Sir, - I was taken aback by the statement from the Catholic Bishops in which they appear to be encouraging the Irish people to vote in favour of the Nice Treaty.
Their lordships main concern at all times should be for the spiritual welfare of the people of Ireland, but there is nothing in their statement to suggest that this was in the forefront of their minds when they elected to intervene in this particular political contest.
The whole ethos of the present European movement is driven along by a cult of materialism with no reference to our Creator or to man's eternal destiny. No greater contrast can be found than in a comparison of the noble and reverent language of the Irish Constitution and the mountains of paper comprised in the Treaty of Rome and the legal developments which have followed in its wake. It is all very reminiscent of the Old Testament account of the building of the Tower of Babel, when man decided he was self-sufficient and turned his back on God.
If we had the courage to remain outside this grinding down of national culture and traditions, as Switzerland and Norway have elected to do, we could make a much greater contribution to Europe in the long term and preserve our own national ethos, culture, traditions, and commitment to the Faith still professed by over 90 per cent of our people. - Yours, etc.,
Roderick J. O'Hanlon, Kilternan, Co Dublin.