Madam, - In the present debate about the new Pope, Benedict XVI, it is consoling to remember the statement of the theologian Joseph Ratzinger, brilliant adviser to Cardinal Frings at the Second Vatican Council, when he summed up perfectly the teaching of the Catholic Church after the Council. He wrote:
"Over the Pope as the expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority, there still stands one's own conscience, which must be obeyed before all else, even if necessary against the requirement of ecclesiastical authority. This emphasis on the individual, whose conscience confronts him with a supreme and ultimate tribunal, and one which in the last resort is beyond the claim of external social groups, even of the official Church, also establishes a principle in opposition to increasing totalitarianism." (In Herbert Vorgrimler, ed., Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II, vol. V, p. 134). - Yours, etc.,
SEAN FAGAN SM, Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2.
Madam, - I would like to confess my disappointment at the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI.
As a young person, I feel let down by the Church as it has yet again failed to face its problems and has opted to elect a polarising figure in its highest earthly office.
Ratzinger's conservative views on many issues such as clerical celibacy and homosexuality alienate many members of the Church and also discourage people with more liberal views (such as myself) from practising their faith.
It would have been refreshing to have seen a younger man take the papacy. I only knew John Paul as a frail old man. Benedict XVI is 78 and while he has great experience, perhaps someone younger who could identify more with the modern world would have been more accessible to people.
I sincerely hope to be proved wrong by our new Pope, but something tells me I will not be. - Yours, etc.,
CLARE DELARGY, Proby Square, Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Madam, - In 1997, in a book called Salt of the Earth, the new Pope wrote: "I am of the opinion that the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It is impossible to grasp what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community that suddenly declares that what, until now, was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and makes the longing for it seem downright indecent calls its very self into question."
In the 17 years since Pope John Paul II appealed to priests and bishops for a "wide and generous" provision of the traditional Latin Mass, the Irish bishops have refused or ignored thousands of requests from the people for such Masses.
I would add my voice to the words of two Popes in calling on the bishops to provide traditional Latin Masses every Sunday in every parish where the people request it. - Yours, etc.,
THOMAS MURPHY, Newbridge, Co Kildare.
Madam, - At a time when liberal Catholic hearts may feel they can sink no lower, there is always Habakkuk 3:17-19: "Though the fig tree do not blossom, nor fruit be on the vine, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." - Yours, etc.,
MÁIRE NÍ ANNRACHÁIN, Strawberry Beds, Dublin 20.
Madam, - Many people have expressed disappointment at the election of Cardinal Ratzinger,saying he will be too similar to Pope John Paul II. This comes almost in the same breath as the praise of the late Pope and his wonderful pontificate. Perhaps many heeded the expression, "Speak no ill of the dead". - Yours, etc.,
HUGH O'CONNOR, Greenfield Road, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Much of the talk around the papal election alluded to the two millennia of tradition which the Pope embodies. However, a deeper historical analysis may give some pause for thought in the light of the election of Cardinal Ratzinger.
The Pope is also the successor and heir not just of St Peter, but also of the office of Pontifex Maximus, an office (the high priest of Jupiter) that dates to the accession of Numa Pompilius in 712 BC.
The most famous of the pontifexes was Julius Caesar, whose heir Augustus subsumed the office into that of the emperor in 12 BC. The office was ceded to the Bishop of Rome by 382 AD by the Emperor Gratian, but had been employed since the time of Pope Callixtus I.
The title Pontifex Maximus is related to the archaic Latin words for "bridge-maker" and "preparer of the road" (to the gods), reflecting the sacral and official nature of the office. Let us hope that Benedict XVI plays the role of bridge-builder. - Yours, etc.,
BRIAN M. LUCEY, Trinity College, Dublin 2.
Madam, - Certain religious people are comfortable only in an atmosphere in which their beliefs are not challenged or questioned. Stephen FitzGerald (April 19th) uses words such as "slander" and "shock tactics" to describe Róisín Ingle's criticism of the last Pope (Magazine, April 16th). Ms Ingle disagreed with the prevalent view that John Paul was one of the greatest people who ever lived and his death was a tragedy for all mankind; and she had the courage to put this in print.
Many people share her view, though their voices have not been heard in the past two weeks. Mr FitzGerald obviously cannot bear to have this cosy consensus questioned. Thanks to Róisín Ingle for saying what she did. - Yours, etc.,
LORCAN McNAMEE, Rathedmond, Sligo.
Madam, - For more than 30 years as a family doctor I have watched and empathised with young, sexually active people as they wrestled with their consciences and tried to equate their lives with the conservative, unrealistic teachings of their Catholic Church. Sadly, I also watched as they relinquished their attachments to the same Catholic Church.
More sadly still today, with the election of our new Pope, I see only the final dying anguish of my Church. - Yours, etc.,
Dr STEVE DILLON, Coomlogane, Millstreet, Co Cork.
Madam, - A great balloon of euphoria went up after the death of John Paul 11, in recognition of his great achievements. With the election of Joseph Ratzinger to replace him, it has been well and truly pricked. - Yours, etc.,
PETER THOMPSON, Arklow, Co Wicklow.
Madam, - I'm celebrating! At the age of 52, I have increasingly felt that my options were becoming more and more limited, but now that a 78-year-old has been given one of the top jobs in town, who knows what prospects await a mere spring chicken like me? - Yours, etc.,
MARY BURNHAM, Woodlawn Park, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.