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September 14,
2013
Dear Editor,
We would like to
respond to the letter to the editor by Mr. Paul
Blanchard appearing in the September 6, 2013,
issue of
The Catholic Commentator.
Mr. Blanchard condemns the fact that
Catholics joined their Muslim friends for the
Muslim
Iftar meal during the season of Ramadan.
We find it ironic that Mr. Blanchard’s
letter appears in the same online issue of
The
Commentator which features an article
entitled, “Pope, Writing in Secular Newspaper,
Urges Dialogue with Non-believers.”
During
his Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square on
Sunday, August 11, 2013, Pope Francis exhorted
Muslims and Catholics to “work together.”
He extended greetings to “Muslims
throughout the world, our brothers and sisters,
who have just celebrated the end of the month of
Ramadan, which is dedicated in a special way to
fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.”
Since he became Pope, Francis has
specifically encouraged Catholics to engage in
programs fostering mutual respect of all persons
and all faiths.
The celebration at St. George was a
wonderful opportunity for those participating to
put into practice what our Pope has been
counseling.
The Catholic
church of Pope Pius XI, who is quoted by Mr.
Blanchard, may have been suited to the 1920s and
1930s.
It is refreshing and heartening to know
that Pope Francis provides enlightened
leadership in our complex contemporary world.
--Jim Bolner,
Sr.
2424 Dawson’s
Creek Lane
816 Daventry
Drive
Baton Rouge, LA
70808-3827
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