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George Weigel writes (CR, Nov. 20) about “The Two Americas.” He, of course, is talking about the two major political parties which campaigned on the issues that he refers to and the supporters of each party. Most Catholics, and millions of others, are concerned about the issues Mr. Weigel raises, but with others as well. The reason such choices for voters were so difficult is that neither candidate had views which were totally consistent with what those voters wanted or with church beliefs. There was support for abortion and embryonic stem cell research on the one side, and support for pre-emptive and hence unjust war and indifference to the gap between the rich and the rest of our citizens on the other. Do we ignore those issues in selecting a president and vote based solely on the issues of abortion and embryonic stem cell research? Clearly, many Catholic voters did not.

Having read reports about the schools crisis, I can only reflect on my own experience in Catholic education, both as a student and a teacher. As a student, I attended Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Highlandtown. The eight years there set me on my spiritual and intellectual journey. The School Sisters of Notre Dame and the lay teachers taught with passion; subjects came alive under their tutelage. I spent nearly 20 years teaching at Our Lady of Pompei and Our Lady of the Rosary high schools. Like Sacred Heart of Jesus School, they are now defunct. I urge all Catholic educators, particularly those who work with “at risk” students to voice their concerns and, at all costs, do not desert our schools, for life isn’t fair and the church may be a business, but God is good.

When it comes to human sexuality, many young people view the Catholic Church as an institution which dishes out stern looks and finger-wags on top of daunting edicts.

LOS ANGELES – In a message to homosexual Catholics in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and the six auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese said the recent vote in California defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman “does not diminish in any way (your) importance” nor “lessen your personal dignity and value as full members of the body of Christ.”

VATICAN CITY – A leading Vatican diplomat called for better protection of religious freedom in the face of increasing acts of violence and discrimination against Christians and members of other religions.