Below are NCR readers’ responses to recent news articles, opinion columns, and theological essays, with letters edited for length and clarity.
Clergy: Do not accept Busch’s call
As Tom Roberts documents, Tim Busch has a track record of corrupting clergy with flattery, wine and a pile of money — with strings attached (ncronline.org, August 13, 2024). His devotion to the Catholic faith, as he understands it, seems sincere. But as a philanthropist, he uses his wealth to control the entities he supports. Still, it’s possible he’s reflecting on the divisions within the Church that he has deepened so much and wants to turn over a new leaf.
In his essay on Mr. Busch, Roberts strikes the right balance between skepticism and a willingness to listen. I would simply suggest that to prove his sincerity, Mr. Busch should stop flattering clergy and start using his wealth to support the Church’s mission in areas he has neglected. He should tell his friend Archbishop Broglio to reverse the decision to gut the USCCB’s Justice, Peace and Human Development Office and restore previous staffing levels. He can then promise to fund the office for several years without the donor or his surrogates having any say whatsoever in the office’s operations.
I wouldn’t say, “Accept the invitation” if new collaborator Tim Busch calls. Beware of libertarian tycoons bearing gifts. Church leaders invited to speak with him should simply say no if he offers a carafe of Trinitas or a weekend at the Meritage Resort and Spa. Meet him over coffee at a diner somewhere in your neighborhood. Listen to his sales pitch. And split the bill.
HENRY KELLEY
Arlington, Virginia
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There is a lack of charity in the US church
Thank you for the insightful article titled “Dear U.S. Bishops: Modern Society Is Not the Enemy” (ncronline.org, August 14, 2024). I am dismayed that my fellow Catholics are taking exception to the issues of the fabricated modern culture war. What is truly unfortunate is how unchristian they are becoming in their responses to these people. God is God, we are not. And as mentioned in the article, there are several U.S. bishops who are fanning the flames of contempt. One example is the streaming of a popular U.S. bishop calling a journalist “dangerous” to Christian ideology and calling her out by name. I recently received an email from CatholicVote.org. Inside was a “fact sheet,” a survey, and a request for donations—and I am appalled at how disparaging and slanderous the “facts” were toward our President. It states that “Joe Biden is pushing an extremist anti-Catholic abortion agenda” and “the Justice Department under Biden is refusing to investigate more than 400 attacks on Catholic churches.” The envelope is marked as a nonprofit postmark.
Whatever on earth happened to “By our love they will know that we are Christians”? Instead of leading with examples of love for fellow human beings, men, women and children, these self-proclaimed Christians lose sight of humanity. I have heard people described as demonically possessed and looking like “filth.” Unless our bishops are willing to follow the example of our Lord Jesus – and denounce this unsightly degradation – many will unwittingly succumb to this modern crusade.
LORRAINE ORTEGA
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
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Scandalous price for the National Eucharistic Congress
As an 82-year-old lifelong Catholic, I was dismayed to read that the National Eucharistic Revival is costing $14 million while the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is on hold (NCR, June 24-July 4). The Eucharistic Revival seems to be a distraction from the most pressing issues of our time, such as the deaths of more than 35,000 of our Palestinian brothers and sisters, half of whom are children, and the need to abolish nuclear weapons. Why don’t the bishops address these issues, which are so clearly pro-life, and support the CCHD financially?
ANN MARIE JUDSON
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
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