Pope Francis led with compassion
To the Editor:
The criticism of Pope Francis as being undisciplined in articulation of Church teaching did not sit well with me. There are no pronouncements uttered by the late Pope Francis that I found confusing or needing correction or clarification. Pope Francis never contradicted any Church doctrine, although he did want to extend compassion and understanding to those who found themselves unable or unwilling to conform to the strict letter of the law. Pope Francis practiced the “medicine of mercy” so eloquently articulated by Pope John XXIII. I hope Pope Leo XIV will continue to advocate for mercy and compassion in the manner of Pope Francis and shy away from the usage of fire and brimstone and condemnations as desired by a certain element in the Church.
Richard F. O’Neill
Rock Island, Illinois
Be a prison pen pal
To the Editor:
Cindy Wooden’s front-page article in the 6/5 edition of The Catholic Messenger detailed our new Holy Father’s call for compassion, “decrying” our throwaway culture and his encouragement to imitate Jesus’ command that his followers show compassion to those in need. Matthew 25:31-45 gives us this command in our faith’s Acts of Corporal Mercy.
The specific act pertaining to those in prison, I feel, seems to be overlooked by many. I encourage my Catholic brothers and sisters to pray for the conversion of those in prison and to consider joining any number of the “prison pen pal” services where you can directly give encouragement, guidance and hope to a prisoner. These efforts towards those “thrown away” by our society could be exactly what men and women in prison need to amend their lives.
Michael Clark
Davenport
