A Letter to the Editor

Tonight I submitted a "Letter to the Editor" to my local paper, the Lexington Herald-Leader. I wrote this because I found the Sunday cartoon insulting to me and all Catholics. Any person of faith should be offended that this is acceptable commentary in our culture.

The cartoon in question is currently on the top of this page: Joel Pett's Cartoon. I don't know if this page changes (I'm guessing it does) but the cartoon shows a woman entering a clinic carrying a box of toe-tags while the Pope tries to stop her. A cemetary is in the background and you can see very sick people in the clinic. Obviously it's a commentary on the Pope's remarks about condom use during his recent trip to Africa. If I can find this cartoon somewhere else at a more permanent URL, I post it in the comments section.

Here is the text of my letter to the paper:

Joel Pett has offended all practicing Catholics with his insulting cartoon of March 23. The cartoon depicts Pope Benedict XVI confronting a woman entering a clinic. It implies that our Holy Father would rather that people die than be allowed to use condoms. This is a horrible depiction of the Catholic Church, an institution that has continuously upheld the culture of life.

For centuries Catholicism has condemned all forms of birth control, whether that is condoms, artificial contraception, or sterilization. This is not a new teaching; it’s as old as the Church, a 2000 year old institution. Yes, HIV/AIDs is a problem in Africa and in many other parts of the world. But throwing condoms at the problem is not going to solve the problem. Education is needed to put a stop to the crime of rape and we need to emphasize that sex is for the institution of marriage only.

As a practicing Catholic, I find Pett’s cartoon insulting to me and all other Catholics. Why does Pett feel free to insult Catholics? Would he have been as insulting to Judaism or Islam? I am betting not. Why is it okay to insult Catholicism and the Pope but not any other major world religion? Oh yes, I forgot, it’s politically incorrect to insult Judaism or Islam, but Catholics and Christians are okay. It’s time that some respect was shown to ALL peoples of faith and an apology is owed for this recent insult.

I only read the Sunday paper, so if you happen to see this in the paper during the week, please let me know. I'm curious to see if they actually print it. I wish I could have said more, but there was a 250 word limit.

However I know that with Pett as the Herald-Leader cartoonist, there will be many more opportunities.