CATHOLIC: All we ask is fairness

I was quite amused to see the anti-Catholic cartoon published on page A4 of the Coeur d'Alene Press. On the very same page your paper published an editorial stressing the importance of "religious diversity," and cautioning that an opposite approach could lead to "riots, alienation and rampant discrimination." This latter phrase accurately describes the incidents of anti-Catholic bigotry that are unfortunately part of the history of the United States.

As noted in the Wikipedia website at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Catholicism:

Anti-Catholic animus in the United States reached a peak in the 19th century when the Protestant population became alarmed by the influx of Catholic immigrants. Some American Protestants, having an increased interest in prophecies regarding the end of time, claimed that the Catholic Church was the Whore of Babylon in the Book of Revelation. The resulting "nativist" movement, which achieved prominence in the 1840s, was whipped into a frenzy of anti-Catholicism that led to mob violence, the burning of Catholic property, and the killing of Catholics. For example, the Philadelphia Nativist Riot, Bloody Monday, the Orange Riots in New York City in 1871 and 1872, and the Ku Klux Klan-ridden South discriminated against Catholics. This violence was fed by claims that Catholics were destroying the culture of the United States. The nativist movement found expression in a national political movement called the Know-Nothing Party of the 1850s, which (unsuccessfully) ran former president Millard Fillmore as its presidential candidate in 1856.

Your insulting cartoon stated that the Catholic Church treats women as second-class citizens. On the contrary, it was the Catholic Church that rescued women from their state of bondage that existed in the Greco-Roman pagan world. The Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as the most venerated of all her saints. As far as exorcisms are and the male priesthood are concerned, we follow the example of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who expelled demons and chose men to be his priests. The Church unceasingly values the dignity of all human life and the Divine Law that marital acts remain open to life.

I do not expect your paper to echo all the views of the Catholic Church. However, I would ask this question - When is it ever appropriate to insult someone's religion? Your paper seems to take great pains to periodically publish articles about the Aryan Nation movement and its bigotry. A little consistency in this regard would be appreciated.

JAMES BENDELL

Post Falls