Evidence, please.

While Commonweal prints some fine articles, articles that would benefit the whole church, it has a reputation of being little more than a reactionary voice against any authoritative voice in the church. Unless you have concrete information that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith did in fact "force" Reese to resign--which is contrary to a statement from the Jesuit spokesperson saying that Reese made the decision to step down--your editorial stands as nothing more than ecclesiastical gossip. If you have evidence of a forced resignation, present it. The reports that I have read indicate that Reese realized with Ratzinger elevated to the papacy, it would be best to allow new leadership to come in and start anew. That happens all the time in the church and in the business world. But it is hardly as grave as you make it sound.

STEPHEN DUFFIN

Santa Ana, Calif.

THE EDITORS REPLY:

John Allen's May 13 "Word from Rome," available on the National Catholic Reporter's Web site (www.natcath.com) clears up the misconception--put forth by Rev. Richard John Neuhaus among others ("Thinking with the Church," Boston Globe, May 16)--that Reese's removal was solely an internal Jesuit affair. "What has confused some observers," Allen wrote, "is whether or not the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith actually sent a letter demanding that Reese resign, and to what extent then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger ... was personally involved in these discussions. Based on conversations with senior Jesuit sources in Rome May 11, I can confirm that a letter was indeed sent by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the early months of 2005, before Ratzinger's election as pope, to [Jesuit Superior General Peter-Hans] Kolvenbach. I have not seen the letter, and therefore I do not know if it contained a direct order to remove Reese, or if it was a more vague expression of a desire to see a change in direction at America. The Jesuit sources said, however, that the thrust of the letter was clear--that Reese's position was no longer tenable." Other independent sources have corroborated this version of the events.