Letter to Fr. Manning

Dear Father Manning:

I have recently come across your blog with parishworld.net, and wrote up a critique of one of your articles on works and salvation, submitted to my friends at Parishworld.net and my friends in this diocese, as well as my parish priest. We have had a lively discussion about it, and have come to the conclusion that you and I simply have two very different audiences. So, I did a bit of poking around and found your parishworld site that has your video archive. I very much enjoyed your recent interview with Father Justin Rose, since I have attended the Divine Liturgy at his church three times so far. Today, I was very much interested in the topic:

Down with Domination
9/5/2007
Rosemary Radford Ruether, Theologian, Writer How are patriarchal exploitation of women and ecomonic [sic] exploitation of the Earth related?

I was not interested because I agree with the thesis, quite the contrary, but I wanted to hear what she had to say. Since I like to multi-task, I did a Google search of this “theologian”, and found some very discomforting information about her. Attached to this letter is a copy of the document which I read, which outlines Reuther’s career, which seems to have a consistent theme of undermining the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church, most especially in Her teachings on abortion and contraception. Even "liberal Catholics" are against abortion, and so it has frustrated me to learn of what she stands for. I am leading a small group of young adult Catholics who will be praying for an end of abortion on October 13 at the Inland Center Mall, and these same friends are going through a period of fasting for the same cause. I understand that the topic of the television broadcast was not on this issue, but it nevertheless featured such a poor example of a "Catholic theologian", or any theologian for that matter for any allegedly Christian denomination.

I believe your ministry is an incredible witness to the world of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is why I would encourage your staff to be more scrutinizing of the personalities Wordnet productions chooses to feature on your program. If for no other reason than avoiding being the victim of “guilt by association”, please consider my request.

God Bless your ministry.

Instaurare Omnia In Christo,


Laurence A. Gonzaga
Catechist / Catholic Apologist