Sir, – Pádraig McCarthy (June 25th) asks "Would the people of Ireland have been better off without the input of religious bodies into education, health, welfare, social cohesion, pastoral care, over the past 100 years?"
In a word, yes.
The “education” provided by religious institutes was mired in abuse – physical, emotional and sexual. Children were beaten for having the audacity to write with their left hands, for being “slow”, for anything at all really.
“Social cohesion” meant locking up unmarried mothers. “Welfare” included burying hundreds of innocent babies in unmarked graves. “Pastoral care” included shaming people who were gay, women for having abortions, and couples who divorced. (The Catholic Church really does need to look at its obsession with sex.)
Would Ireland have been a better place without all of this?
Yes, I quite think it would. – Yours, etc,
KATIE HARRINGTON
Sheikh Rashid Road,
Dubai.
Sir, – Pádraig McCarthy runs the risk of taking both himself and Fintan O'Toole far too seriously ("Church and State role in education intertwined", Opinion & Analysis, June 24th). Fintan, of course, always takes himself too seriously. Although I must admit I do look forward to reading Fintan, if only to discover what I am or ought to be thinking. – Yours, etc,
DECLAN MORIARTY,
Clancy Road,
Finglas,
Dublin 11.