I am a Catholic priest and have been reading the Western Recorder since 1966. I have always appreciated your dynamic evangelism and strong pro-life stance.

In the Nov. 15 issue of the Western Recorder, you printed a book review, “The Unfinished Reformation” by Allison and Castaldo. I loved their sense of urgency concerning dialogue between our Churches. There was a time when we did have a Scholars’ Dialogue as well as representatives from the Southern Baptist Convention and the Catholic Bishop’s Interreligious Committee traveling together throughout the south, visiting Baptist and Catholic churches and talking about what Catholics and Southern Baptists believe. I was disappointed to see those initiatives come to an end.

However, there is one comment in the review that has to do with “justification by faith.” I can honestly say that it is bedrock Roman Catholic teaching that we are “saved by grace through faith.” This is the official teaching of the Catholic Church, sanctioned by the Church’s highest teaching authority and mandated to be taught in seminaries.* In other words, the very issue that divided Catholics and Protestants at the time of the Protestant Reformation no longer exists.

Anthony Shonis

Henderson, Ky.

*Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, 1999