From the editor's desk

Catholic New Times, Oct 5, 2003

Reader Therese Gervais of Marinville, Alberta chastises us for our coverage of same-sex marriage. I told her I agreed with her. I am not satisfied either, but we've just started! Have some patience as we try to strike the fine balance between church teaching and ongoing challenges to it. As my good friend Cardinal Ratzinger once reminded me at the end of Vatican II: "The church is not the petrification of what one was but its living presence in every age. The church's dimension is therefore the present and future no less than the past."

Our problem of course is that we have just begun to reevaluate the whole idea and sexual orientation of homosexuality. Gay people, no matter what their numbers in the population, need to be heard. Many people have sent us letters, articles, some even hate mail. We're doing our best to listen. On this score, the CCCB's statement is printed in toto on pages 14 and 15 and more opinion will come in succeeding issues. We are happy to print some of Thunder Bay's Scott Gales homily when he was asked to urge parisioners to petition Ottawa on same-sex-issues.

The reason that we are some times overwhelmed is that people know we are an independent Catholic voice, virtually unique in Canada. People know they are going to read material they will not see in any other Catholic journal. You can support our independence in a tangible way by giving the paper to someone you love, like long-time subscribers Art and Ag Samson of Dundas did. Son Sean called from Calgary and wanted to give a sub to a "progressive Protestant friend." CNT has a lot of these friends. Send a few more our way. We need you and them.

Another reason for subscribing is that it is only in CNT you will find writers like Rosemary Radford Ruether, one of the most dynamic theologians of our time, the author of 28 books, who now writes for us. Her first column will be in our next issue.

We have had a lot of calls about our new web site, the work of our intrepid reporter Kevin Spurgaitis. Check it out.

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