SOMETHING that really disappoints me about the Church these days is its failure to advise and inform us about the current teaching of the Church on matters we are confronting every day.
For example, in the recent publicity about St Mary MacKillop’s canonisation, the media went to town about the miracles and heaped scorn and derision on Catholics who believe in such miracles.
Most of the journalists seemed to imagine we believe that these were performed by St Mary herself and not by God after her intercession.
There are many Catholics who think the same thing.
Surely the priests in their homilies at Sunday Mass could explain the truth of the Church’s teaching on this and other matters, so we would be able to counter this journalistic ignorance and misinformation.
And why is the Church itself not speaking up in the media to contradict these ignorant and malicious judgements?
Not once have I seen or heard a bishop or a priest taking the initiative and putting forward the truth to the general public.
Many Catholics are unsure of the Church’s teaching on such matters as abortion, birth control, euthanasia, stem-cell research, homosexuality and artificial insemination, among many others.
Your newspaper could also play an important role in this education, by running a series of articles explaining in simple terms what the Church teaches on such subjects which confront us daily in other media and answering readers’ questions.
I would be very interested in others’ views on this matter.
HUGH LEONARD
Manly, Qld
