Mother Church slow to react, but not absent

Growing up, my strong-willed Australian father would always comment, “Anti-Catholicism is the longest standing prejudice in history. It almost always goes unquestioned and overlooked.” As a young girl, I never paid much attention because frankly I did not know enough about my faith to care. Now, though, as a 21-year-old former student of a Jesuit Catholic university, and newcomer to Indiana University, I understand exactly what he meant all of those years. I especially understand the anti-Catholicism he was talking about after I read the commentary by Anna Piontek on Pope Benedict and the 10 Commandments of Driving (“Pope Benedict the Defender,” July 12).\nSo many cheap shots were taken in this editorial that I barely know where to start, and I am positive I will not be able to address them all in my 350-word limit. However, most importantly, I would like to defend the dignity of the long-standing and hardly archaic Catholic Church. Sure, the 10 Commandments of Driving seem a bit out of place, but if Ms. Piontek would like, I would be willing to show her that it is not at all out of the ordinary to talk about seemingly commonsense topics. The Catholic Church attempts to humbly address all matters of the world. While (the Church) has not necessarily stayed up-to-date on every single contemporary issue, She has been one of the leading (responders) to almost all world crises. Catholic Charities is just one of the many ministries that takes on modern issues in offices such as Racial Equality and Diversity, Children’s Health Matters and Child Trafficking, which focuses on the illegal trafficking of children inside the U.S. and around the world.\nFurthermore, in regards to Ms. Piontek’s comment, “For the brief historical moment, the Church genuflected to its lay people.” Well, Ms. Piontek, the Church IS its lay people. We are the Church and yes, the dissolution of the Tridentine Mass did make it more personal to believers, but it was not made illicit. Pope Benedict’s decision to revive the Tridentine Mass only makes Mass more personal and inspirational for those who find Latin prayerful and may even understand the language. As relativists know, what is right for one person may not be right for another. So, I challenge you to extend that idea to even – gasp – the Catholic Church. Even though we do not agree with relativism, we at least have the respect to avoid insults and small cheap shots. You may not agree with Pope Benedict’s ideas, but he is a world leader who, if nothing else, deserves civil respect just as you or I do.