Pope’s Message
- Share via
The 7th Encyclical of Pope John Paul II accuses the “two superpowers of the betrayal of humanity” (Part I, Feb. 20). I am astounded that the Pope compares the United States and the Soviet Union as equal evils in the world.
Surely, he has forgotten that after World War II our money and supplies, “crass materialism” as he calls it, were used to rebuild Europe, including even former enemy countries such as Italy, which remains a free nation surrounding the Vatican itself.
This outpouring of life-giving materials and skills from the citizens of the United States to the rest of the war-destroyed world was the greatest magnanimous gift from one country to other nations in the history of the world.
Compare our compassionate past to that of the Pope’s other equated evil, the Soviet Union: While the United States was ensuring life and freedom, the Soviet Union was erecting armed border walls and forcing surrounding free countries into captive surrender by the use of Soviet tanks and guns.
These walls still stand. The captive countries remain enslaved. Freedom of the press is unknown.
For Pope John to equate our altruistic, glorious country to that of the Soviet Union is an error of the highest magnitude.
GEORGE WOOD
Malibu
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
