Be more kind

Catholic New Times, Nov 16, 2003 by Mary Parfitt

Although, like the writer, I am often upset by Vatican pronouncements, I object to the tone of Robert Blair Kaiser's article on John Paul II. (CNT Sept 7).

It was unkind in a way that should have no place in a Catholic paper. To say that the pope "promoted jamborees for teenagers where he could preen in their approval" is just plain malicious. The pope deserves our respect as does any other human being. We all have faults and failings which need understanding and forgiveness and those in positions of power are especially in need of God's everlasting mercy.

Let us empathise with the pope and pray for him as a suffering human being. Like Robert Blair Kaiser, I often wonder what it means to "see Christ" in other people. My impression from the Gospel is that Christ saw the true person underneath his or her human facade, as in the case of the woman at the well.

Mary Parfitt

Toronto