Letters to the editor

Daily Bruin editorial board misplaced

I found it amusing (but unsurprising) that not long after Ward
Connerly ““ whose legacy as a University of California regent
consisted of leading a push to end institutionalized racism in our
public universities ““ was vilified by the Daily Bruin
editorial board, Johnnie Cochran ““ whose legacy consisted of
freeing criminals (including one, in my opinion,
more-likely-than-not murderer, albeit not beyond a reasonable
doubt) ““ was eulogized.

I guess we need more racism from the regents and fewer murderers
in prison. How utterly “progressive.”

Dan Oakes Graduate, law

Basilica, cathedral need differentiation

I want to commend writer Hoorig Santikian on her excellent
piece, “Witnessing history first hand” (News, April 7).
However, having just returned from a visit to the city of Rome, I
wanted to distinguish between two words she used interchangeably to
refer to St. Peter’s Basilica. A number of times she
mistakenly called the basilica a cathedral.

The essential element of a cathedral is the cathedra, the throne
of the bishop, and in Rome, the church proper to the Bishop of Rome
(the Pope) is St. John in Lateran.

The basilica, on the other hand, was originally a feature added
to palaces in ancient Rome as a means of housing large
audiences.

When Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, he wanted to
memorialize his imperial piety.

Because the architecture of the pagan temples was impractical,
the best ancient Roman form of architecture at hand was the
basilica.

The raised platform at the end of the long nave is the main
distinguishing factor between these two magnificent architectural
styles. St. Peter’s does not contain the cathedra of the
bishop of Rome; rather, it is the central building in which the
Roman Catholic Church gathers.

Liz Goodwin First-year, philosophy