FATHER BORRELLI'S decision to abandon the priesthood (Nov. 20) seems to be yet another example of the confusion of thought of which even good men are capable at the present time. When he became a priest he did not dedicate his life to the local curia, or to any particular section of Christ's flock but to Christ himself, to become an "alter Christus," offering sacrifice for the living and the dead and proclaiming the truth that makes us free. It was in the course of his ministry that charity drove him to identify Christ with the poor and the disinherited. Why then today does he wish to establish or reinforce a dichotomy between the sacred and the secular'? He complains of the structures of the Church and yet he seems to believe that a better society can be built by changing structures rather than by changing hearts. The injustices in Italian society are created or tolerated by those who are for the most part members of the Church. Must we no longer believe in evangelization? The social scientists are but a poor substitute for the evangelists and the prophets we need to remind men of the Judgement and call them to repentance so that seeking the Kingdom of God and His justice they will indeed build a better earthly city.
Alexandra 7aina (Mks) University of Liverpool.
IAM deeply at the arrogance of those who demand from Fr. Mario Borrelli an explanation of his application for laicisation. Fr. Barrettes personal decisions are his affair; he is not obliged to explain himself to the many who, though admiring him, would not have the courage to give themselves totally to others as he has done. Whether as priest or Christian layman, Fr. Borrelli is both an example and a spur to all Christians. -By his request for laicisation, he has in fact given us another shake out of our complacency. M. P. Ward (Mrs.) Nottingham.