Posted on 03/21/2008 10:36:38 AM PDT by fproy2222
Against the backdrop of Easter, Bishop Arthur Tafoya is asking regional Catholics to be forgiving toward the three young Mormon missionaries who took part in mocking the All Saints Chapel and the Shrine of the Mexican Martyrs in San Luis.
Tafoya, bishop of the Pueblo diocese, has issued an Easter letter in response to the recently discovered photos from 2006 in which three young Mormon men were shown acting very disrespectfully at the Shrine of Mexican Martyrs and in the All Saints Chapel. In one photo, for example, a young man is shown handling the broken head of a statue at the shrine. Whether he broke the statue is still undetermined.
Officials with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publicly have apologized to the San Luis community for the actions of the three young men in the photos, but hard feelings have lingered over the violation of the local chapel and shrine.
In an Easter letter released to The Pueblo Chieftain on Tuesday, Tafoya said Mormon officials have apologized both to San Luis residents and to him personally for the disrespectful actions of the young missionaries.
"I ask that we as Catholics, who believe in the forgiveness of Christ, will ourselves forgive, and pray for the young men who showed such a lack of tolerance and understanding," Tafoya wrote in his letter. "I especially ask the members of the San Luis community to help the healing process by removing any anger that exists in their hearts. This is the time that we can show our love of Christ by forgiving and loving our neighbors."
Whether the young men will ever be charged with criminal conduct is still to be determined. Costilla County Sheriff Gilbert Martinez said Wednesday the investigation into the incident continues. Neither law enforcement nor Mormon officials will release their names.
©1996-2008The Pueblo Chieftain Online
I recommend pinging him the next time you plan on reading his mind.
You said to the other poster: “I recommend pinging him the next time you plan on reading his mind.”
I planned on reading your mind but it did not work. But here is a “Ping” anyways. Consider it a gift! Happy Easter to you and your loved ones.
Discuss the issues all you want, but do NOT make it personal. Attributing motives and other forms of reading minds is “making it personal.”
“The youths were missionaries for the church, specifically, they were acting as authorized representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter-Day Saints.”
NO
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