He disagreed, pointing out that quite a number of church programs are in place for persons who are mentally impaired or developmentally disabled. His response, unfortunately, proved my point. We know now that a person with mental illness is not possessed by the devil, is not a witch or sorcerer. We know that their illness is not a punishment from God or the result of lack of will power or their parents' sinfulness. We also know that as powerful as prayer is, we need more than prayer to reduce the symptoms of mental illness.
Mental illnesses are diseases of the brain, an organ of the body.
The brain, like other organs of the body, can experience dysfunction. People with mental illness and their family members are looking for clarity in the church's response to mental illness. They want to see a moral and ethical response to persons who have such an illness. A pastoral letter from the bishops on this justice issue would provide the leadership and guidance faith communities are looking for. But that's not all the church has to do.