To the editor:

The Take a stand article by Mary Loveland on Oct. 28 misrepresented the intent and content of the Archbishops’ letter regarding faithful citizenship and living the Gospel of life. The intent was to help Catholics understand the ethical dimensions of public policy issues and to evaluate the moral importance of some issues in comparison to others. It endorses neither political party nor candidate.

Perhaps filling in the blanks that were left out of the letter will help. “However, there are some issues that are intrinsically evil for which there can be no authentic moral justification or defense. It is always wrong for a Catholic legislator to support public policies that permit or promote such intrinsic evils and similarly a Catholic voter cannot in good conscience vote for candidates who support such public policies. Legalized abortion and euthanasia cannot be morally justified, because they permit and promote an intrinsic evil — the killing of innocent human life. Similarly, fetal stem cell research and human cloning can never be morally justified because they involve the killing of innocent human life and manifest a disregard for the dignity of the human person.”

The letter addresses the complexity of issues, but is not new teaching. Access the six paragraph letter at www.theleaven.com/archives/aug04.html#letter.

Ms. Loveland received a letter from Catholic bishops at a Catholic church after a Catholic Mass. The bishops were fulfilling their pastoral obligation to help inform the consciences of the faithful. No one told her how to vote. It is mistaken to suggest otherwise.

Michael Murray,

Lawrence