Below is my email to the Diocese of Phoenix and a reply.
What should we try next?
Veronica
----- Original Message -----
From: Diskin, Rev. Michael
To: vrahorn@wydebeam.com
Sent: 12 May, 2008 10:39
Subject: FW: Mormon's Access to Catholic Records Blocked
Dear Ms. Rahom,
While there may be many sincere people who can benefit from the genealogical records that are compiled by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, some members of that denomination have misused those records to engage in the practice of baptizing the dead. Since this practice is grossly inappropriate and insulting to Catholics, Dioceses around the world have been directed to prohibit the copying of sacramental records.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Michael L. Diskin
Assistant Chancellor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Veronica Rahorn [mailto:vrahorn@wydebeam.com]
Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2008 4:46 PM
To: Contact-Us
Subject: Mormon's Access to Catholic Records Blocked
Bishop Olmstead,
I recently heard about the Vatican's request to block the Mormon church's access to Catholic records because of their practice of baptizing the dead. This is the link to the article: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802443.htm.
I am writing to you because the article states that soon the Catholic and Mormon churches will be sitting down and having a dialogue. I would like to get word up the Catholic chain of command that it is extremely important to many of us that the Mormon church has access to those records. This is purely for genealogical reasons.
I belong to a group of Hispanics (Mexican-American and Mexican citizens) who are researching their roots in the Jalisco, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes areas of Mexico. We find it beneficial to be able to go to the nearest Mormon Genealogy Library to get access to those records. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church doesn't have anything remotely close to this service and many of us have run into dead ends when we try to speak with the local parish priests.
I respectfully ask for assistance in making sure that this valuable link to our past is not cut off.
Thank you so much for reading this,
Veronica Vidaure Rahorn
P.S. If you would like to know more about the group I belong to, this is our website: http://www.nuestrosranchos.org/.
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Veronica's letter to her bishop
Veronica:
First I want to commend you on your initiative on writing your bishop about this topic which is so important to so many of us. Your letter is very well written and addresses the salient issues.
It appears that Rev. Diskin does not address your concerns. I think that is the Catholic Church is going to cut off access to LDS institutions to film their records, they should concurrently make a commitment to preserve those records themselves and a commitment to make records accessible to those of us directly connected to the people in those records and who want to use them for historical and genealogical purposes.