Kakki,
I'm not denying that Catholic anti-war activism occurred. What I'm
questioning is your apparent view that it was the norm, accepted by most
Catholics, or the position of the hierarchy.
I, too, was deeply influenced by "liberal" religious orders and
particular individuals within the church, especially during high school
and college. However, I had to do nothing more but return to my various
home parishes (we moved a lot during that time) during, say, holiday
break from college to realize how removed from mainstream reality most
of those experiences were.
I would say that the church now holds up the ideal of nonviolence in
some **but by no means all** situations. And your original post, I
believe, said that the Catholic church prefers to encourage its members
to respond to such tragedies as the violence of Sept. 11 by engaging in
"prayer and charity" (I'm paraphrasing). Again, that's some, but
certainly not all, of the story.
I do think we agree, as I mentioned in my post, that the
hierarchy--"church officialdom," if you like--has moved much more toward
the position previously held by individuals and groups on the fringes.
But that shift has been very, very recent within the overall history of
the church, and it has certainly not been embraced by all.
In all, I genuinely regret your feeling that your posts were being taken
issue with because you happened to write them. However, I can only
speak for myself, but I responded because what you wrote seemed, in my
experience, to be incomplete and perhaps, inaccurate.
Mary P.
