom.
Yours faithfully,
Tom McFadyen
Glasgow
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