Dear Editor, On Friday as my wife and I waited our turn to meet with subject teachers at a Catholic secondary school ‘Parents’ Evening’ I read Paul Keenan’s article ‘Students would benefit from Religious Ed as a core subject’ (IC 24/11/2016). We received great subject feedback from the various teachers until we came to the…

Dear Editor, In the regime presided over by Fidel Castro only one political party was tolerated – the Communist Party. Freedom of expression and of speech was, in effect, non-existent. Persons who were not members of the Communist Party found themselves under surveillance by the secret police.  Journalists and writers were subject to arbitrary arrest…

Dear Editor, I love reading Mary Kenny’s articles as she is not afraid to say her mind.  Having read her ‘Achilles heel’ article about President Higgins and his “seeming reluctance to revisit any past pronouncements on the state of Venezuela and its late leader Hugo Chavez” and the “appalling poverty, hunger, cruelty and injustice” there…

Dear Editor, Your feature letter from Ms Bernadette Fitzgerald in the edition of November 24 (“Why Catholics should welcome Trump”) repeats the idea that, as long as a person is pro-life (i.e., specifically opposed to abortion), this alone trumps (no pun intended) all faults. This is utter nonsense. First, let me be clear, I am…

Dear Editor, I cannot believe what is happening with the present Government. In this centenary year of the heroes of 1916, Ireland doffs its cap to the UN, a body that cooperated with human rights abuses at many levels.  After being roundly abused by the UN for Ireland’s pro-life laws, the then Minister for Health…

Dear Editor, I refer to Greg Daly’s report in The Irish Catholic of November 24 of his attendance at the AGM of the Association of Catholic Priests. An Irish Times editorial of November 18 referred to and fully supported Fr Brendan Hoban’s views on priests being a ‘lost tribe’. As an ordinary and elderly parishioner,…

Dear Editor, The confirmation from the Taoiseach that Pope Francis looks set to visit Ireland in 2018 for the World Meeting of Families is immensely heartening, even if it’s difficult to imagine what Pope Francis thought of his meeting with Mr Kenny. Five years ago the Taoiseach made a brief global name for himself through…

Dear Editor, Mary Kenny is to be congratulated on her article when she asks the question: “Is Katherine Zappone fit for her Government job?”, and also to Elizabeth Twomey, in a follow up letter. Minister Zappone was a commissioner with the Irish Human Rights Commission (2002-2012) and has held leadership positions in the NWCI and…

Dear Editor, Once more, the question of women priests in the Catholic Church has arisen (‘Green Party chief rejects Pope on women priests’ IC 20/11/2016). We still proclaim at Sunday Mass that the Church has four marks: she is one, holy, Catholic and apostolic. Why do we believe this? Because at the Last Supper, Christ…

Dear Editor, I recently heard Fr Gerry O’Hanlon SJ on radio saying how dismayed he was at the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. The only alternative was Hillary Clinton. Does Fr Hanlon not know about her involvement in the destruction of Libya or the destruction of unborn life with Planned…