A chara, – With the death of Pope Francis we think back on his visit to Ireland in August 2018. Pope Francis’s visit was in marked contrast to that of Pope John Paul II, 39 years earlier. The visit of the Polish pontiff had marked a high point for the Catholic church in Ireland.
By contrast with the confident and even triumphant image of John Paul’s visit, Pope Francis came to a different Ireland and to an Irish church that had been rocked by the clerical child sex abuse scandals. The number of people who gathered to greet him were way down on those that had greeted the Polish pope.
The face of the church presented by Pope Francis was a much chastened and penitent one. On his visit to the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin’s inner city Pope Francis met homeless people and said he saw in them the face of Jesus.
Throughout his pontificate Francis has remained a champion of the poor and downtrodden. As pope he has had to carry the heavy burden of sins committed by others in the church he inherited. In recent months he has had to bear the cross of his own illness. In my opinion he has carried all these burdens with great dignity and grace.
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It was entirely fitting that this humble man lived to survive the privations of his own Lenten passion to give his blessing to the faithful on Easter Sunday. History will recognise Francis as one of the truly great popes who have sat in the Chair of Peter over the past two centuries. – Is mise,
JOHN GLENNON,
Hollywood,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – I write with deep sorrow at the death of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 yesterday. It is especially poignant that he left us on the most sacred weekend in the Christian calendar. His 12-year papacy was marked by humility, an unwavering care for the poor and a courageous call to mercy that reshaped our understanding of faith in action.
In a world troubled by division, his gentle wisdom and example of service offered a beacon of compassion and hope. As Pius XI prayed on his deathbed, “My soul parts from you all in peace”, these words resonate with the serene spirit in which Francis lived and led. We would do well to follow his example – his humility and his generosity. – Yours, etc,
ENDA CULLEN,
Armagh.
Sir, – The best tribute to Pope Francis, whatever your creed or beliefs, is to show the most vulnerable – be that the birds in your garden, an annoying driver in traffic, or a slow pedestrian – a little compassion, a little kindness. – Yours, etc,
EVE PARNELL,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – Even though he had been sick for some time, the death of Pope Francis comes as a shock. Nevertheless, his dying in office marks a welcome return to tradition, succeeding to the papacy as he did in the wake of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
I am a fan of Benedict’s, but his resignation painted leadership of the world’s largest religion as being a temporal political position rather than the divine, lifelong appointment it is supposed to be and almost always was.
By continuing in office until his natural end, Pope Francis has spared the church a repeat of the nine-year spectacle that was the operation of two popes seen as being in ideological conflict with one another, with all the division and distraction that that entailed.
I do not believe Pope Francis got everything right but, because of him, the papacy has been vacated properly for the first time since 2005. May he rest in peace. – Yours, etc,
KILLIAN FOLEY-WALSH,
Kilkenny.
Payment on Dublin Bus
Sir, – I was on a bus in Dublin recently when a family of tourists arrived. They were ready to pay with their bank cards, unaware they needed to pay with coins. They didn’t have enough coins, so other passengers helped out. This happens frequently.
Sometimes, the driver lets them off and they travel free, resulting in loss of revenue for Dublin Bus.
In most other European countries passengers can pay with a bank card.
Surely it is time Dublin Bus set up card payment? – Yours, etc,
GABRIELLE HYLAND,
Glasnevin,
Dublin.
Dogs have no right to roam
Sir, – I frequently (almost weekly) take a walk at Rathcroghan Mound, which is part of the Rathcroghan monuments archaeological site near Tulsk, Co Roscommon.
Although the mound is open to the public, it is located on privately-owned land grazed by sheep. The car park adjacent to this land is operated by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and they have erected information signs for the public. Among these are two signs clearly indicating that dogs are not allowed on to the privately-owned land, either on or off a leash (they are allowed in the car park).
As frequently as I visit, I witness people allowing their dogs on to the land, sometimes on a leash, but just as often not – despite the fact that sheep and often lambs, are clearly visible at the site.
I would suggest that such behaviour contributes to the reluctance of many landowners to facilitate public access. Vincent Murphy asks “why not in Ireland”, mentioning the Swedish law of “allemansratten” (Letters, April 18th). Perhaps the Swedish are more law-abiding than the Irish? – Yours, etc,
SUSAN GREENE,
Castlerea,
Co Roscommon.
More flights, more emissions
Sir, – A few weeks ago, Irish Doctors for the Environment launched a campaign calling for a ban on fossil fuel advertising in Ireland. In the midst of a worsening climate crisis, it is madness to continue promoting the expansion of fossil fuel use.
It was therefore disheartening to read an article detailing Aer Lingus’s plans for new direct routes to Cancún over the weekend (“Aer Lingus considers its first Ireland-Mexico service with flights to Cancún resort”, Business, April 19th).
The piece referenced the DAA’s application to increase the passenger cap at Dublin Airport, yet failed to mention the associated rise in emissions. While we campaign to end fossil fuel advertising, the media continues to offer free PR to high-emission industries by encouraging carbon-intensive air travel. This contradiction must be addressed if we are serious about climate action.
We ought to prioritise health for all, not short-term profit for a few fossil fuel companies. – Yours, etc,
Dr OLA LØKKEN NORDRUM,
Operations officer,
Irish Doctors for the Environment.
New trade partners
Sir, – It is time the European Union developed a backbone and walked away from talks with the United States over tariffs. The EU should not be intimidated by the incoherent actions of an economically illiterate administration. Tariffs cause damage to all countries, both exporters and importers, but unwinding tariffs can be painful also. So let us forget about retaliatory tariffs.
