... Madam, - Memories of Pope John Paul II in the prime of his health and strength are vivid: his vigorous and enlivening presence; his eloquent voice so clearly announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In recent years, as illness and suffering exacted such a heavy physical toll on the Holy Father, we saw him increasingly incapacitated and his familiar voice growing weaker. Towards the end, Pope John Paul - fluent in many languages and such a wise and articulate exponent of the Gospel - was unable to speak at all.
However, in the last few months and weeks of his life, God spoke very clearly to the Church and to the whole world through his faithful servant. For, although "the great communicator" had lost the power of speech, we became even more aware of the power of his spirit.
As words failed him, his whole being began to preach to us. Indeed, the last week of his life was a silent sermon containing the summation of everything he had ever said or written, throughout the course of his ministry as priest, bishop and pope.
We have seen, in Pope John Paul the Great, the radiant beauty of a human life lived in intimate and loving communion with the triune God. He faced the end of his mortal life with confident trust in God and loving surrender to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.
Like many great human beings, Pope John Paul lived in the midst of controversy. Surely one of the most painful issues during his pontificate was the universal problem of the sexual abuse of children and young people by Catholic clergy. There is disappointment that our Holy Father did not explicitly address the devastating anguish caused to many of God's people by clerical abuse.
Perhaps he was simply unable to comprehend the problem. Or maybe he was shielded from the worst of what had occurred. In our own human families, for example, do we not try to shield very elderly parents or grandparents from awful situations? We don't tell them everything.
Pope John Paul truly loved children and young people. In recent years he was elderly, frail and infirm. Perhaps it was compassionate to protect him from the full horror and devastation wrought upon young lives by clerical abuse. But addressing all the implications of these scandals must be high on the agenda of the next pope.
Pope John Paul impressed people of all religions traditions and none. He was a great gift from God to the Church and the world. We can all draw courage from his deep faith and courageous witness to hope and love. We can all be inspired by his consistent upholding of human dignity and his defence of the sanctity of human life "from the womb to the tomb". - Yours, etc.,
Fr PATRICK McCAFFERTY, Glen Road, Belfast 11.
Madam, - The Taoiseach's failure to understand both the intensity and the integrity of the overwhelming majority of Irish people's wish for Friday to be designated a national day of mourning is almost beyond comprehension.
The shallow, threadbare set of arguments which seek to justify this decision are a national embarrassment.
Irish people of all creeds and none have been sold short by his decision. Pope John Paul II, a man of global and historical greatness and who esteemed Ireland so highly, deserved better of us. - Yours, etc.,
Prof RAY KINSELLA, Cronroe, Ashford, Co Wicklow.
Madam, - Is it not strange that when a shopping centre is opened there is a religious service but when the Pope dies there is no national day of mourning? I am a 16-year-old fifth-year student and I would not consider myself a very devout Catholic. However, I do recognise the Pope as a great world leader and a great example of courage and strong conviction to everyone, not just other Catholics. There are so few leaders in the world deserving of genuine admiration and respect.
It is a terrible reflection on Irish society and the Government that when such an important person passes away we do not stop to reflect, especially considering the importance of his life and work to so many Irish people.
It seems we live in a capitalist society where it is too much hassle for the accountants to have a day of mourning. There is no doubt in my mind now that the character of the Irish people has changed for the worse due to our new-found prosperity. - Yours, etc.,
CIAN DIKKER, Woodstown Way, Knocklyon, Dublin 16.
Madam, - I was shocked to hear Pat Delaney of the Small Firms' Association and Turlough O' Sullivan of Ibec both state their strong opposition to calls for a national day of mourning to mark the death of the Pope, on the basis that it would have a large cost to the economy.
It is despicable for them to imply that profits are more important than the affection that huge numbers of Irish people have for their spiritual leader.
Do these gentlemen not see his passing as an event worthy of mourning? Surely this must be a prime example of the unbridled capitalism, now endemic in this country, which John Paul II himself once described as being "based on a purely economic conception of man" with "profit as its only parameter". - Yours, etc.,
BARRY WALSH, Clonlough, Mitchelstown, Co Cork.
Madam, - Having given a mere 60 seconds of mourning to the tsunami victims and a firm two fingers to those crippled by Third World debt, the Government is disgracefully insulting the memory of Pope John Paul II for economic gain. But is anyone surprised?
A country that was formerly known for many good things has shamed itself with the deportations of children by night and the miserly hoarding of its vast wealth. To honour our new god, perhaps we should uproot the Millennium Spire and replace it with a giant euro coin with the inscription "Godless Rich Irish Only". Alternatively, we could take a lead from unlikely countries such as Egypt and India - and do the honourable "day of mourning" thing. Some things - believe it or not, Messrs Ahern and Cowen - are infinitely more important than money. - Yours, etc.,
SEAMUS LYNCH, Seaview, Portrane, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Fintan O'Toole's balanced assessment of Pope John Paul II (The Irish Times, April 4th)was most welcome after the tide of fawning self-promotion on RTÉ from clerics claiming special intimacy with the Pope.
It is fitting that we speak with respect of the dead, and Fintan O'Toole did, but there were aspects of his reign which troubled many. Thank you for reminding us of the many facets of this extraordinary man. - Yours, etc.,
ANN O'KELLY, Eglinton Park, Dublin 4.