Letters: Jan. 20, 2003

(3 of 3)

Kudos to O'Neill. It's good to know there are still some high-ranking public officials whose integrity can't be bought. HENRY PENNYMON Orlando, Fla.

The Vatican Doesn't Get It

Barring homosexuals from the priesthood will not stop the admission of pedophiles into its ranks [NOTEBOOK, DEC. 16]. And blaming the media, as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger did, is akin to shooting the messenger. If not for the press and public outrage, this horrendous cycle of sexual abuse would certainly have continued at the expense of the innocent. Will parishioners have to wait hundreds of years for the church to recognize the truth, as did Galileo for his empirically sound observation that the earth revolves around the sun? SCOTT HAMMING Roswell, Ga.

I was appalled by the Vatican's response to the sexual-abuse scandals. For the church to blame both the media and gays demonstrates how out of touch with reality it is and helps explain how such a tragedy could occur. As leaders of their church, the Cardinals should be showing how to take responsibility, not blaming others for priests' transgressions. MARY ELLEN BEEBE Manitowoc, Wis.

Filmic Review

Kudos to your critic Richard Corliss, who obviously took the spirit of the new, single-take movie Russian Ark into account when composing his review [HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW, Dec. 23]. I couldn't help noticing that his entire 246-word capsule was a single sentence. MARK MOSRIE Knoxville, Tenn.