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Consider theft, two issues. A trangression against God by violating a commandment. Also a transgression against the individual, which requires a both a sincere, secular apology and reimbursement. As a condition of addressing the religious issue. I recognize the role of Confession (should I have capitalized that?) for a Catholic, and wasn't addressing the religious component of the equasion, I'm not that interested in addressing the differences, rather the secular responsibility to the victim.

Dear SJackson,

"Consider theft, two issues. A transgression against God by violating a commandment. Also a transgression against the individual, which requires a both a sincere, secular apology and reimbursement."

From a Catholic perspective, if you stole some money, you'd have to return the money to its rightful owner, if you could. However, that's a pretty concrete kind of thing, and what constitutes restitution is pretty obvious. From a Catholic perspective, however, what would constitute "restitution" in this case is not at all clear.

"(should I have capitalized that?)"

I don't find it offensive if folks don't. I tend to capitalize the sacraments when I name them, and I capitalize the word "Mass" when referring to our principal liturgy.

Anyway, the reason why I linked to the other article was not to get into it with either Mr. Foxman or Mr. Donahue, but because the link reported the view of a Catholic priest regarding Mr. Gibson's apology, which seemed to indicate that, from a Catholic perspective, his apology was adequate and acceptable. Here's the money quote:

"I asked Father Tom Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, to respond to Foxman's statement on the Gibson arrest. Father Euteneuer's response is as follows:"

'Mr. Foxman claims that Mel Gibson did not give a "proper apology." Can this man ever be satisfied?

"Gibson said that he disgraced himself and his family by his behavior and apologized for his anti-Semitic remarks which, by his admission, he spoke in an altered state and does not believe to be true. And that's not enough?

"According to Catholic principles Mel exhibited all the elements of a proper reconciliation: contrition with a firm purpose of amendment, confession and (he is in the process of doing) penance.

"The greatest penance is that this all came out in the public forum: Foxman and the ADF should get off his back."

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