Kirkpatrick’s Attack on Bishop

Unlike columnist Jeane Kirkpatrick (Editorial Pages, May 18), “Not Every Corner of Life Is a Playing Field for Politics,” as a Roman Catholic I am proud of the U.S. Catholic bishops for their public opposition to the Reagan Administration’s policies on nuclear arms and support for the Nicaraguan contras.

I am even prouder of Rockville Center, N.Y., Bishop John R. Gann for having the courage to tell 350 mourners at the funeral of former CIA director William Casey--with President Reagan sitting in the front pew--that these policies are ethically marred.

Kirkpatrick falsely assumes that religion and politics are independent domains and chastises Bishop McGann for politicizing religion. In its nonpartisan sense, politics means concern for the common good (cf. Aristotle) and cannot therefore be separated from the private or personal. What Bishop McGann did, as all good religious people should do, was to acknowledge that ethical questions are integral to every sphere of human life.

PAT RIEF

Los Angeles