Dear Editor, Along with many of your readers I am disappointed by the result of the marriage referendum. We face a period of uncertainty as this vote has its knock-on effects in our country’s laws. However, it was heartening to see the brave efforts of the ‘No Campaign’ to defend the meaning of marriage in…

Dear Editor, Writing as a priest, “may I express my astonishment and disappointment” with Dr John Murray in your ‘letter of the week’ of May 21. My first problem is one with his logic. He refers to Jesus teaching on marriage (Mark 10:1-12). The issue in Jesus’ time was with the interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1…

Dear Editor, For most of the 20th Century the Catholic Church ran, and its priests and nuns worked in, most of our schools and hospitals. The Church ran most of our charities and campaigned on behalf of the poor. Many priests were social workers as well as self-help providers of jobs. Fr McDyer helped found…

Dear Editor, Writing as a Catholic theologian, may I express my astonishment and disappointment at those theologians and prominent Catholics who support a ‘yes’ vote. In every case that I have read or heard, none of these people has referred to the actual teaching of Jesus on marriage (see Mark 10:1-12). Jesus’ teaching is surely…

Dear Editor, The article by Ben Conroy ‘There is nothing weird about going to Confession’ (IC 23/04/2015), struck me as being mature, authentic and lovely. He refers to young Catholics drifting away from Confession, but older Catholics have drifted away also partly, I would say, as a reaction against an earlier overemphasis on sin and underemphasis…

Dear Editor, The Irish Independent recently carried an over-the-top front page headline ‘Church photos banned amid child abuse fears’. Your very fine editorial (IC 07/05/2015) correctly identifies the unnecessary alienation caused by “bureaucratic overreach”. My own belief is that the ban is in place because of the irreverence and distracting behaviour that accompanies amateur photography…

Dear Editor, In recent years Ireland has gone through a lot of changes, sadly we seem to be losing our Christian faith to some degree and this may well continue. Pope Francis has called a special holy year dedicated to the Divine Mercy from the end of 2015 to the end of 2016 and there…