We must act now for Gaza
Dear Editor, what are we to say in the future when they ask us what we did during the Gaza genocide? What will we tell the children and grandchildren when they ask?
That we wrung our hands at the horrors, lamented the starvation, the brutality, the bombings, the killings of countless innocents? That we prayed for mercy and for forgiveness? That we flew our flags and wrote our letters, gave some money to the charities, hopelessly overwhelmed by the greatest crime of our lifetime.
Will we say all that? And the genocide went on…
Or, will we say we stood up and stopped it, ended the cowering government inertia, obtained full trade sanctions and the end of all arms supplies, ceased all sporting, cultural and business links, marched in the streets and clamoured and screamed, and never let up until it was done, all of it done. And the killing stopped.
Will we be able to say that truthfully? Or just that we were horrified?
Yours etc,
Sinéad Boland
Kilmacanogue, Co. Wicklow
Pro-choice argument involves ‘collective amnesia’
Dear Editor, I read with interest Breda O’Brien’s article ‘The culture that led to the appalling new abortion figures.’ In particular, I read with interest about the pro-choice argument for abortion rights based on personal autonomy. It seems so flimsical – would personal autonomy justify the mass ‘termination’ of born babies? I think that the deeper reason for the pro-choice reasoning comes from moral darkness: when Judas leaves the Last Supper, St John notes “and darkness fell” (John 13:30).
I feel that a more fundamental reason for our abortion culture is our collective and intentional amnesia, both inside and outside the Church. On this subject Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel said: “When we forget, we kill twice.” How often is the massive death toll of abortion mentioned within the Church and especially at Mass? It is likely that at daily Mass in Holy Family parish in Gaza there is a daily prayer of the faithful for peace and an end to the killing. The death tolls of Gaza and Irish abortion since the 2018 Referendum are similar.
On a practical note, can I encourage my brother priests to include a pro-life bidding prayer at daily Masses (excluding perhaps funerals, weddings and First Communions)? Remembering the aborted babies with a candle for the month of November and the Sunday closest to the Referendum anniversary of May 25th would be appropriate too.
This may prod the consciences of the 30% of Sunday Catholics who tragically voted to legalise abortion.
Yours etc,
Fr Morty O’Shea, SOLT
Queens, New York
Society’s soul threatened by oppression
Dear Editor, on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police arrested over 500 people in central London for opposing what they view as Israel’s genocidal actions against the Palestinian people. Many were carrying placards stating, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Among those detained was a disabled, blind man in a wheelchair. These arrests were carried out under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000.
Has Britain lost its way – both politically and morally? In many ways, yes. These are the kinds of authoritarian tactics we once condemned in other nations. Once upon a time, we prided ourselves on living in a society defined by free speech, civil liberties, and open protest – even if that ideal was never perfectly realized. Yes, history reminds us of events like the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, where 14 civilians were killed during a peaceful demonstration. But today, we seem to have crossed into even darker territory.
We now live in a country more heavily surveilled and restricted than what was once exposed in the former East Germany or Soviet Union – nations we used to hold up as cautionary tales of tyranny. Yet here we are.
Corruption, oppression, and brutality are not unique to any one system – they can flourish anywhere when a disengaged, distracted population allows elites, driven less by compassion than by control and darker ideologies, to dominate public life. This is not just about policy or protest; it’s about the very soul of a society.
Yours etc,
Louis Shawcross
Royal Hillsborough, Co. Down
Bureaucracy obstructs public engagement in democracy
Dear Editor, by definition “Democracy is a system of Government where the power is held by the people”. The reality is that democratic values of public engagement have been replaced in recent years by a complicated maze of bureaucracy.
Elected governments have farmed out the roll out EU regulations and directives to unelected civil servants who then act on the promptings of government funded NGOs and vested interests who in turn profit from government investment (EU Funding). Local democracy has become redundant.
Bureaucracy is the real thief of democracy and taxpayers’ money; it creates a multiplicity of laws and regulations which bamboozles the average citizen. It breaks one of the most basic rules of the law: “The law must be clear and precise.” It must be understandable to all who are bound by it. In Ireland’s case the President, who is the last signature on every bill brought into law, should keep this in mind.
That would ensure that our courts are not taken up by petty squabbling amongst barristers and judges as to the meaning of laws passed. It is too costly for the average citizen to challenge any law or get justice without only benefiting those with deep pockets.
Public consultation has become a form of window dressing formulated to address the statutory obligation which is designed to take the public’s view on board. In reality the public are just shown what, how, when and where it is going to happen. There is no guarantee that any suggestions or objections they have will be listened to unless they launch a costly judicial review.
We see this clearly with policies on health, education, childcare, climate change, immigration and housing. It seems that democracy as was originally intended has been cannibalised and comatosed by bureaucracy.
Yours etc,
Nuala Nolan
Bowling Green, Galway
How about a day of prayer for the unborn?
Dear Editor, We are all in favour of the Bishops request to pray for peace in Gaza & Israel.
However how about a day of prayer for all those aborted babies (60,000 to date on the island of Ireland) & their parents?
Many more babies aborted here in this Irish holocaust than those children killed in Gaza
How about doing something practical for mothers under economic & other pressures to abort their babies such as restoring a Cura office in every diocese.
Every bishop has a diocesan offices , personnel & access to funds from pro life parishioners.
The silence from most of the hierarchy to date is deafening & a disgrace.
Yours etc,
Liam de Paor
Cavan, , Ireland