Sir, - In the article on St Therese of Lisieux being named a doctor of the Church (The Irish Times, October 18th), Pope Paul VI is reported to have been wondering in 1970 whether according this honour to women might be used as a wedge to open the door to women priests.
The wonderful irony is that St Therese not only ardently desired to be a priest but also had the courage to give expression to her vocation by having her hair tonsured (this shaving of the crown of the head was part of the ritual of ordination). This important but little-known fact is contained in the testimony given under oath by her sister Celine in 1910.
By giving her the title of "Doctor", the Church has now recognised that St Therese contributed something special to our knowledge and understanding of God. However, what St Therese, with her tonsure, was telling us about God and women's ministry is still falling on deaf ears 100 years after her death. Only when women are ordained in the Catholic Church will her faithful and loving witness to the truth be honoured as it deserves to be. Until then the "Little Flower" will remain a rose thorn in the side of the Church, - Yours, etc., Soline Vatinel, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.