Letters: To honor Pope Francis’ life, pick up mantle of peace

Submit your letter to the editor via this form Read more Letters to the Editor To honor Pope Francis pick up mantle of peace Re First Latin American pontiff dies of stroke Page A April Pope Francis passing is heartbreaking especially for those of us who admired his courage to stand with Gaza As a Muslim woman I respected his deep commitment to interfaith dialogue but even more his refusal to stay silent on the suffering of Palestinians He condemned Israel s bombing of civilians called for a real ceasefire and personally reached out to Christian families in Gaza every night This is not just a moral legacy it s a call to action If we want to honor him we must demand a full ceasefire an end to the occupation and dignity for every Palestinian Sameena Usman Santa Clara Pope s legacy is sanctity not liberal politics Re First Latin American pontiff dies of stroke Page A April Though not Catholic I am saddened by the death of Pope Francis He was a voice of faith with humility and compassion and a beacon of hope to the world s poor In his economic and political philosophy the account of his career is a comment of the failure of good intentions He needed a poor Church that is for the poor However economic justice is better served by a rich society than a poor one Emphasis of charity over progress as anti-capitalism reveals the limits of substituting compassion for economic reasoning Good intentions don t justify bad results Money must serve not rule he reported in urging political reforms It didn t work His announcement that anyone building a wall to keep transients out is not Christian is absolutely correct It s an economic necessity not a religious principle Francis was a true emulation of St Francis His legacy is sanctity not political economics Fred Gutmann Cupertino Vance has forsaken his faith for power Re Vance whose views have clashed with the pope s spends Holy Week in Rome Page A April In this article converted Catholic J D Vance lectures the Vatican on Christian doctrine and charity Vance s skewed interpretation of ordo amores order of love is his rationale for mass deportations of immigrants as though his love for his family prevents him from compassion for other human beings I m glad the pope clarified the true meaning of the Catholic theology in his anti-Trump letter in February but Vance isn t going to prioritize his religious beliefs over his political ones he ll entirely rationalize his thinking Thomas Rudolph Brisbane Easter message built on shameful legacy Who could read Donald Trump s Easter message and not think he s totally undone Honestly impeachment proceedings must begin sooner rather than later We cannot withstand four years of this vitriol vengeance and pettiness It s beyond politics we re talking about the vitality and welfare of the nation if not the world If the Republicans continue to sit on their hands to protect themselves instead of this country we re doomed I fear we cannot wait for the midterm elections to right the ship Congress and the Supreme Court must act now to rein in this runaway train Trump is textbook power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely Claudia Parker San Jose Weakening CEQA is wrong path to housing Re Bills are taking aim at land use Page A April Legislators in Sacramento are trying to use the housing shortage as an excuse for weakening the California Environmental Quality Act CEQA A proposed bill SB would roll back environmental review requirements for nearly all building projects including freeways airports dams railyards shopping centers sports complexes power plants prisons and mining operations The bill s supporters claim SB will make it easier to review infill housing which means building homes in already developed areas But infill housing in cities already gets special restoration under CEQA and doesn t have to go through the usual environmental review process Instead this bill would make it easier for almost any project to avoid environmental review That s why my organization Green Foothills opposes SB Lisa Liddle Board vice president Green Foothills Los Gatos Maternal mortality is problem in Sierra Leone Every day women in Sierra Leone threat their lives to bring a new life into the world Sadly the act of giving birth becomes fatal ending their life Even with selected progress Sierra Leone remains one of the countries with the highest maternal mortality rates in the world This is an international crisis that necessities immediate attention Related Articles Letters Conditions decree offers hope against calamity Letters From the darkness of war came a glimmer of hope Letters Kamala Harris and others will be judged by courage Letters AI firms must show respect for content creators Letters Authors of environment change must pick up the tab There are myriad causes for these deaths insufficient access to qualified medical care workers economic hardship and inherent gender inequity The majority of these women reside far away from physical condition care providers making them more susceptible to death According to the National Institutes of Fitness obstetric hemorrhage was the leading cause of maternal death followed by hypertensive disorders and pregnancy-related infections We call for decisive action from the governing body foreign partners and society Maternal mortality is a human rights and national dignity matter not merely a wellbeing one Melanie Soo Millbrae