Celebrate, don't denigrate
Jacqueline Powers Doud, president emerita, Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles
One of the cheapest forms of praise is the denigration of one person to elevate another. John Allen’s article in the June 13 issue contrasting the current pope with his immediate predecessor is one such example.
Allen, typically unbiased, imputes gravity to a series of stylistic, unimportant differences between the two popes during the initial weeks of their papacies. Instead, should we not celebrate the unique gifts of two remarkable pontiffs?