Sir, – In your editorial comment of January 26th ("In the shadow of the dome"), you congratulate Catholic legislators for putting aside their Catholic faith in legislating on social issues and so creating a pluralist and more diverse society.
You neglect to mention other social issues that co-exist with these mainly middle-class social issues in which you take such pride when Catholic legislators abandon their faith commitment. The widening gap between rich and poor in Ireland, the growing number of homeless people and indeed families, the number of suicides, the increasing violence on our streets, etc. If we are going to speak about society, we must not neglect the parts that do not suit our middle-class notions of plurality.
The Christian vision of society based on the principal of the dignity and inviolability of every human being has proved itself over two millennia.
The secular vision of society based on the individual’s unbridled freedom to do what one pleases if one has the money and the wherewithal is a disastrously limited vision of what human life is about but one on which you congratulate our legislators and hope more will follow. I cannot agree. – Yours, etc,
Fr GREGORY O’BRIEN, PP
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.