Madam, - I read of the apology which had to be given by the three Augustinian priests, to avoid being defrocked, with a sense of inevitability and irony.
The discreet exercise of Christian charity might have sufficed in this instance once the party line had been so well rehearsed. One suspects that the widespread indifference to the latter might have something to do with the need to obtain the submission.
I would like to assure the Augustinian Irish Province that, far from suffering "pain, confusion and damage" as a result of the Easter Mass in Drogheda, I was moved by the event, while fully recognising that there is still, for whatever reason, much to be done on the road to unity. It is the tardiness of the progress that is frustrating for the ordinary churchgoer. It seems that ending the greatest scandal in Christendom will take more time, patience, goodwill and minds open to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
I would be more inclined to apply the words "pain, suffering and damage" to describe the state of my feelings about the really dreadful events which occurred within the church, and which have received much coverage in recent years. The actions of the three monks and the local rector were, by contrast, a signal to all of us that there are wonderful, well-meaning people of God still prepared to push the boulder uphill.
In the light of the Drogheda incident and its unfortunate aftermath is it any wonder that there is so much scepticism in the attitudes of those whom we would wish to be the "future" of the churches, but who stay away in such large numbers. - Yours, etc,
LUKE MOONEY, Deerpark Drive, Dublin 15.
Madam, - So Fr Iggy and his fellow travellers have apologised and agreed not to misbehave again. There would seem to be three ways to interpret this action: (a) They are cowards who have changed their position for fear of losing their jobs; (b) they have masterfully created a situation in which, having flouted the teaching and authority of their church, they are now able to present themselves as victims, forced to recant like Galileo, who will subsequently be vindicated; (c) they have come to a real understanding of the theology of the priesthood and of the Eucharist, respect for liturgical and canon law and legitimate authority within the Church and they appreciate that it was wrong to do what they did.
I suspect we can rule out option (c). In any event, now that they have publicly admitted their guilt I look forward to their receiving their punishment in accordance with Canon 1365: "A person guilty of prohibited participation in sacred rites is to be punished with a just penalty". - Yours, etc,
CHRISTOPHER McCAMLEY, Newtown, Drogheda, Co Louth.
Madam, - How interesting it was to read that the three Augustinian priests who concelebrated Mass with a Church of Ireland rector have apologised. And how much more convincing it would have been if the apology had come from them, rather than through a statement released by the Augustinian Order. One can almost hear thousands of angels dancing jigs on the head of a pin. - Yours, etc,
JOHN STAFFORD, Dargle Wood, Dublin 16.