Letters to the Editor | Oct. 10, 2023

The fighting in Israel and Gaza that has shocked the world requires a clear and principled response from a Christian perspective. Violence and war are never the answer. We need to realize, Palestinians and Israelis alike, that any solution must be based on justice and not the destruction of the other party. This war was the inevitable outcome of Israel’s persistent and systematic violation of the rights of Palestinians. An unjust status quo cannot go on forever. Despite the tremendous power imbalance, Palestinian rights need to be addressed and must be considered. The current round of fighting must lead all parties to think in new terms and not be lulled again into doubling down on policies that have failed time and again. This requires that the demands of justice for the Palestinians be met.

Andrew Mills, Lower Gwynedd

A recent Inquirer article (“Many U.S. Catholics dread pope’s intentions”) sounded like the fractious behavior occurring in U.S. politics. The author quoted the extreme right faction of the church’s members who wanted to subvert the synod and embarrass the pope because some issues — ordaining female deacons, for example — may be discussed by clergy and laypeople instead of imposed by the curia. My reaction was that there are many more Catholics who are saying, “It’s about time.” The discussion on female deacons has been going on for decades, and it is based upon a practice that was actually present in the early church. The synod is a return to the ancient practice of laypeople and the hierarchy sitting down and learning how to listen to each other and God. The pope should be given some credit for trying. Maybe our country could learn from it.

Tom Volkert, Philadelphia, trvolkert@gmail.com

I’ve been an advocate turned city bureaucrat twice, once at the Public Health Department in the late ‘80s and again at the Department of Human Services in the early 2000s. I’ve always believed that if you’re going to complain about how city government works, you can’t turn away the opportunity to show how it can work better if offered the chance. Elizabeth Hersh, the outgoing director of the Office of Homeless Services, took a similar risk back in 2016 when she joined the Kenney administration. And just as I failed to stop the spread of AIDS or end child abuse in my time in government, Hersh failed to make homelessness “brief, rare, and nonrecurring” in her tenure. But she gave it her all, and today, OHS is a respected ally of those of us fighting to end homelessness through strategic investment of all too limited dollars. Hersh has reason to be proud of her accomplishments. Her leadership will be missed.

David Fair, cochair, Philly Homes 4 Youth, drfair@comcast.net

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