Sir, - Fintan O'Toole's moralising was in full flow this week (Opinion, April 24th): "Church must bear pain or restitution" - "must", mark you.
He finishes up: "The institution that inflicted so much pain must now take the pain of restitution."
Institutions do not inflict or suffer pain. Only individuals do so. By all means, go after errant clergy, but why go after the rest of the us Church members? It is our money which our clergy spend, whether on holidays or restitution, just as Government restitution is at our expense too. Why should that be so? After all, when public officials are so immoral as to extort bribe money for their services, we do not ask anyone but them to make restitution. - Yours, etc.,
Joe Foyle, Sandford Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.