Madam, - Sean Griffin (March 7th) says my views on this matter are uncharitable and bigoted. I do apologise if their delivery seems to warrant such criticism; but my argument remains that in signing up to the Thirty-Nine Articles, Mr Dunne has precisely rejected those items of faith which all Catholic clergy, both bishops and priests, are called to do uphold on their ordination day.
The fact that any Catholic priest would go against intrinsic points of his faith, especially those of the Blessed Sacrament, is sad. To deny something that he did daily (ie offer the Mass) is equally sad and lamentable.
For Mr Griffin and his fellow letter-writer Mr Coghlan to say that the faith of the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion are one and the same is also quite wrong; did they ever hear of the Edwardian Settlement (1552), which specifically did away with any notion of having a sacrificial priesthood or the "monstrous blasphemy" known as the Mass? - Is mise,
Fr JOHN McCALLION, Clonoe, Co Tyrone.
Madam, - I despaired when a member of the Catholic clergy, Fr John McCallion (March 5th), employed the language of "apostasy" against the Venerable Dermot Dunne, dean elect of Christ Church. He seeks to deny him the indelible mark of ordination (Quoniam tu es sacerdos in aeternum, secundum ordinem Melchisedech - Hebrews, Chapter 7). Moreover, the appellation "Mr Dunne" was gratuitous and insulting.
The Venerable Dunne's past and present should not be viewed as contradictory, but embraced in wholly positive Christian terms. - Yours, etc,
OLIVER McGRANE, Marley Avenue, Dublin 16.