Dear Editor, As I listened to what it says in the papers after the news this morning – Saturday, September 25 – I heard it said that so many of our politicians are millionaires. Then later I heard on playback two good ordinary citizens share their sad stories of being asked to vacate their apartments after several years because the landlord had decided to sell the Dublin-based apartments. Both women were sad, angry and upset and felt they had no option except to declare themselves homeless.
Because of the news I heard about our politicians I decided to buy the Irish Independent newspaper and there I read that 68 of our TDs have in excess of one million euros. My heart broke to think that in our supposedly Christian country that the rich are becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer. As I prayed and reflected during the day, I asked myself what has gone seriously wrong? I realise this is a deeply complex issue and that the roots lie in a system that has lost much sense of justice, equality and fairness.
How did this happen? In my humble opinion I believe God and his ten Commandments have been ignored and neglected for several years now. I have talked with many genuine and sincere people who also believe we need to go back to basics.
Jesus came not to do away with these laws but to add a further dimension of love that helps lead his followers to live the Beatitudes. He is the way, the truth and the life and now more than ever we need to follow his example and the example of so many holy people who care and share for those in need. We need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to help see that excessive wealth has devastating effects on the poor and seldom produces happiness in those who possess it.
Yours etc.,
Sr Susan Teague
Knock, Co. Mayo
Gianna Care should be expanded
Dear Editor, The decision by the hierarchy even with the benefit of hindsight to abolish Cura in 2018 was a serious error of judgement.
Cura managed on average almost 8,000 face-to-face and telephone counselling sessions each year.
Now a small pro-life organisation Gianna Care is struggling to fill the gap while the abortion rate is soaring.
It is high time for the hierarchy to help establish a branch of Gianna Care in every diocese.
They have no shortage of empty offices and could surely allocate one member of staff to respond to communications from women with a crisis pregnancy.
Instead of giving the HSE a free hospital the Sisters of Charity could sell St Vincents to the Government and donate the funds to this worthy cause.
Yours etc.,
Liam de Paor
Carrickane, Co. Cavan
Hypocritical to reject teaching but claim to be Catholic
Dear Editor, Mary McAleese is certainly profiting from her study of Canon law with her many profound suggestions for reform of the Catholic Church – another Martin Luther maybe? Her lecturing is becoming quite tedious. She states that “fictitious baptismal promises” interfere with members human rights to “make up their minds and inform their consciences” without reference to the fact that Catholics are simply doing this based on the Church’s teaching. She seems to forget that no one is forced to accept anything and is free to leave at any time. Because we are free it can result in abandoning the Faith and, in some cases, actually attacking it. God gave us free will with the responsibility of using it in accordance with the Commandments, which are there to accept or reject. It is, therefore, somewhat hypocritical to reject them but still claim to be practising Catholics, as is very evident in the US just now with President Joe Biden, actually doing this regarding abortion, which he not only supports, but imposes it on the tax payers and on developing countries through International Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Surely Ms McAleese can understand that “inalienable human rights” begin with the right to be born – otherwise no right can apply.
No Catholic with even the slightest understanding of membership could claim “to be in a relationship of subservience and submission” but rather to do their best to follow ‘the way’ of Jesus, remembering that the first Christians were described as ‘followers of the way’. Ms McAleese may have forgotten that when his followers refused to accept his teaching on the Eucharist as his body and blood and turned away, he made no effort to stop them. Rather he asked if the remainder were also going to leave and Peter said “to whom shall we go, you have the message of eternal life”.
Yours etc.,
Mary Stewart
Ardeskin, Co. Donegal
Thanks for an informative read
Dear Editor, The article by Jason Osborne ‘The end is in sight in fight against leprosy’ [The Irish Catholic, September 2, 2021] was truly a humbling read. Thank you for this and thank you for all the great work by your reporters and writers for a very informative read on all issues in Ireland and abroad. May God continue to inspire all concerned in bringing truth and light to our society.
Your etc.,
Josephine Clarke
Dundrum, Dublin
The Irish Catholic should be sold in Centra, SuperValu
Dear Editor, Since the pandemic many parishes have stopped selling The Irish Catholic at the church door. This must have greatly affected your circulation sales.
You regularly have a full-page ad saying your newspaper can be bought from Dunnes Stores, Tesco and Easons shops. Most of your readers are not in the catchment area of these shops whereas the SuperValu/Centra stores are in most parishes across the country – certainly below a line from Galway to Dublin. I’m a country man and I would say a reader of The Irish Catholic is more likely in these shops and not Dunnes, Tesco and Easons.
It’s an absolute ‘no brainer’ to recommend that you sell through SuperValu and Centra shops, they are smaller and OAPs like myself are more comfortable in using these shops. They are very obliging at sponsoring and supporting local community organisations, like the GAA and tidy towns. I’m sure they would facilitate The Irish Catholic. I don’t like going to these bigger shops.
Yours etc.,
Tommy O’Sullivan
Millstreet, Co. Cork
