A chara, - I always thought that being liberal meant welcoming diversity of opinion and defending freedom of expression. Yet few of your correspondents seem to realise that just as Róisín Ingle had every right to comment critically on the late Pope John Paul II, (Magazine, April 16th), so the new Pope has every right - and arguably an obligation - to lead and guide his Church in a manner which he believes in his heart to be true to his faith.
Pope John Paul did not gain such widespread respect and admiration by "following the tides and trends of the latest novelties", but by steadfastly advocating those principles in which he passionately believed, regardless of who or how many took offence.
As one of those "liberal Catholics" who will disagree profoundly with many of the teachings of Pope Benedict, I would far prefer a strong and principled leader who undeniably believes in what he says than some wishy-washy "moderate" who stands for everything yet stands for nothing at the same time, like many of the politicians we are burdened with today.
At the end of the day, it is between our conscience and God to determine what is right and what is wrong, and that's good enough for me. - Is mise,
DAVID CARROLL, Castle Gate, Dublin 2.
Madam, - Mary Raftery (Opinion, April 21st) rushes to condemn the new Pope without observing the signs of the times. For those who wanted to see, it was highly significant - though generally unreported - that the first person to receive Holy Communion from Cardinal Ratzinger at John Paul II's funeral Mass was the frail, wheelchair-bound Roger Schuz, the Lutheran brother who founded the Taizé community.
This very open and ecumenical gesture is a better sign of the possibilities of Benedict's pontificate rather the role he was previously asked to perform.
Pope Benedict has the freedom to make his own mark and his initial comments are very positive. Be not afraid! - Yours, etc.,
DOMHNALL O'NEILL, Bray, Co Wicklow.
Madam, I am bemused. Does anyone seriously think that anything will substantially change in Church policy under the Petrine stewardship of Pope Benedict XVI, or anyone else for that matter, at least for the foreseeable future?
The man formerly known as Ratzinger is right-wing; he is conservative but he is also cultured, bright as much as belligerent. He has written some very good theology, just as the late Pope penned some very interesting philosophy.
There are some signifiers to suggest that Ratzinger may mellow now that he is the supreme pontiff but there is something about the crozier that leads to a hardening of the heart. Augustine is a good example. His Confessions set a viatoric tone in marked contrast to the vitriolic one of The City of God. In our Irish context, we may thank our lucky stars that Fr Enda MacDonagh was never made bishop!
A friend of mine remarked that one doesn't look to popes for guidance on sexual matters. No, we have Freud for that. We look to the pontiff for guidance on spiritual matters. That's about it and whatever any pope says, we carry on regardless with the nicely impossible task of being Christians (isn't that better than being good Catholics?), knowing that only some official Catholic Church teaching is actually based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Permit me to conclude with a quotation from Nietzsche: "There was only one Christian and He died on a Cross". Just so. - Yours, etc.,
Dr STEPHEN J. COSTELLO, Dartmouth Terrace, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.
Madam, - Cardinal Desmond Connell's comments on Buddhism, reported by Patsy McGarry in your edition of April 21st, betray an appalling, and seemingly, wilful ignorance of Buddhist doctrine and practice. His description of it as "self-centred" is not one that will be recognised by the 4,000 or so Irish members of various Buddhist denominations as they try to live their faith's core teaching on selflessness and dedication to the alleviation of the suffering of all sentient beings.
It will also no doubt ring unfamiliar to the many Catholics, both clergy and laity, who hold Buddhism in high esteem and find inspiration for their own faith in the many consonances in the moral teachings of the Buddha and those of Christ.
Much has been written in the past few days since Pope Benedict's election about his commitment to inter-faith dialogue. Might I suggest that inter-faith understanding and respect are a necessary prerequisite to any dialogue and that Cardinal Connell might well profit from a study of what Buddhists actually believe? - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL McLOUGHLIN, Rinnalea Gardens, Belfast 11.