To the Editor:
God bless Bishop Thomas J. Tobin! His November 1 column, “Why You Should Worry About Gay Marriage” is the kind of clear and direct teaching that we Catholics need to hear from all of our bishops when matters of faith and morality are in question.
One of the unintended consequences of the Second Vatican Council was a nearly complete loss of Catholic identity among both the laity and the clergy. To hear some bishops and priests speak on “controversial” issues one would think they were politicians or corporate executives, so smoothly do they avoid taking a stand that might hurt someone’s feelings.
Bishop Tobin’s forthright statements are exactly what we should expect from our bishops — the successors of the Apostles - charged with teaching, sanctifying, and governing the Catholic faithful.
As Catholics, we are all called to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, and admonish the sinner; but these are especially a part of the bishop’s teaching duties.
A faithful bishop will inevitably offend some people, just as our Lord did during his earthly sojourn.
Thank God for a shepherd whose priority is the salvation of souls rather than the adulation of the secular world.
Allen M. Maynard
North Carver, Mass.
