Dear Editor, Margaret Nolan wonders (IC 12/12/13) what real criteria psychiatric teams in the Mater Hospital will use in deciding on the life and death of a child in the womb? Now that the ‘Protection’ of Life during Pregnancy Act has gone into law without effective guidelines, the answer appears all too clear: None. Yours…

Dear Editor, I do hope that Fr Gabriel Daly’s attack on Cardinal Levada (IC Letters 12/12/13) will not go unanswered.  It is not likely that Cardinal Levada will be reading the letters in your paper.  But someone should point out that Fr Gabriel avoided any specific details as to why the cardinal did act as he…

Dear Editor, How interesting to read in The Irish Catholic on January 2, that the ‘Pope Francis effect’ is credited with a surge in numbers at Christmas Masses over and above figures in previous years, and then to read, on the turn of the page, Editor Michael Kelly’s argument for ‘Finding space for the people…

Dear Editor, How relieved I was when, just ahead of Christmas I read in The Irish Catholic the defence – against the worst intentions of a secular Sunday newspaper – of the work of the Capuchin Day Centre and the entirely unpaid role played by Br Kevin Crowley over many years in providing for the…

Dear Editor, The current Vatican survey on the attitude of the People of God to how the Church’s teaching on controversial issues around human sexuality is welcome. There are precious few opportunities within the Church for laypeople, priests and religious to offer their input. I suspect at a higher level, bishops and religious superiors also…

Dear Editor, I write in response to Fr Gabriel Daly’s letter published in The Irish Catholic (12/12/2013), where he criticised how Cardinal William Levada described Fr Tony Flannery’s views as heretical, and came heavily down upon what he saw as the aggressive imposition of conservative Catholics’ views upon liberal Catholics. I have no doubt that…

Dear Editor, Fr Gabriel Daly OSA (Letters, 12/12/13) writes about elusion on the grounds of narrow minded and arbitrary rules of Catholics who look for conformity to the rules and regulations imposed by one party in the Church. Then having declared that Cardinal Levada had no right to accuse Fr Flannery of heresy, Fr Daly…

Dear Editor, I was delighted to read Cathal Barry’s interview with the impressive Donncha O’Callaghan in the Christmas edition of the paper (19/12/13). It was a joy to read of the pride the Munster rugby player has for his faith and the “inner peace” prayer brings him. I was pleased to read that the fame…

Dear Editor, I would like to point out to Hilda Nelson (Letters IC 19/12/13) that I have always accepted priests who have “paid the price” for their child sexual abuse crimes should be allowed to move on with their lives. Also that any wrongful accusation of priest or lay person is devastating to that individual…

Dear Editor, Thank you for your detailed coverage of the latest audits of dioceses and congregations (IC 12/12/13). The calm and ordered detailing of progress achieved, and the work yet to be done, was in contrast to the predictable search for grim reading so obvious in other areas of the media who remain apparently reluctant…