Social justice campaigner Fr Seán Healy of Cori, who addressed a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in west Cork last September, wrote to the Taoiseach last December to thank him for his work on this year's Budget.
In the letter to Bertie Ahern, released to The Irish Times, Fr Healy states that Cori is aware that it is "a difficult task to make choices between the many calls on the available resources.
"Your approach in making the needs of poor and vulnerable people a major priority in this Budget has not only improved the lot of most people, it has also contributed to an environment where a focus on social inclusion is seen as good for society."
The letter, dated December 6th, 2004, is co-signed by Sr Brigid Reynolds, also director of the Cori justice commission.
The decision to invite Fr Healy to the gathering at Inchydoney was widely seen at the time as an indication of Fianna Fáil's determination to portray a more left-leaning, socially concerned image.
In his address, Fr Healy outlined what Cori believed should be the main priorities for the forthcoming budget. It subsequently expressed satisfaction with the social inclusion measures contained in Budget 2005.
However, writing to The Irish Times last May, Fr Healy denied he had given the overall Budget a "nine out of 10".
He told The Irish Times this week that Cori would write to the taoiseach of the day "most years", outlining its views on the budget. But he was not surprised that he had not been invited to attend this year's parliamentary party meeting, as this would be highly unusual.
"We went down there, we set out our five priorities, and all five were delivered," he said. "The budget for 2006 will be the 20th which we will publish an analysis and critique of on the following day.
"If it deserves to be praised, we will praise it. If it deserves to be criticised, then we will criticise it."