Archbishop Roger Mahony
Archbishop Roger Mahony of Los Angeles started a boycott campaign against sex-oriented films, books, journals, etc. (Part I, July 12). Personally, I am not interested in that type of material. I feel, however, that this is a free country and if people want to buy that trash, that is their right as free citizens.
For centuries the Catholic Church had a list of forbidden books that the faithful should not read. In the past no book could be printed in Catholic countries without church permission. This list included Galileo, Copernicus, John Locke (the philosopher whose writings had an influence on those who drew up the American Constitution).
Hitler started by burning books and finished by burning people. Let us not start censorship in a free society.
MARIO LEVI
Riverside
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