Sir, – Rev Richie Cronin claims (Letters, January 14th) that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has been debating the issue of homosexuality since 1979.
More accurately, its contribution to any debate might be characterised as one of obfuscation, bullying and the silencing of opponents by secretive commissions.
Outside of my own case, the latest high-profile manifestation of such actions occurred at the 2018 General Assembly when, without consultation and with only last-minute notice, current church leadership pushed through a resolution, widely decried afterwards as homophobic, by ensuring there was no secret ballot. That resolution stripped church membership from same-sex couples and denied their children baptism, declaring of such couples that “their outward conduct and lifestyle are at variance with a life of obedience to Christ”.
It’s clear that, under its current leadership, the dissenters’ kirk no longer tolerates any form of dissent and is far from being a welcoming and inclusive denomination for LGBTQ+ people and their families. – Yours, etc,
STEVEN C SMYRL,
Rathgar,
Dublin 6.