To the editor:
Regarding the letter “Crime must be addressed” by Catherine Holtz, page A19, July 2005:
“‚Ķthe institutional Catholic Church ‚Ķ theologically the Catholic Church is the people, not clerics.”
Oh dear!
The institutional church is our 2,000-year-old church. It has seven sacraments. One of which is Holy Orders.
The people of God, as people of God, is not the church. The people of God is the church only when incorporated with its priests and bishops duly ordained into the sacrament of Holy Orders.
No priest, no Eucharist.
No bishop, no priest.
No priests and bishops, no sacraments.
No sacraments, no church.
“We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic church” (the Nicene Creed).
William J. McMahon
Powers Road
Cayuga
