Catholic guilt-free
Dear Johnny,
I lived in Taiwan from 1996 to 2004, first in Taipei, then Tainan. Now I live and work in Jerusalem, Israel.
I read the Taipei Times online regularly, and I appreciate your humor ... well, most of it (some dirty jokes are too much).
I confess that I do not have a special preference for the KMT or the DPP but it is refreshing to read your comments.
So don’t worry about critical observations and keep writing.
Fr Michele Ferrero
Johnny replies: Clearly my dirty jokes are just about on the mark if they are offending some of my Catholic readers more than my occasional sniping at the Vatican.
Interesting that you choose to “confess” no preference for either of the two main political parties. I’ve never thought that any foreigner should be expected to support any particular party in this country.
So relax, because I confess that I am not going to make an exception of you.
If I were less diplomatic, however, I would attempt to pluck up the courage to ask you a few questions about your experiences in Taiwan in the confessional.
We all know that the Catholic Church was more disposed to the KMT regime than the Presbyterians.
So did you ever get some aging Taiwan Garrison Command thug approaching you trying to cleanse himself of his catalog of sins committed during the Martial Law era?
I know you can’t talk about these things, so knock once for “yes” and twice for “no.”
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