Charles Shann (FT 26/5/11) seems to want to be an apologist for the Roman Catholic Church rather than come to grips with its dreadful history, pagan dogma and ritual. He infers that some historical facts, in my letter (FT 19/5/11) are my opinion. I didn’t consult the internet for lies as he implies.
My support for Bishop Morris is to demonstrate the injustice he suffered from the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
Shann is prepared to use historical facts when they suit his argument such as the Church providing hospitals, education, and monastic welfare in early Europe. The Church was dominant for over 1000 years and held entire countries in servitude. The Church with its priests, monks, legates and primates was believed by the people to be the only path to eternal life.
It is amazing what a so-called infallible Pope was able to achieve with dogma and rituals such as: purgatory, Holy Water, transubstantiation, child confession, Mary, Queen of Heaven, Pope Peter and others.
In later medieval times, more people begin to read the Bible and reformers started to question and preach against Catholic corruption and many were burnt at the stake for their efforts. To his credit Shann doesn’t ignore the issue of the victims of Catholic terror.
Modern Christians should be horrified of the religious murders by Protestants, such as John Knox of Scotland.
Shann forgot to mention the murderous Anglican tyrant, Henry VIII, the first English monarch to order the beheading of a woman and how he imprisoned, tortured or murdered anyone who disagreed with him. He once ordered a Protestant and a Catholic to be tied back-to-back and burnt at the stake.
Shann tells us that Catholic laity knows little ‘about the teachings of the Church’ and ‘are even more ignorant than they were 50 years ago’. He should be far more concerned about the ignorance he and Catholics reveal about their knowledge of the simple Gospel found in the New Testament. Because of the dogmas manifested in many other churches and sects; ignorance is a problem there as well.
How poor and pious are the Church leaders of this world? Hillsong’s Brian Houston confesses to being forced to survive on $300,000 a year. England’s Queen, “Defender of the Faith”, is one of the richest women in the world. Many Catholic countries grovel in poverty while the Pope and the Vatican abound in riches.
Jay Nauss,
Glen Aplin
