Elephantine Issue In “Making a Mark” (1/5), Richard G. Malloy, S.J., writes eloquently of the danger of not acknowledging “the elephant in the sacristy” when writing about vocations to the priesthood: gay priests, and the impact the current church climate has on both these pr

Fruits of Our Faith My fervent prayer is that more parish priests will have the courage to preach Sunday sermons like the recent reflection by Barbara Reid, O.P., on the Holy Family (The Word, 12/22). Sister Reid used biblical scholarship to contrast the theology of retribution found in the wisdom l

A Great Gift Thank you for your review of the life of Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J. (Current Comment, 1/5). One aspect of Avery Dulles should not go unremembered: he was never too busy to take time for journalists who sought him out. I especially remember one time when I was writing a Newsweek cover s

Going to the Source Re David Gibson’s article on Catholics and biblical literacy (“A Literate Church,” 12/8): As a Catholic who frequently takes part in text study with Jewish communities, I find it depressing how rare it is to find Catholics (either priests or laity) who make an e

Father and Sir In your issue on “The Chaplain Controversy” (11/17), Deacon Tom Cornell and John J. McLain, S.J., agree that soldiers need priests. I agree too. I am a veteran of this current war, and was honorably discharged almost two years ago from the Navy as a conscientious objector.

A Return to Collegiality Thank you for your strong endorsement of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (Current Comment, 12/8). It should be noted that in recent years the Vatican, operating on a narrower understanding of episcopal collegiality, has limited the authority of such conferences. At t