Sir, - Father Patrick McCafferty (April 25th) correctly states: "The atrocities inflected on these boys and girls [at the Letterfrack reformatory] are by no means peculiar to religious circles."
There are a very large number of crimes which occur in society, such as murder, theft, acts of terrorism, robbery, arson, vandalism, sale of illegal drugs, prostitution, etc. The incidence of these and other serious crimes among the Catholic clergy is exceedingly low - except, peculiarly and curiously, those crimes under the category of physical and sexual child abuse.
I do not believe that individuals who point out this fact are merely indulging in their own prejudices toward the Church, as Father McCafferty implies. This phenomenon is a truth which the Catholic hierarchy would do well to recognise. - Yours, etc.,
Nicolas Johnson, Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 12.