Sir, - Father John Dardis (October 9th) is being more than a little disingenuous. Your edition of September 25th reported the archbishop of Dublin, when speaking to RTE News at the recent publication of the annual Crosscare report, as saying that publishing the names of business people who were named as having held Ansbacher accounts may be the only way in which public life can be cleansed.
The report continued: "The publication of every name could be unfair to particular individuals and it needed careful consideration, he cautioned, but `on the whole it's the right thing that it should be done' [my italics]".
Why, I ask again, is integrity in dealing with money more important in Dr Connell's view than integrity in dealing with extremely damaged human beings? Yes, of course premature publication of names in both instances could cause grave injustice, although the Information Commissioner, Mr Kevin Murphy, does not appear to be wholly of that view - at least in relation to the Ansbacher brothers and sisters.
Father Dardis's claim that Church guidelines on sexual abuse are truly victim-focused hardly tallies with statements from the Christian Brothers to the effect that each and every case will be fought through the courts.
I suggest the Church stops straining its "quality of mercy" in the matter of institutional child abuse, puts an end to its adversarial stance and allows some "gentle rain" to finally fall on the matter. - Yours, etc., Louis Lentin,
Leinster Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6.