Madam, – From reading the letters of Mrs Mary Stewart (February 10th) over the years, I take it that she is a regular attender at Mass. But like the vast majority of our Irish bishops (Archbishop Dermot Martin excluded) she must be asleep when the words of the prophet Isaiah are read as one of the readings in early summer every year: “Thus says the Lord: have a care for justice, act with integrity.”
This to me is just not advisory; it is an order; and it is ignored by so many in authority in our Church. If our bishops – and indeed our politicians and bankers heeded these words – we would not be in the mess we are in today.
I can well appreciate the frustration of priests such as Fr Patrick McCafferty at the failure of many of our bishops to deal with child sexual abuse. I know of two outstanding Defence Force chaplains who could take no more of it and left the priesthood in recent years. In addition to their military duties they helped out in the local diocese, mainly in social affairs, and very often this involved contact with the victims of various forms of abuse.
Bishop Magee of Cloyne failed in a most important area of his responsibility and he should now “act with integrity” and resign. – Yours, etc,