To the Editor:
Re “The Plot to Change Catholicism” (column, Oct. 18):
I was stunned by Ross Douthat’s negative view of Pope Francis. The phrases “ostentatious humility,” “maneuvers” and “plot” really jump off the page. The pope’s humility in rejecting limo rides and the swanky papal apartments is not ostentation but a genuine expression of his personal vocation.
He chose Francis as his name and honors St. Francis of Assisi by emulating his rejection of wealth and privilege and in his outreach to the poor, the ill and God’s creatures.
Furthermore, I have never understood why a murderer has only to go to confession to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist, while a divorced and remarried Catholic, or a Catholic who marries a divorced person, is barred from receiving the sacrament in perpetuity.
And how is a divorce so different from an annulment?
I also don’t understand how a more welcoming church is viewed as a threat by pious Catholics.
Jesus told us to forgive seventy times seven, so the church’s inability to forgive divorced Catholics runs counter to that spirit. Pope Francis is nothing but consistent in adhering to Jesus’ calls for forgiveness and love.
SARA STEVENSON
Austin, Tex.
