Tips for writing to the Vatican, bishops and priests

Here are tips for writing to the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei“, or the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or the the Congregation for Divine Worship, (or any other office of the Holy See) or to the Apostolic Nuncio, or to your bishop, or even parish priest:

  • DON’T.
  • Unless of course you have something nice to say that Hallmark can help you phrase, like “Happy Ordination Anniversary”, “Happy Birthday”, “Thank You”, “Congratulations.”
  • Enclose cash, a check, or a money order payable to the recipient if it seems important to you that your accompanying message is actually read.

In summary, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything. Unless someone has physically or emotionally abused you or your children, it’s not your problem. If someone has physically or emotionally abused your family, contact your local law enforcement agency, who will assist you with your complaint.

Remember: Bishops in this country have an abysmal track record of dealing appropriately with criminal behavior in the clergy. Many are criminals themselves who just haven’t been caught.

Vatican officials generally won’t do much more than file your letter and sigh about it before going out for drinks with their boyfriends. This also goes for writing to bishops, though bishops can more easily make inquiries into local matters. This is why it is always good to work your way around the chain of ecclesiastic authority: police officer first, then a detective, then an Assistant District Attorney, and finally the Grand Jury.

Remember: Every Catholic always and at any time has the right to write directly to the Holy See. You also have a right to push big rocks uphill or to allow an eagle to eat your liver. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

For matters having to do strictly with the the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, write to:

American Psychiatric Association
1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1825
Arlington, VA 22209-3901

And request a referral. In your condition, it is proper when writing to a psychiatrist in these matters to use a crayon rather than feces or blood.

If you want to know why I think these are good tips, I have known many kooky Traddies just like you. Pharmacological therapies have been effective for some of them. These tips are from personal experience.

For more general liturgical abuses or matters dealing strictly with the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, write to:

The comments section of Mundabor’s Blog.

For matters of doctrine, or of the validity of sacraments in specific and concrete situation, write to:

Your own private bedside journal, if you think it would help your therapy along.