Pope John Paul II

* The Pope’s encyclical states that there is one truth and an absolute morality (Oct. 6). It rejects relativity, and in doing so rejects the possibility that people can have different opinions about what is right and wrong based on their culture and personal experiences.

It appears to me that this rejects Christ’s primary message of love. If we love our enemies as we are commanded, we will try to understand why they see issues differently than we do. While we may believe God is on our side, we need to understand that our enemies also believe that God is on their side.

ROBERT DIAMOND

Huntington Beach

* Re “The Right of Being Able to Do What We Ought,” Commentary, Oct. 6: I guess Nietzsche was wrong when he declared, “Everything absolute belongs to pathology.” At last, according to George Weigel, we can “know the right thing to do.” I would suggest to Weigel and the Pope that they read “The Grand Inquisitor” chapter in Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov.” On second thought, perhaps Nietzsche has a point.

DALE O’ NEAL

Laguna Beach

* Re “The Pope, Sex and Human Nature,” Commentary, Oct. 8: Your wide selection of contributing authors sometimes leaves me with the feeling that any subject can be obfuscated to death with “on the one hand this and on the other hand that.”

The Vatican had years to prepare, to cross check and otherwise vet this document (“Veritatis Splendor”) and Andrew Greeley shoots broad holes in it with just a few days’ notice. Well, on the one hand he did prepare himself with a scientific education and on the other hand the Vatican is pulling back from the fresh air of Vatican II. What are we to think?

DAVID L. EASTMAN

Costa Mesa