Madam, - Fintan O'Toole (Opinion, September 9th), rightly condemns the sweetheart deal cobbled up by the former Minister for Education, Michael Wood. The enormity of that breathtaking pact, whereby the Irish State (you, me, and the rest of the citizenry) indemnifies the institutional Roman Catholic Church against all but the least fraction of the untellable potential pay-out relating to clerical child abuse, in damages, restitution and lawyers' fees, reeks of sub rosa contrivance and manipulation by shadowy figures, lay and clerical.
This bumbling Government would like us to believe, I feel, that the latest débâcle - the despairing resignation of Ms Justice Lafoy - is the result of thoughtlessness and fumbling on its part, and that it has always held to the best interests of the tragic victims of clerical abuse in its dealings with them. Such a belief is, I suggest, quite untenable at this stage.
The whole convoluted process of coming to terms with the awful clerical wrongs against helpless, innocent and vulnerable young people is further than ever from anything resembling a satisfactory resolution, and seems set to continue along these lines of prevarication, side-tracking and downright obstruction - almost entirely on the part of the institutional Church authorities.
There must be a resolve to revisit the whole matter of this outrageous Woods agreement. There must be an equal resolve to inquire into its concoction and, most importantly, the shadowy figures and organisations that concocted it.
At what were the terms and conditions of Mr Woods's indemnity deal agreed? Were they minuted and recorded? Who attended them, and by whose authority and nomination? Does the now castrated Freedom of Information Act permit access at this stage to such information? If so, can our journalists extract it and let the nation know? We have been well served by them up to this - despite the yelps of those who would have us shoot the messenger.
Your newspaper, Madam, is splendidly supplied with such people. Will they now hunt along this scent and bring us to something resembling a just and equitable settlement? This country stands desperately in need of it. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID GRANT,
Mount Pleasant,
Waterford.