By the book

The following letter to the editor of the Scranton Times Tribune appeared January 23, 2009:

By the book

Editor:

In a Jan. 16 letter regarding the state of our Catholic diocese, Ted Prusinski used my name several times as the lone voice of opposition to the bishop. I wrote a letter in response to one from a gentleman who believed that, if you questioned the bishop, you had no place in our local churches.

Mr. Prusinski questions my ability to teach catechism and insults the content of the materials. He practically accuses me of using a CCD classroom to push a political agenda that is non-Catholic. This is beyond offensive, as I only use the text I am provided by the Scranton Diocese. In it, there are chapters, and an entire section: “What Every Catholic Should Know.” I use one chapter and one piece of that section per class. One of those excerpts addresses the exact Catholic position on the formation of unions. He suggests anyone with a different opinion about our local diocese needs “to do some research,” but how do you insult dissenters when they have done the research?

To deny that there is a problem in our local diocese might work for these gentlemen. And it might work for others who truly believe that the people who care enough about what is happening here, and who question it, are the real problem.

I am saddened by the closings, by the mass exodus of my friends and family members from the Catholic churches in Scranton. I care enough about it to try to understand it. And I will continue to defend people who get slammed in print for questioning this regime, often at my own personal expense.

Our churches should be places of comfort. That has not been the case recently. I’ll close with what I often tell my CCD kids: Jesus would never tell anyone she was not welcome in his father’s house. And none of us should, either.

Jen Edsell
Scranton