Catholicism and commerce

Madam, - Kevin Myers's convoluted logic attributes Ireland's economic success to the collapse of the power of the Catholic Church…

Madam, - Kevin Myers's convoluted logic attributes Ireland's economic success to the collapse of the power of the Catholic Church (An Irishman's Diary, April 14th).

The opposite is true.

No person has done more to generate Ireland's economic success than Dr Ken Whitaker - the brilliant economist in the Irish civil service who designed the programme for economic recovery.

Ken Whitaker has always been generous in his praise of the Irish Christian Brothers who inspired, educated and prepared him for his future role as a dedicated civil servant.

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In fact the great majority of Irish civil servants, politicians, engineers, economists and others who participated in the building of a successful economy were likewise products of Irish Christian Brothers' schools or other religious-run schools.

Let us not forget the religious who founded and opened our hospitals and centres of all kinds of medical care. There were no closed wards, or patients on trolleys when the nuns ran the hospitals.

By their involvement in education and in medical care such people saved our growing economy millions of pounds. The Church, which Mr Myers castigates, initiated and encouraged the foundation of these great schools and hospitals in the cities and towns of Ireland.

The people who served in these institutions eschewed secular careers to serve the Irish people - precisely because they were true and real members of the Catholic Church. - Yours, etc.,

Father CON McGILLICUDDY, Dollymount Grove, Dublin 3.