Sir, - President McAleese is entitled to attend church services wherever she chooses, dress in whatever clothes she feels suit her best, and deliver lectures as she sees fit, all of course in accordance with the public or private protocol of the occasion. What she is not entitled to do is to use the collective phrase "all", as in "all" can sense "disappointment and impatience on many fronts", when addressing the National Conference of Priests of Ireland (The Irish Times, September 26th). She has no mandate to speak on behalf of the Catholic population and to what extent her personal views are accepted by the laity is most unclear.
These, as is very well known, are both radical and strident. Nevertheless they were, from all accounts, well received by the clergy present. This in itself would appear to indicate that the time is long overdue for a debate on what exactly is meant by the term the "full giftedness of women".
A letter published on the same day, M. O Fearghail clearly and concisely pinpoints the "false irenicism" which has caused so much confusion and consternation in the Catholic Church over the past two decades. The inevitable decline in the number of religious was of course to be fully expected in such a confused climate of change. No other result was possible or logical.
It would be of great interest to see the welcome M. 0 Fearghail would receive should he be invited to address the next NCPI conference in All Hallows and the reception his views would generate. For the "full giftedness of women" to be the cause celebre of today, attracting so much support from clergy, one is left wondering about the "full giftedness of priests", or if this term has now become fully superseded.
Indeed it may well be said that here are the two stools between which the Church finds itself caught - a dilemma which will not go away, yet one which will be neither identified or resolved by those most concerned. - Yours, etc.,
John Herriott, Silchester Park, Glenageary, Co Dublin.