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I have some problems with George Weigel’s (CR, Jan. 21) expressions of concern about the daily Prayer of the Faithful. If is he so attuned to the words that he sees the omissions and commissions, he is missing the spirit of the prayer. I don’t disagree with any of the prayers he proposes, but I don’t think they should be ritualized. Some are already covered in the Mass prayers; most get represented in the course of time; and we must remember that the Prayer of the Faithful should not be the same every day.

Father Joseph Breighner, you wrote (CR, Jan. 21) about your difficulty finding the unmarked Social Security office on West Street in Towson and then having to wait two hours in that office before being told that they couldn’t wait on you. You mentioned that a funeral home and two auto dealerships nearby had clearly visible signs out front. People inside those business establishments would have been eager to wait on you, possibly offering more service than you ever wanted. The difference is, those businesses have competition and Social Security, a government agency, does not. Competition does wonders. I’m not suggesting that we have two Catholic Reviews, but even nonprofits such as hospitals serve better because of competition. The point of this letter, which you couldn’t possibly have figured out, is the so-called public option in the proposed federal health care plan. A government-run program, if subsidized by tax dollars, can reduce or even eliminate competition. People are leery, not because they don’t want needy people to have access to health care, but because of the possible negative effect on their health care. They don’t want to replace the gentle fib, “The doctor will be with you shortly,” with “Congratulations on finding our office. Come back tomorrow.” The public option needs to be thought out and drafted carefully, probably more than this letter, to preserve competition.

JERUSALEM – Results from studies on the remains of a first-century shroud discovered on the edge of the Old City of Jerusalem prove that the famous Shroud of Turin could not have originated from Jerusalem of Jesus’ time, said a prominent archaeologist.

My reaction after reading Tony Magliano’s article on the environment (CR, Jan. 21) was regret for sending money to Catholic Relief Services for Haiti relief. If CRS uses their funds lobbying for theft based on climate change, they are harming the poor.

Was 2009 a turning point for the American bishops, marking a tougher and more realistic approach on their part to the myriad problems, internal and external, besetting the Catholic Church in the United States? It’s too soon for final conclusions, but, on the evidence, history may judge the year just past in exactly those terms.

LONDON – An Iraqi archbishop has predicted a new wave of emigration from Iraq involving Christians who have tired of waiting for their situation to improve.