An Open Letter to the Holy Father from Frank Lingo

Dear Pope Francis,

I take pride in your Jesuitness (I’m sure that’s a word) because I did time in a Jesuit penile institution known as Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. But they released me early for bad behavior.

I can’t get through to Jesus on His private line. All I get is a message that says, “Thanks for calling Heaven. Your call is important to Jesus. Your approximate hold time is eternity.” So is it okay if I discuss my concerns with you, since you are the Representative of Christ on Earth?

Holy Father, I’ve wanted to ask Jesus about this for a long time: Is lust really such a bad thing? Does it belong in the same category of Mortal Sin with murder, robbery and having False Gods before Him? That False Gods one is iffy, because some people, like my Irish ancestors, worshipped trees and didn’t know better.

Lust could be de-sinalized (sure, that’s a word) for several reasons. First, it’s a natural instinct to have sex but it’s highly inconvenient to join in the bonds of Holy Matrimony with every babe who causes guys to have impure thoughts. Second, assuming there’s no force involved, does anyone really get hurt by acts of lust? Third, what’s up with the very thought of lust being a sin? That seems like Soviet Union mind control. And last, when almost everybody experiences it at one time or another (and another and another), it seems like an unenforceable rule.

Holy Pontiff, why does the Church ban birth control? Up to 98% of American Catholic women use birth control. Some old Vatican priests will say America is going to Hell in a hot rod, but it can’t feel good to know the Church’s dictates are almost entirely ignored. As the Third World goes modern, women there will surely take charge of their reproduction. Is preserving paternalism worth the cost of lost credibility? With the world over-populated, can’t women plan their families without interference by old men from afar?

Before I seem too critical, thank you for your fair-minded comments about gays, where I believe you said, “Who am I to judge?” That’s a refreshing change from the age-old cruel condemnations of gay folks for a sexual orientation that is not of their choosing.

That brings me to the pedophile priests. Your heartfelt apology to the victims was a start, but this abuse goes way back. Dismissing it as isolated incidents defies the truth that thousands of priests have perpetrated this trauma on hundreds of thousands of children in many countries. When your predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, was still Cardinal Ratzinger, he made it his mission to protect the pedophiles and cover up their crimes. Surely, these sins against children and the Church’s cover-ups require reparations.

Holy Father, I appreciate your leadership on issues of peace and justice. You have asked for humans to stop the abuse of our Earth that has caused global warming. And you have encouraged the developed countries of the world to care for refugees and immigrants. With vast numbers of people still living in poverty and under authoritarian regimes, thanks for speaking truth to power.

That’s why I was so disappointed in your condemnation of the movement to legalize marijuana. And we’re back to unenforceable laws. The War on Drugs has been waged for decades and has just enriched the murderous cartels. Marijuana has been readily available throughout this war, police corruption is rampant in every country involved, and all the fuss is over a medicinally useful herb that is less harmful than the legal drugs of tobacco and alcohol. And how is using an herb, even if just for fun while harming no one else, deserving of imprisonment where brutal beatings and gang rapes await the “criminal?”

There is also the issue of gender equality. If the Church serves to provide spiritual guidance and comfort for all, shouldn’t it join the modern era and grant women equal rights? I can remember when women had to wear a head covering to Mass, presumably to keep a lid on their wickedness. But now what reason is there to deny women the priesthood?

For that matter, what problem is there with priests being married? If a priest from another faith who is married converts to Catholicism, the Church allows the wonders of wedlock. Why not let priests live a natural life? It could attract men with normal sexual urges, instead of ones with a need to abuse children.

Well, Pope Francis, that’s about all I wanted to say right now. Please give my best to Jesus.

Your faithful follower,

Frank Lingo

Lawrence, Kansas USA

Frank Lingo is a former columnist for the Kansas City Star and author of the novel “Earth Vote”. Email: lingofrank@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, April 1, 2020

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