Letters
A great photo
What a joy to see the upbeat poster, "Smile, Your Mom Chose Life" on your August cover. Posters bearing positive messages like this one help our cause greatly. They can challenge abortion supporters to really re-think their position. They exhibit good taste and good humour. Yet, they get the message across very pointedly.
Congratulations to Toronto "Walk for Life" planners. This approach is much more likely to win over opponents. Our Lord would be pleased indeed.
I look forward to seeing perky posters like "Smile, Your Mom Chose Life" at the next "Life Chain" event in my area. Set one aside for me. I'll be there.
Rev. Ron McCracken,
Keswick, Ont.
On 'Christian' politicians
In the September issue of The Interim ("Same-sex marriage and faith," September), Fr. Ted Colleton states that politicians such as Allan Rock should "publicly declare that they have ceased to be Catholics, or even Christians." This, however, is as utopian as expecting the rejection of blood banks by Dracula. Although I fundamentally agree with the stated position, as I have written in a letter to The Interim before (March 2001), I disagree with the suggested approach. It should not be a question of self-opinion, or self-evaluation, as to whether or not one obeys the commandments of God. This would be sadly reminiscent of the expression: "What part of 'Thou Shall Not' do you not understand?"
All politicians know that they, for good or bad, have to maintain the official party line dictated from the top. It is not the self-assessment of a given MP that decides, ultimately, whether or not he is a member of a given political party, it is the action in deeds and in words that so decides. Why would it be any different in the much more important case of religious matters? God's teachings are clear and time is invariant.
Thus, I reiterate what I said in my earlier correspondence: "The Church should simply excommunicate those, even in position of power, who do not follow its teachings and doctrine."
Of course, this would require fortitude, an attribute currently in rather short supply.
We should well know that attendance to a weekly church service is by far not what truly identifies a Christian.
Paul-André Larose,Ph.d.
Oshawa, Ont.
Setting record straight on McCorvey
It has been brought to our attention that in the August 2002 edition of your newspaper, you printed an article entitled, "Jane Roe denounces her pro-abortion past: Looking back to August 1995." I assume that the text that follows is a reprint of the article that you ran in 1995 regarding the conversion of Norma McCorvey. On behalf of Ms. McCorvey, and her pro-life ministry, Roe No More, we would like to suggest that you would have more truthfully reported had you included that since 1995, Norma has become 100 per cent pro-life, started her own pro-life ministry (Roe No More) and in 1998, converted to Catholicism. Further, in an effort to reverse the wrong she helped commit, she has been speaking to anyone who will hear her all across the nation. Because of this, she has travelled to over 40 states and three countries sharing her pro-life message of love and forgiveness.
The reason I am writing this letter to you is that Roe No More recently received a letter from one of your confused readers who thought that Norma McCorvey, still after seven years of being a Christian, was not 100 per cent pro-life. It is the hope of Ms. McCorvey that in the future, you would contact her or Roe No More to get primary information for your articles.
Nathan L. Macklin
Assistant to the Director
Roe No More Ministry
Dallas, Tx.
Editor's note: It is the format of The Interim to re-publish our Looking Back features without editing. We admit, however, there should have been more care taken to reflect Norma McCorvey's pro-life views and conversion. We sincerely regret leaving the impression that McCorvey is now anything but fully pro-life and are grateful for her wonderful ministry.
Kudos for Christina
I have greatly enjoyed Christina Tuns's columns, "Letters to an Unborn Child." Her heartfelt notes to the child inside makes the unborn baby all that more human. If only ever mother, pregnant with child, could see what Christina sees: inside her, a special gift from God. I had to laugh when she described how during the head count, her kindergarten class includes the unborn child. How precious. These letters should be on hand at every pregnancy counselling centre and at the disposal of every sidewalk counsellor to help illustrate the humanity of the unborn child.
Robert Totten,
Calgary, Alta.
