Dear Editor, Your editorial (“One Church but a very different Catholicism”, IC 08/01/2015) was an important event. To read in a Catholic paper that “History proves that, when the Church lusts after political and secular power, the Gospel is soon relegated”, is to pinpoint the dilemma upon whose horns the Church has been impaled ever…

Dear Editor, In answer to Fr Ignatius Candon’s letter ‘Communion should be available to all’ (IC 15/01/2015), it has been brought to my attention that in certain priestless parishes in Germany and Switzerland, when a priest has turned up to celebrate Mass, he has been told, ‘No thank you, Father, we have our communion service’.…

Dear Editor, The recent case of a pregnant woman on life support had nothing to do with abortion. Ordinary lay people could see that. The evidence in court was so unanimously against the baby’s chances of survival there could only be one end to this tragedy. Michael McDowell, ex-Attorney General and Tánaiste, was right when…

Dear Editor, I have only recently become familiar with Charlie Hebdo’s work, thanks to the inexcusable act of violence in Paris. I am a fan of satire, but Hebdo seems to focus its energies exclusively on provoking the Islamic community in the most vile way possible. Its writers worked hard to provoke a reaction, and…

Dear Editor, Cathal Barry rightly condemns Irish Times journalist Rosita Boland’s sneering attack on the generous Belvedere College students Christmas sleep-out for the homeless (IC 08/01/2015). Ms Boland, apparently, from her lofty perch in the Irish Times, found the Belvedere lads’ efforts to help the homeless “inappropriate”, “distasteful” and “uncomfortable”. The Belvedere lads’ fee-paying status…

Dear Editor, Your front page article of January 8, (“Church same-sex marriage campaign under question”) tells of the letter from the Irish Episcopal Conference on marriage that received little attention from the laity, or even the clergy for that matter. The reason was simply that not enough copies were circulated to reach more people. Of course, the…

Dear Editor, I enjoy reading Mary Kenny’s article every week in your esteemed newspaper. She is a rock of sense and a fountain of knowledge. But I suppose there is no such thing as absolute perfection. Nollaig na mná? (IC 08/01/2015) Mary, mo náire thú. Tuiseal ginideach, uimhir iolra of bean, as you learned at school. I like to climb…

Dear Editor, It was interesting to read Peter Costello’s timeline of some philanthropic Irish millionaires and their laudable generous contribution to Irish society (Book Reviews IC 08/01/2015). There were possibly many smaller, and possibly more personally impactful, acts of generosity going on that also need to be lauded. Take the case of Canon Molloy –…

Dear Editor, That God’s will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven, is a petition in the Lord’s Prayer, commonly said by Christians. Then, due to human weakness, and often falling short of our good intent, we can still confidently rely on God’s love and mercy, because our prayer also includes the petition:…

Dear Editor, There have been many consoling, encouraging and beautiful experiences in my privileged 62 years of priesthood; few, however, more beautiful than witnessing and ministering to the love of God’s people for the God who loves them, as they receive him in Holy Communion. You published on December 11 a front page story and…