Catholic Exclusion

Your recent article said Catholics have been calling Protestants “brothers and sisters” for the past 30 years, and now this amenity is being revoked by John Paul II. Last fall, Eunice Kennedy Shriver (noted Catholic humanitarian, the late President’s sister) and others produced the network TV movie “Mary, Mother of Jesus.” Mary was not depicted as Madonna with halo or co-Redemptrix with Jesus. I was surprised at the endearing concessions made to Protestants, such as Mary chiding her mother that she, Mary, was not perfect. Mary appeared more as a bewildered suffering servant of God, sad and depressed over the slain babies of Bethlehem, for instance.

I agree with your writer that it is sad that the Pope drew the hard line of exclusion. Shriver was reaching out in the name of unity. This latest decree of the Pope’s inhibits the other Catholics now.

And isn’t it odd that we will miss their reaching out to us? The sharing and edification offered by Mrs. Shriver warmed my heart.

Betty Zimmerle Smith
Killen, Ala.