Sir, - As a lay member of the Church of Ireland, I found the O'Morchoe's letter of August 4th seriously disturbing. The sudden espousal of the principle of majority rule by the Representative Church Body (RCB), to get around the inconvenient dissent of the Diocese of Ferns to the proposed disposal of its shared episcopal residence, has profound implications for the governance of our church from top to bottom.
It implies, for instance, that decisions about the future of a rectory shared by several or more parishes in a union rest only with the select vestry of the parish in which the building stands.
It implies that the power of a diocesan synod or council to withhold consent to its proposed dissolution or amalgamation can be effectively curtailed.
Where does this leave the rights of those of us living in the less populated and geographically diverse dioceses vis-a-vis those in the more compact and populous northern dioceses?
For the Church of Ireland, as one of the country's few ancient and all-island institutions, to blithely accept the principle of majority rule, albeit for the convenience of a bishop, is dangerous. Its ramifications suggest that the issue should be fully aired and debated at the next general synod. Only if then ratified, should the disposal of the Kilkenny Palace be proceeded with. - Yours, etc.,
Nicholas Prins, Culleenamore, Strandhill, Co Sligo.