The European commissioner for trade, Maros Sefcovic, and his colleagues should focus instead on building trade relations with Australia, Canada and the UK, countries that can be counted on to honour any trade agreements reached.
I am reluctant to regard China as a model for the resistance to Donald Trump’s trade war given the human rights record and threatening behaviour towards Taiwan, but I admire the strong line the Chinese government is taking. A more worthy model would be Harvard University, which risks defunding for refusing to adopt curriculum “reforms” while maintaining its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. The EU should act similarly. Our leaders should not hurry to the White House. Instead, leave Mr Trump sitting in the Oval Office, waiting for the phone to ring. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN BUTLER,
Fairview,
Dublin 3.
El Salvador and US deportations
Sir, – It has taken the visit of US Democratic senator, Chris Van Hollen, to El Salvador to highlight the illegal deportations from the US and the imprisonment of one of his Maryland constituents, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, in the notorious El Salvador prison (“US senator meets with wrongly deported man in El Salvador”, World News, April 19th).
Having just returned from Central America, it is tragic to see how, after a 12-year civil war, president Nayib Bukele has declared a state of emergency in El Salvador with the suspension of civil rights, due process and the consolidation of his autocratic rule. He built this US funded prison, “the Centre for the Confinement of Terrorists” (CECOT), in 2003, where at least 85,000 people are imprisoned without trial or due process and where no access is allowed for lawyers, letters or family visits.
El Salvador, with its US dollar currency, is effectively a satellite US state where president Donald Trump can deport anyone who opposes him.
Hopefully, the senator’s visit will not only highlight the unjust treatment of his constituent but how thousands of people are being flown out of the US illegally to these gulags in Central America. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.
Peace in Ukraine a long way off
Sir, – People are still being killed in Ukraine and recent actions from Russia indicate they are unlikely to stop attacking. Peace is a long way off.
This is made worse by the statement from US secretary of state Marco Rubio that they would “move on” and stop helping with peace talks unless they see some success. This is a disappointing update from the US, particularly given president Donald Trump’s comments on ending the war: “I’ll have that done in 24 hours.”
Even with the best of intentions by the best negotiators, peace talks can take a long time and not always bring a successful outcome. The idea of not contributing to the process because it is difficult, boring or not generating positive news is wrong and the action of an immoral coward. – Yours, etc,
DENNIS FITZGERALD,
Melbourne,
Australia.
Emergency measures
Sir, – In John FitzGerald’s excellent piece on electricity systems, he describes how there was a need to secure electricity supply to Northern Ireland during the second World War because power generation was vulnerable to German bombing (“Failure to connect electricity systems on island of Ireland has led to higher prices and greater emissions”, Opinion, April 18th).
He writes: “Agreement was reached early in September 1941 on the interconnector. It was finished early in 1942 about five months after the decision to invest. The ESB built and paid for the section in the Republic, and the UK paid for the rest. Under wartime conditions this was a remarkable achievement. Neither planning restrictions nor concerns about neutrality got in the way of keeping the power on in Northern Ireland.”
This is proof that if something needs to be done quickly, it can be. Fast-forward to today, a North-South interconnector has been spoken about for nearly two decades. Similarly, the A5 reroute as well as projects on both sides of the Border, including the MetroLink and the children’s hospital, have been subject to poor planning, delays and budget overruns.
Imagine if housing was declared an emergency, over the next five, 10 and 20 years it could be solved for good. – Yours, etc,
Dr IVAN COULTER,
Booterstown,
Dublin.
Poetry of rural life
Sir, – Frank McNally’s musings on phrases used in the past and his reference to “as awkward as a sow in reverse” refreshed memories of my own days spent long ago in struggling to get our sows into their farrowing crates (“Over on Out: Frank McNally gets to the bottom of a mysteriously familiar phrase”, An Irishman’s Diary, April 19th).
The appreciation of phrases and poetry so specific to a lived rural experience – such as Patrick Kavanagh’s “your mandril strained, your coulter blunted in the smooth lea-field of my brow” – must resonate now with fewer and fewer Irish people, with that fading connection to the land. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN McLOUGHLIN,
Ballina,
Co Mayo.
Our history of emigration
Sir, – Ireland has a long history of emigration. Under British rule, there was famine, poverty and oppression. Poverty subsisted long into home rule, and waves of emigration continued as people sought better opportunities elsewhere.
Today, we have billions in budget surpluses. We have home rule. What are we doing with it?
The Government is running the country in a way that pushes our best and brightest young people away. Opposition hasn’t convinced the electorate that they’ll be any better. And voters have chosen not to change anything.
We’ve always had emigration. But for the first time, it’s entirely our fault.
BRENDAN LYNCH,
Vienna,
Austria.
Early praise for Father Ted
Sir, – I greatly enjoyed Martin Doyle’s piece on the 30th anniversary of Father Ted (Ticket, April 19th).
I have one minor quibble. He writes: “The Irish media was initially hostile, with accusations of Paddywackery.” But there was one exception that I know of.
I gave the first episode a rave review in the long-gone Sunday Press and many years later I was delighted to hear Arthur Matthews generously acknowledge my solo effort in a radio discussion. – Yours, etc,
ÉANNA BROPHY,
Raheny,
DUBLIN 5.
Times tables tunes
Sir, – On the subject of singing poetry, I recall that in primary school in the 1960s we had to learn our “times tables” to the tune of La-la-la-la-la, as in “one-and-nought-are-one” and so forth.
Many’s the wag who, when asked to recite his times tables would launch into the “La-la-la-la-la” refrain alone, and when asked by the múinteoir what he thought he was doing, would inform him that he knew the tune but couldn’t remember the words. Days of innocence. – Yours, etc,
HUGH Mc DONNELL,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 9.
