Dear Editor, I was glad to see Bishop Christy Jones and priests from around the country speaking out at the devastation of rural Ireland (IC 23/07/2015). Bit by bit rural towns are being picked apart with the closure of post offices and Garda stations. Smaller rural hospitals are being downgraded. Soon we will have to…

Dear Editor, It was good to read Msgr Hugh Connolly’s insightful article (IC 16/07/2015) about the formation method in Maynooth in the light of David Quinn’s critique of some elements of that process. I suspect that part of the difficulty arises from the fact that many Catholics are unfamiliar with the nature of priestly training.…

Dear Editor, I have recently returned from Lough Derg where a diocesan pilgrimage of 39 people led the Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin, Dr Denis Nulty was taking place. Bishop Denis was accompanied by several diocesan priests and the example they gave was one of humility, with no airs or graces doing exactly the same bare-footed exercises…

Dear Editor, Liam Duffy (Letters IC 02/07/2015) refers to the Irish section of Amnesty International and its ‘volte-face’ on abortion. I wonder if he is aware that when Amnesty International first came out in favour of abortion, the Irish section hypocritically claimed that it did not support this position. However, it wasn’t long until, not…

Dear Editor, I’ve read with interest David Quinn’s article on concerns expressed about the national seminary needing to be aired (IC 09/07/2015). On reflection, I welcome what appears to be a relatively balanced article. However, I was not entirely satisfied. I myself am a former seminarian and I’ve seen articles from another source that were…

Dear Editor, How sad to see one whole page of your usually balanced paper (and interesting book reviews), given over to taking back what little we had conceded in terms of confession and repentance for some of the negatives of our Church history – in the Crusades, Inquisition and Holocaust (IC 09/07/2015 ‘Pernicious lies exposed…

Dear Editor, During the summer each year there are church gate collections throughout the country for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. There was a time when both of these parties had much in common with Church teaching, but that day is long since gone. I am not aware of any other country where political parties…

Dear Editor, Recently, the debate concerning married clergy and ordained women resurfaced. It is argued that we should discuss both as a potential means of resolving our priest shortage problem. Firstly, there continues to be a shortage of pastors in Christian denominations that permit both, suggesting that this route is not the answer. Secondly, as…

Dear Editor, I agree with Mary O’Byrne (IC Letters 25/06/2015) that Amnesty International is no longer a human rights defender. It has lost its founding values and is now a champion and campaigner for abortion in Ireland. Amnesty has damaged the reputation of Ireland, and is no longer worthy of public support by Irish people…

Dear Editor, I recently finished the three-day pilgrimage to Lough Derg (my second visit) – a particularly challenging time due to the wet and cold weather, but nonetheless the spirit of Lough Derg was as strong as ever. During my stay I was able to do some research for my theology dissertation which was in the…