Dear Editor: I am writing to commend reader Richard Hutter (June 2). I agree with everything he said – almost.
That “Heavenly Bodies” event at The Met, however well-intentioned by the Vatican when it sent the exhibit over, was a disgrace and a gleeful attack upon Christianity in general and the Roman Catholic Church in particular. There was open and intentional mockery of Our Lord, His Blessed Mother and various saints (and angels!).
The tabloids, predictably enough, just ate it up the next day, printing full-color photos of the attackers, virtually all of them with smirks covering their faces. I was completely disgusted not only by the photos but, even more by the fact that the Church can be so distastefully attacked in this way and the tabloids obviously found it all so amusing.
As the Catholic League often points out, the only real, open prejudice still permitted in our society is anti-Catholicism. Also, let me be honest: the photograph that really broke my heart was that of the Cardinal with his arm around some movie star, having it seemed a big laugh and a wonderful time, instead of walking out of there in justifiable disgust (Maybe he didn’t see what was going on? Although that requires a really saintly effort to believe and I am not that much of a saint).
If our leaders, or for that matter, all Christian women and men, will just allow such a hideous display to occur and then say nothing, or worse, seem to shrug their shoulders at it all, then the Church has bigger problems than we think.
Mr. Hutter is not such a complacent Catholic and once again, I commend him for his courageous and bold words. The only thing with which I disagree with him was when he wrote at the end that the Blessed Mother must have to hold her Son’s hand from striking this sinful world when such an event as this happens.
No, I rather think that Mary and her Divine Son are not frowning at attacks like this. I think they’re crying. We are the ones who should be angry and, like the commendable Mr. Hutter, not keeping quiet about it at all.
FATHER ANTHONY F. RASO
Dyker Heights