Sir, - As a member of the Church of Ireland, I am proud of the fact that there is a great diversity of opinion within our church. In that context, I respect the right of the Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral to have a publicly stated position on the matter of accepting invitations from the Taoiseach and Ms Celia Larkin. Thankfully, as a result of the Anglican principle of liberty of conscience, I am able to disagree with him.
Ms Celia Larkin is an Irish citizen and a tax-paying member of Irish society. Her name has as much right to be on an invitation as any other citizen the Taoiseach may ask to accompany him on business. She is a beautiful person and a good ambassador for a country that is trying to project a pluralist, progressive and inclusive image. I deeply regret any hurt that may have been felt by her as a consequence of comments made by the Dean of St Patrick's or any other Church of Ireland spokesperson.
In all of the churches we are agreed on the sanctity of marriage and its importance as a basic building-block of society. We want to support those who are in married life and to encourage them to stay together. That does not mean that we have to exclude or marginalise those who are not married or those whose marriages have failed, for whatever reason.
I want to remind the Dean of St Patrick's and others that Jesus attended meals at which publicans and sinners were present. He was criticised by the Pharisees. Isn't there something very pharisaical about those who refuse invitations to banquets where there are people in second relationships and in partnerships that the church doesn't morally sanction?
Finally, I want to make the point that the Church of Ireland is a broad church which encompasses people of many different opinions. Sometimes we disagree with each other but we still manage to maintain the unity of the body, in the spirit of peace. I would invite others to come and share the comprehensiveness that we have and the open-mindedness of debate that we enjoy. The Church of Ireland has open arms to receive all who want to worship and know Jesus, as Lord and Saviour., - Yours, etc.,
David Frazer, Rector of Clane Parish, Millicent, Co Kildare.