Dear Editor, The purpose of the Church is not to reflect secular culture but to evangelise it. Christ charged us to go forth to all the nations and spread the Gospel. This adherence to perennial truth, in the service of he who is the Truth, is radically contrary to contemporary relativism. The contrast was exemplified…

Dear Editor, One of the questions connected with the idea of same-sex marriage is that of same-sex couples raising children. This, I suggest, is an issue where the sexual orientation of the adults can be quite irrelevant. Unusually perhaps, my father and his brother married twin sisters.  At one time in my childhood, my mother…

Dear Editor, Andrew O'Connell is to be commended on his article ‘The crime of gossip’ (IC 6/2/14) I commented recently that the Church i.e. from our altars, has been lax in this regard.  Since every word Andrew says is true it's quite amazing it's given such a wide berth. Is it because everyone contributes to the…

All knowledge needs to be encompassed within life values

Dear Editor, Louise O'Keefe's victory against the Irish Government in the European Court of Human Rights is a victory for all institutionally abused children. Her bravery and determination deserves the highest commendation.  The judgment drives a coach and horses through the Irish Government's claim that it is not responsible for abuse in education, welfare and…

Dear Editor, In the issue of January 16, Peter Costello reviewed At the Praetorium: Good Friday Revisited, a trilogy of one act plays’ by Sean Walsh, the former head of drama on radio at RTÉ. The review remarks “it is always difficult to see how plays might be in performance, but these are not (on…

Dear Editor, In an interview with Martin O’Brien (IC 16/1/14) Denis Bradley is reported as having said “the Church at a clerical level has been taken over by very young and very conservative young men. I think half of them are in Opus Dei." Would that half of them were trained for the priesthood by ‘Opus…

Dear Editor, You recently published an article on what the chances were of an imminent Irish cardinal – poor enough at present, I agree (IC 16/1/14). But by way of explanation that it would be heading North when finally bestowed, you stated that the odds are in favour of such an eventuality because, with the…

Dear Editor, As a recently retired secondary teacher of religious education amongst other subjects I, like Alan Whelan (IC Letters 23/1/14), entered the public debate in recent years on Catholic schools opening on the designated Holy Days of Obligation to attend Mass. At this stage of the debate I can see merit on both sides of the argument that was…

Dear Editor, I was dismayed when I heard the announcement in Church on January 5 last that the local primary school would reopen the next day, the feast of the Epiphany, a Holy Day of obligation. The dismay was turned to joy on January 6 when I observed the children being ferried to the Church…