Sir, — The suggestion that some prisoners should be released to mark the visit of Pope Francis to Ireland is apt ("Prisoners should be given amnesty for papal visit", Opinion & Analysis, August 20th).
After all, the organisation over which his holiness presides has given us all a masterclass in how a particularly reprehensible group of criminals can evade any legal sanction whatsoever and can continue to enjoy the trust and respect of all and sundry.
Perhaps our own more conventional criminals may be able to discharge their obligations to the rest of us by adapting the ecclesiastical procedure whereby guilt is expatiated by way of an unctuous mea culpa and a heartfelt if mentally reserved promise to do better in the future. – Yours, etc,
PETER KENNY,
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Churchtown, Dublin 14.