Stephen D'Agata

The second point the author makes in ‘The Vatican Today’ memo relates to their perception that the importance of strict monotheism is being diminished. I support the belief in one God or one creative force. Afterall, the fact that all humans are made of one and the same stuff means that we must have a shared origin and a shared destiny. But it is hubris to purport that our perception of God is the only possible supreme being. Surely the origin stories believed by other faiths and cultures are just as valid as our own.

To clarify their assertion, the author puts forward 3 examples: The first is that a belief in mother earth (Pachamama) is idolatrous. In which case, what is the idol? The earth itself? Isn’t it reasonable for other faiths to look at the statues of Jesus, Mary, and the saints in Catholic churches as forms of idolatry as well? This just doesn’t make sense.

In the second example, the author revisits the assertion that contemplative nuns are being persecuted. Again, I need to do some research into this as I am not familiar with the issue at hand. However, I perceive some correlation between this assertion and the assertion of Christian nationalists that they are being persecuted for their views on LGBTQ rights and opposition to abortion.

This leads into the third example which states that church morals are under systematic attack by tacit support for assisted suicide and abortion within the Academy for Life is not being robustly challenged or shut down. Here the author again reveals their conservative values. In their view, the world is totally black and white and there are no circumstances where the suffering of the terminally ill can or should be relieved. As for the abortion issue: If the church really wanted to reduce the need for abortion, they should be more active in asserting women’s rights and more supportive of the use of contraceptives.