HUGH BYRNE
Sir, - I read Paul Corcoran's letter of July 25th with interest. He is right: self-examination and reassessment of practice is essential if the Church is to seriously apply itself to learning from its many past sins. Unfortunately, we then get more of the same: celibacy, women priests.
He makes the bizarre statement that celibacy "makes the priesthood deeply unappealing". But I assume he understands the concept of a vocation? It is not whether a man wishes to become a priest in the same way I might find winning the lottery appealing, but rather whether that man has been called by God to serve in this particular ministry. If he is called, there will be sacrifices to be made.
However, as a married man I too have to make sacrifices in answering my vocation and the demand for chastity and commitment to one's spouse is equally unappealing to many today. Are we therefore to assume that marriage too is for the birds in this new, enlightened church?
On the point of women priests, he continues on the erroneous path of presuming the priesthood to be the "ultimate recognition" within the Church. How demeaning to those of us who make up the Church. Why the need for emphasis on the clergy? We are all called to ministry in the Church. Indeed Paul makes it very clear in his letter to the Church in Corinth that there are "many gifts" and that some will be teachers, some apostles, some prophets, etc. Do these now reside solely in the ordained ministry?
As long as we the laity continue in this misunderstanding of our call, the Church will struggle. - Yours, etc,
HUGH BYRNE Rathclaren, Bray, Co Wicklow.