Sir, - There are two elements in Patsy McGarry's Irishman's Diary (May 12th) on which I feel obliged to comment.
The first is his assertion that Archbishop McQuaid believed that all Protestants "had only one destiny - hell". This is simply not true. Such an absurd and preposterous belief was no part of Roman Catholic doctrine. Dr McQuaid was no ecumenist but he harboured no notion as strange as this one.
It is asserted that John Charles was incapable of love. It was my privilege to see at close quarters over several years the love and gentle, kindly care he lavished on a relative of mine who was living in deep pain. Love was very real to Archbishop McQuaid, and those who experienced it must to this day be profoundly grateful for it. - Yours, etc., Seamus Grace,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.