ENJOYING INFALLIBILITY

Sir, - I am pleased that the Rev Colin Garvey (February 2nd) was amused at my little catechism, since such was its purpose, albeit…

Sir, - I am pleased that the Rev Colin Garvey (February 2nd) was amused at my little catechism, since such was its purpose, albeit not for the reasons he might imagine.

However, prescinding from the reverend gentleman's amusement, and indeed from any other of his subjective states, it is likely that as a Roman Catholic priest he studied some basic logic, even if only of the Aristotelian kind. If so, then he most probably can work out that any statement asserting the infallibility of any human being must fall into either circularity (in the event of its being asserted by one individual of himself) or infinite regression. So while anyone may believe that the Pope is infallible, or that the moon is made of green cheese, he can never know the former. The latter is, fortunately, testable. - Yours, etc.,

The Pigeons,

Athlone, Co Westmeath.