Pedophilia the problem
All right, America, I can’t take it anymore. I have to speak up. There have to be other people out there intelligent enough to understand this. I am so tired of a person’s sexual orientation being an issue for priesthood. (“Pope: No more gay priests,” Nov. 30)
People are so quick to assume that just because someone is gay and a priest, there will be trouble. Has anyone else stopped to really give some thought to the fact that the problem isn’t homosexual men serving as priests?
The heart of the problem here is any person–gay or straight–who justifies having sex with a child!
There is something mentally wrong with an adult who has sex with children. It has nothing to do with sexual orientation and everything to do with that person being a pedophile!
Let’s keep some perspective here, America, and keep in mind that there are straight men and women all over this country having sex with children. I am stunned that such a progressive county like ours can be so short-sighted. Open your eyes and see that this is not a gay issue–it is pedophilia.
–Jennifer Elledge, 31, Andersonville
Whose problem?
I grew up with a Catholic family and went to Notre Dame (perhaps the most notorious breeding ground for Catholic conservatives), but when I read this quote about the specific “new instructions” in my RedEye on Wednesday, I was literally shocked.
This is the part I could not believe–what constitutes a “transitory problem,” according to the Vatican:
“For example, during an adolescence not yet completed, some curiosity; or, under accidental circumstances, when drunk; or other particular conditions such as a person who has been in prison for many years. In these cases, the possible homosexual acts do not come from a deeply seated tendency, but are determined by the circumstances.”
So basically, if you get drunk and hook up with a man [or] have sex in prison, you can become a priest. If, on the other hand, you are upfront and honest about your attraction to men, and willing to give that up to become celibate, you cannot become a priest.
Good thing Jesus Christ’s lesson-filled life taught us all something about humanity and good values. Here’s to Catholicism for, once again, doing the right thing.
–Leigh Cross, 23, Lincoln Park
Follow the Bible
My name is Sean, and I am a sophomore studying at Trinity International University to become a pastor.
Although Evangelicals differ from Roman Catholics in many different doctrines, we both hold to the inerrancy of the Bible.
The word of God shows us many times that a leader in the church should, “be a husband of one wife.” Implying that not only should the clergy be a man, but also a faithful man to one woman.
I believe God loves homosexuals, but I also think that homosexuality is destructive. It is not something that holds to what the Bible says. And if you give up the inerrancy of scripture then you have very little to base your faith on.
–Sean N. Durbin, 19
Dishonest panhandlers
An article earlier this week addressed the growing number of panhandlers on the streets these days, in particular about the young couple who is stranded and needs money to get home. (“Panhandle problem,” Nov. 29)
Well, these two poor souls have been “stranded” for well over a year now. Sometimes they’re stranded down by the Sears Tower, other times they’re stranded on the corner of State and Adams.
They must like being stranded in Chicago.
–Dave Henchman, 56, Edgewater
