For some time The Day has had the Catholic Church in its crosshairs. Over the past several years, just prior to the major Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter, your newspaper hase trotted out denigrating articles about the Catholic Church; most recently the alleged abuse by priests. On Easter Sunday, there was nary a mention of this, the greatest of Christian holidays, nor of the hope and promise that the risen Christ represents to mankind. How many Catholics and Christians readers would you say you overlooked?

Christ teaches us to turn the other cheek. However, you seem to take that as an invitation to continue to lash out. It is both offensive and disturbing. Where is your balance? Where are the stories of the great personal sacrifice that Catholics and the Catholic clergy made while protecting thousands of our Jewish brethren during the holocaust? What about the great good that Catholic Charities does for people of all denominations? (It was worthy of air time by 60 Minutes on Sunday, April 28.) Where is your coverage of the tens of thousands of Christians (many of them Catholic) throughout the world who are being brutalized and murdered by extremist groups? How about articles on priests who, for decades, have faithfully served the moral and spiritual needs of our communities; prominent among them are names like Paul St. Onge, Joseph Castaldi and Mark O'Donnell?

Where are those stories?

With respect to the aforementioned clerical abuse: While Christ teaches us to forgive, most Catholics are sick and angry about the abuse; particularly the abuse of the innocent by someone in a position of authority and trust. Both those guilty of the crime as well as those who attempted to mask it ultimately will have to answer to a higher authority. God help them. Meanwhile, the rest of us remain frustrated, particularly by our inability to undo the damage as well as deal with those who would inflict such unconscionable harm.

However, to damn the entire Catholic Church for the actions of the few is flawed thinking and just plain wrong. In the words of Father Joseph Castaldi, “We are here to help, not to harm.” You would do well to listen to one of his homilies and tailor your newspaper coverage accordingly.

In the interim, when laying out your Sunday edition and exercising your editorial opinion, please give more consideration to the timing and importance of religious holidays and please show some respect for the faith of those of us who follow Roman Catholicism, and who believe. 

Louis Camerota lives in Waterford.