Madam, – Séamus McKenna (December 30th) tells us that “the essential edifying experience for educators... can only be gained by at least the possibility of having offspring of their own”.
Mr McKenna does not seem to have adverted to the interesting consequences of his theory. Among other things, it would involve the instant dismissal from their posts of all unmarried post-menopausal teachers, as well as compulsory fertility tests for all trainee teachers. Agreed?
He also believes that celibate clergy are “by definition, cut off from the balancing influence of female companionship”. I must confess that (I am now in my middle 80s) I never felt cut off from this delightful source of balancing influence – whenever I needed “balance”.
Mr McKenna does not seem to have learned from history that if it were not for the influence of the brothers and sisters (and their clerical managers) we Irish might be still picking morsels of food from municipal dumps instead of being the well-educated people that we are. – Yours, etc,
Fr JAMES GOOD,
Douglas,
Cork.