Dear Editor: Re: Insider’s Look at Francis’ Vision.

Father Robert Lauder in The Tablet (July 18) rightly wrote that sex abuse scandals caused serious damage and demoralization.

Consequently, the Church moaned in uncertainty and lack of confidence as its missionary vitality languished. The consumerist secular world seized advantage to marginalize us as we spiraled toward irrelevancy.

The Church needed a bailout man – Pope Francis. While the moral decay still simmers, some Catholic university intellectuals who ought to be in solidarity with the Church are busy propounding incoherent and anti-Catholic exegesis hiding under the guise of academic freedom.

George Weigel in an article (“Progressive Catholic Authoritarianism,” July 16) decried this state of affairs.

It is absurd that many contemporary Catholic universities do not have any Catholic character built into their academic programs. Even atheists and ultra-leftist radicals are invited to give lectures to students. While this decay festers, the Pentecostals are the gainers filling their churches with the exodus from our Church.

As Father Lauder wrote, Pope Francis has started house cleaning. However, academics in ivory towers must accept that in matters of faith, only the Holy Spirit speaks for the Church and this supersedes academic pronouncement.

The Church is the pillar and foundation of God’s Truth. For the Church to regain vitality, we all must re-visit the mission of the Church i.e., to preach Christ crucified and resurrected and to live the gospel of love and social justice as Francis advocates.

VICTOR ENEMUO

Jamaica