The church I love

Commonweal is to be commended for providing a forum for examining Humanae vitae's legacy. The original article by Leslie Tentler (April 23) and her exchange with John Hagen (June 4) provide telling insights into two opposing views.

That said, I found it jarring to read Hagen's description of "older Catholics, preoccupied with the battles of the late 1960s running the risk of becoming a sort of Jacobite league or Confederate veterans' association, aging and dwindling and increasingly marginalized in the life of the church." I protest this uncharitable and cruel characterization. We are not preoccupied with the past but are appreciative of the mischief occasioned by the church's past decisions. I remember the consternation that Humanae vitae caused, not only because of the prohibitions it placed on married couples, but also because it was seen by some as a call to blind obedience.

On a more personal note, as the father of a large family and grandfather of an even larger brood, I now sit helplessly in a world of young people who have become alienated from the church I love. Since Humanae vitae, the church has become largely irrelevant to them as they face the larger battles of the sexual jungle. Let's hope Catholic leaders heed Tentler's advice and "begin to speak about living the vocation of Christian marriage in the real world."

ROBERT SCHWARTZ

Silver Spring, Md.

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