Sir, - The views of Ben Walsh (September 1st) are extreme. It is true, however, that the Irish clergy (as distinct from the Church) have ruled as a theocracy for many decades. We have only to look back at the tyranny of John Charles McQuaid opposing Catholics attending TCD or Dr Noel Browne's Mother and Child Scheme. Both decisions were criminal.
Mr Walsh claims that Catholicism harmed many strands of human behaviour. This is not correct; it was the clergy who exploited, dictated and monopolised society because of the readiness of the obsequious Irish to obey them.
Sixty-five per cent of Irish clergy are noble God-fearing men and women. They are correct to encourage good moral standards and encourage women to dress with modesty rather than to present themselves, dresswise, on a plate to encourage the male who is about 30 per cent over-sexed anyway.
Look at the moral state of America today - that nation that passed from barbarism to decadence without the intermediate stage of civilisation.
There must be discipline and self-control if we are to be successful as a nation. We can be thankful to the Church through centuries past that it had some fine clergy to assist us. - Yours, etc.,
DR. Peter McCabe, Ballymaquirke, Kanturk, Co Cork.
Sir, - How encouraging it was to have read the insightful, balanced, objective views of Kevin Myers in his Irishman's Diary when he wrote about indigenous Irish Catholicism. How further encouraging it was to read Louis Power's feature on the 19th-century founders of Irish religious orders (News Features, September 4th). All fair minded commentators acknowledge the influence they had for the general good of the emerging Ireland of the 20th century.
My compliments and thanks to Kevin Myers and Louis Power for the renewed hope and confidence their writings impart as we await the celebration of the 2,000th jubilee of the great Christian dawn to be initiated by Pope John Paul in three months' time. Christianity has dawned each day in Ireland for 1,500 of these 2,000 years. Admittedly, many of these dawns have been depressingly clouded, but never eclipsed, by the darkness and failings of many individuals down the centuries.
How wonderful it would be if the attitudinal lens through which Fintan O'Toole views these dawns could be adjusted (Opinion, September 3rd) - adjusted to see as Kevin Myers and Louis Power see, and thus confirm for him, that, despite some dark clouds, none of them is a false dawn for our hopes. - Yours, etc.,
Patrick Lundy, Arnold Park, Glenageary, Co Dublin.