Sir, - Mary Gallagher claims that a good Irish Catholic cultural identity is being lost due to consumerism and bad foreign influences (Rite and Reason, September 23rd). Christianity, whether it be Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox, is international. It does not fit into narrow, national boxes. My Christian heritage includes Augustine and Cyprian, (Africans), Basil the Great and John Chrysostom (Greeks), Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci (Italians), Thomas Moore and John Donne (English), as well as such Irish saints as Columcille and Oliver Plunkett.While I am not quite sure what Mary Gallagher means by the use of that catch-all term of abuse, "consumerism", I suspect what she has in mind is capitalism and modern popular culture. I am very grateful to capitalism for all the good it has done for this country over the past 40 years. Without capitalism, Ireland would be back to the poverty and mass exodus of the 1950s.Like the majority of people, not just in Ireland but the Western world, I am a fan of American films, TV, pop music and roleplaying games. This does not make me a worse Catholic than Mary Gallagher, and I resent any suggestion that it does. I have no interest whatsoever in traditional Irish rural and folk culture. Mary Gallagher is entitled to be interested in these things if she wants to be, but she would be wary to claim that because she is interested in those things she is somehow more Irish or Catholic than people who are not.If the Church is to have a future, it must get away from the prejudices and narrow nationalisms of the past, recover its international heritage, where there isneither Jew nor Greek but all are one in Jesus Christ, work with capitalism and reconcile with modern popular culture. There has to be room within the Church in Dracula as well as those interested in Irish traditional music within the church. - Yours, etc.,Kevin J. Dodd,Ballydoogan,Sligo.