NCR published two editorials this week on two very different topics. The first, "Impeachment inquiry against Trump is well worth the effort," says to look beyond the politics to principle. Formal impeachment proceedings will attempt to get at the truth and hold this president accountable for at least some of his destructive behavior. The second editorial, "The status quo won't save the planet or the Catholic Church," talks about how the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon brings to a concentrated point a necessary discussion of the survival of the planet and the survival of a church undergoing unprecedented change. Reactions to both editorials follow. Letters are edited for length and clarity. You can join the discussion by following the steps at the end of this post.
I can only read the NCR editors' call for impeachment inquiry as a well meant but failed effort to rise above the flimsy chorus coming from the hard left in their latest attempt to bring down this president.= And tipping their "me too" empty hand in the final paragraph with "if for no other reason for the sake of history."
Like the job seeker in an interview having made his best case for being hired ending with "if for no other reason because I need a job."
Disappointing to see this coming from otherwise well-informed people whose credibility with NCR readership is their bread and butter.
JOHN RYAN
Bloomington, Illinois
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Disgusting! Are you people even Catholic?
H. BRANN ALTMEYER
Wheeling, West Virginia
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Eighteen million black children killed by abortion since Roe vs. Wade and you think President Donald Trump needs to be impeached.
We now have the lowest unemployment rate for Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, etc. and 7 million people no longer need to be on food stamps and you want to impeach Trump. You're nuts.
CAL PFEIFFER
Louisville, Kentucky
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It has now become overwhelmingly evident that the NCR has become a left-wing rag for the socialists and their media fellow-travelers, and you are playing a fool's game. The socialists do not give a hoot about pro-life, human dignity, Christianity, or any of the other principals that have made this country great.
The open border policies advocated by the NCR have done more to assist the drug cartels than anything the socialists could imagine. Should we go back to the days of the Obama presidency of no jobs, welfare, food stamps, with a country becoming part of the one world socialist order? Socialism does not raise people up to higher standards of living, only the opposite is true. Poor people and governments do not create jobs and prosperity. In fact, socialism is a mathematical impossibility.
What the left is doing is not what Jesus would do as many Catholics are advocating today. Jesus spoke about a personal responsibility between neighbors, and expectation of a loving reciprocity. Government intervention becomes a third party to that relationship and destroys the intent.
Since you think President Donald Trump should be impeached, please publish a list of impeachable offenses, not vague dislikes.
RICHARD WALTER
Phoenix, Arizona
Have we stopped to consider that the "climate crisis" is part of God's plan to prepare us for the impending eschaton? We live in the end times, according to St. Paul and this fact should constantly be imprinted on our minds.
If we really want to "combat" this, perhaps we need to implore God to show us his mercy through due sacrifice. Then, perhaps, he might stay the hand of punishment justly warranted by our sins. To do this, why join the Meatless Mondays of the secularists? Rather, let us revive the church's ancient tradition of remembering our lord's passion and abstain from meat on all Fridays, not just those of Lent.
Would that not have the same material effect but have the eschatological end which we, as Christians, should all have in mind?
ALEXANDER CASTORENA
Alexandria, Virginia
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It seems so blatantly obvious to me: The needs of indigenous natives in the Amazon, many of whom have never traveled outside of their home area and perhaps have had minimal educations, cannot be in harmony with those Vatican cardinals who have had the benefits our faith, their education, and the fruits of their own cultures.
How many bishops have walked among those Amazon natives or "smell like those sheep" as Pope Francis might say? Just as Jesus introduced our faith to the natives of Israel and began the new priesthood there in his evangelization mission, so should those few local priests in their continued evangelizing do in the Amazon jungles.
Is there a historical difference in the place of women in the Amazon, compared to the females in Israel back then? Would Jesus establish the new Catholic faith and priesthood the same way now in the Amazon as he did in Israel? To many natives, the Christian faith is not well known. How well do they understand Greco-Roman and church history? The church should evangelize there in the culture those souls understand.
JIM BECK, SR.
Sarasota, Florida
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I am not interested in what this group of men think and do, just as they have no interest or involvement with me. It has been this way since the time of Christ.
Jesus could not choose men as disciples because women could not be out roaming the country. They would have been raped and even killed, to cover that up.
MADELINE BRUCE
Nanaimo, British Columbia
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To achieve all four principles in the title is going to be an enormous feat. Firstly, faith. We are not talking here about Christian faith, but a strong belief that disaster can be averted. So many do not foresee such disaster in their lifetime. Why worry then? Their faith hinges on what happens to them. For others, who strongly believe in the other three principles, they pray that the leaders of the world will come to their senses.
Ethics. It is sad that many Christians do not see planet earth as belonging to God. The cosmic Christ is present in all of his creation. They are so occupied with individual salvation, rituals and conformity that they become oblivious to sins against nature. They don't want to disturb their comfort zone. What happens or will happen in third world countries is not their concern. To deny and ignore climate change is spitting in the face of Christ. It is easier to sit on the fence and be in denial.
Science. There is overwhelming evidence that the earth is heating up. Glaciers and ice caps are melting fast and this fresh water has only one place to go — into the oceans. Sea levels will rise, not to mention the effect it will have on the Gulf Stream. Ecosystems are being destroyed; the lungs of the earth are being destroyed. Nature will not acquiesce. Unless we act now, a critical point will be reached when the damage will be irreversible.
Economics. This is both the problem and the solution. The madness of global consumerism must change. In any catastrophe, it is the poor who will suffer most. Will governments wait for a catastrophe or will they continue to belch carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? They need to act now.
PAT COURTNEY
Wexford, Ireland
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