Mary McAleese and same-sex blessing

SSir, – Thank you for your front-page article with the responses from former president Mary McAleese and the Association of Catholic Priests to the document from the Vatican re church ban on same-sex blessings (“McAleese criticises Pope as populist who raises then dashes hopes”, March 19th).

Such outrageous affrontry from a group of men, to designate just who and who is not created in such a way as “to receive and express grace”.

Here is yet another reason why, when churches reopen, walking back into them will have to be weighed up.

To what are we acquiescing in crossing the threshold?

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– Yours, etc,

MARY RIEKE MURPHY,

Rathfarnham,

Dublin 16.

Sir, – I wonder if former president Mary McAleese would do us all a favour and go off and form a religion of her own, and give the rest of us a bit of peace and quiet from her personal vendetta against the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has its own rules. If she doesn’t like them, she can leave. It’s that simple. – Yours, etc,

DAVID DORAN

Bagenalstown,

Co Carlow.