Congratulations to the Catholic Church, whose 115 cardinals representing 157 countries with many cultural and language differences were able to select a leader in less than two days to serve more than a billion members.

Compare that accomplishment to a single country, with a highly paid Congress that has approval ratings at a record low, which cannot agree or get anything done for the people for whom they were elected to represent.

It makes one wonder about the power of prayer and serving one God as opposed to these officials serving their corporate and special interest “gods.” Maybe a little …

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Do Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan think that older Americans who currently receive Medicare benefits don’t care what happens to our children and grandchildren who are 54 and younger as long as we keep “getting ours”?

That is not only personally insulting to us as parents and grandparents, but reflects Ryan’s adherence to the writings of his idol, Ayn Rand, who he says inspired him to enter public life.

Rand equated individual wealth with success and claimed that poverty was evidence of inferiority. She opposed helping the poor because it encourages them – rather like feeding raccoons in your back …

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Barbara Gorzinski’s Your Voice opinion (TNT, 7-17) was very misleading as to the teaching and position of the Catholic Church regarding Referendum 74 and same-sex marriage.

Her representation of being a “devout” Catholic was outright fraudulent. Pursuing and engaging in behavior that is contrary to moral teachings falls far short of that which is prescribed by the church. The fact that other so-called “Catholics” might agree with her is irrelevant as concerns church doctrine.

To learn the truth of Catholic thought and teaching on this matter, visit the website of the Archdiocese of Seattle website.

Re: “No one has to work for church” (letter, 6-22).

There is one huge flaw in the letter writer’s passionate but erroneous defense of the Roman Catholic Church’s so-called right to freedom of religion. He fails to acknowledge that we all have that right.

No one says that Catholics who don’t believe in birth control have to use it. However, that same right to religious freedom prevents the church from forcing its beliefs about birth control on others. It is also barred by law from discriminating against Americans who do not share their religious beliefs. That includes denying them …

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Usually conservatives hide the differences between liberal and conservative values. But Michael Gerson (column, 6-19) freely admits how liberalism exalts the values of “equality and choice,” while conservatism seeks to conserve “exclusive, traditional … sectarian beliefs and hierarchical authority.”

But then Gerson dives into the conservative philosophical mire, stating that “liberal” government defends “individual rights against every form of oppression, public and private,” thus running roughshod over defenseless conservatives and their cherished hierarchy.

In contrast, he maintains, conservatives favor “pluralism” – government that tolerates traditional values and institutions – as long as they aren’t too offensive. So a conservative government …

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Re: “Crusade by the conservatives” (letter, 6-14).

Where do the rights of the writer stop and the rights of the Roman Catholic Church begin?

The Roman Catholic Church has been steadfast in its standards for hundreds of years longer than the writer has been alive. As a religious organization, that church has the moral right and constitutional protection from being ordered to violate a core belief. This isn’t about a woman’s right to contraceptive insurance coverage; it’s about a government action interfering in that church’s protected right to free practice without the federal government interfering or taking over.

The …

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Re: “Vatican denounces nun over book on sexuality” (TNT, 6-6).

It looks like the leaders of my church are at it again. The article stated that the Vatican office said that the book by Sister Margaret A. Farley, “Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics,” was “not consistent with authentic Catholic theology” and should not be used by Catholics.

I’m old enough to remember when the church not only told me what books not to read, but also what movies not to see under pain of sin and even not to read the Bible since as a layperson …

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I’m not sure what it is, but there seems to be something missing in the debate between Catholic leaders and our government.

In a genuine attempt to provide fair and equitable health care for all of us, the Obama administration has correctly balanced the important health issues of women with those of our male counterparts. This same consideration also focuses on care for infants and children and the need for affordable family health insurance. Surely Catholic leaders and conservative evangelicals agree with this equality.

At issue then, is religious doctrine and the “protection” of religious freedom. Extending the freedom for …

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