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Re Andrew Sullivan's essay "Showdown At The Communion Rail" [May 24]: As a Roman Catholic, I was appalled to learn that some bishops would actually withhold Communion from believers because of their views on abortion. One would hope that the upper echelons of the church hierarchy would have learned tolerance by now and ceased engaging in petty political machinations. Has the church come to terms with the numerous allegations of sexual abuse of young boys by priests? Is it possible that all priests who are giving or taking Communion are without sin? I think not. Withholding a sacrament from a Catholic because that person's political beliefs are deemed not worthy is totally against the teachings of Christ. ANNE-MARIE MASSE Pierrefonds, Que.
Wow, it's been 2,000 years, and the Catholic Church still doesn't understand Jesus. The bishops should keep in mind that Jesus preached tolerance toward all. Everyone was invited to his dinner. When the bishops preach about the sanctity of life, they must remember the church's teaching of tolerance. MARIUS RENN Kaiserslautern, Germany
Chalabi's Woes
Re "From Friend To Foe" [May 31], about the U.S. investigation of its formerly favored Iraqi Ahmad Chalabi: The Bush Administration would have us believe that Chalabi duped us Americans into going to war against Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein and into thinking he had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that posed an imminent threat. Anyone who believes that is playing into the Administration's hands. Chalabi provided a convenient justification for a war that was being urged by Bush advisers. The blame for the unfortunate misadventure in Iraq lies squarely with the Bush team, and accusing Chalabi of providing false information is disingenuous. It is just one more example of the Bush Administration's penchant for not accepting responsibility for its mistakes. FEROZ TALYARKHAN New York City
Either the Bush Administration used sketchy intelligence from a source who could benefit enormously from an Iraq without Saddam to justify sending America to war, or the Administration was too stupid to realize that Chalabi and his Iraqi National Congress might have ulterior motives. Neither scenario makes me feel better about Bush's ability to lead our military and our country. The President did not care how he got us into Iraq as long as we went in. Chalabi gave Bush the perfect justification with his false intelligence about WMD. Bush and his buddies got their way, and we are left with a rising death toll, an astronomical deficit and an even more dangerous Middle East. KRYSTA FILIACI Louisville, Ky.
Unconventional Ideas