Vive Le Canadiens

Butch Modzelewski plays the bagpipes Friday during his lunch

Reader refutes Ratzinger claims
In view of the constant barrage of accusations being leveled against Pope Benedict XVI, I think it is only fair that The Times Leader print the rebuttal written by Cardinal William Levada, as it appeared in Catholic San Franciso&rsquo;s Online Edition. 
Regarding the Milwaukee case, Cardinal Levada makes the following points:
&#8226; The abuses allegedly occurred between 1950 and 1974. Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee did not report anything to Rome until 20 years later, in 1996.
&#8226; The police in Milwaukee were informed about the suspected abuse by Father Lawrence Murphy, but, as Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times writes, Murphy &ldquo;got a pass from the police and prosecutors who ignored reports from his victims.&rdquo;
&#8226; The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of which Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was named head during the pontificate of John Paul II, was assigned authority to deal with abuse cases only in 2001.
&ldquo;Only when it learned that Father Murphy was dying did the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith suggest to Archbishop Weakland that the canonical trial be suspended, since it would involve a lengthy process of taking testimony from a number of deaf victims from prior decades, as well as from the accused priest,&rdquo; Levada writes. The congregation did propose that appropriate restrictions on Father Murphy&rsquo;s ministry be taken. 
&#8226; Cardinal Levada received a letter from the presiding judge in the canonical trial of Father Murphy. This judicial vicar said he never received any communication about suspending the trial, and would not have agreed to suspend it. By that time, Father Murphy was dead.
As Cardinal Levada remarks, the congregation&rsquo;s suggestion that a lengthy canonical trial of a dying man be suspended can charitably be interpreted as a concern not to needlessly put the victims through a long and distressing process that would be interrupted by the natural death of the accused himself.
In light of the evidence presented in Cardinal Levada&rsquo;s letter, it is grossly unjust to Joseph Ratzinger&rsquo;s reputation to insinuate that he was a heartless bureaucrat knowingly covering up horrible crimes.
 
I insist that this information be printed as one step toward making restitution for the reckless calumnies committed against Joseph Ratzinger&rsquo;s reputation (e.g., the &ldquo;deaf boy&rdquo; cartoon in the April 5 edition of The Times Leader).
Try other ways  to select judges
With regard to election versus appointment of county judges, I agree with Luzerne County President Judge Thomas Burke up to a point (April 22).
However, I do believe future county judges should not have to endure down-and-dirty campaigns that we&rsquo;ve witnessed. Many times, vast amounts of time and money are used to sway an electorate.
Potential judges should be spared the headache of running through such a political gauntlet. The time and money could be better spent in other areas, such as jurisprudence.
I would prefer a statewide, blue-ribbon commission of citizens appointed by the governor to oversee any and all nominations, leading to subsequent appointment by the governor for all county judgeships throughout Pennsylvania.
If that didn&rsquo;t happen, I would settle for legalized campaign spending limits for future county judgeships.
Enforce existing immigration law
What immigration policy should the United States pursue? None!
We have rules, laws and policies already in place that would actually work if implemented, but instead we have public officials who look the other way. Sadly, self-interest has tied up the long arm of the law.
Wealthy people use and abuse the illegal immigrants for their profits, and politicians see these illegal immigrants as potential future votes. 
My parents came from Greece and they followed the laws, as did others. Now they are American citizens and proud of it, because they did it the right and hard way. They earned it. So why should immigrants now get a free pass? 
I do feel for the plight of those who are suffering. But we must realize that all of these illegal immigrants are draining our resources. We need to worry about the future of our nation.
Reader recalls memories of mom
Soft memories of my mother made refreshingly clear, by thought of love, time and time again, just as the Earth is refreshed by a gentle summer rain, loving memories of another time another place, but looking to the future in God&rsquo;s loving grace not to see my mother as soft memories, but to see her face to face.
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Reader refutes Ratzinger claims In view of the constant barrage of