Sir, - I never miss Dr William Reville's science articles on Mondays. He writes: "Religion is in sharp decline in the West. At the same time our knowledge of the natural world and our material standards of living are steadily increasing. But in my opinion human happiness is decreasing. . . The core value of religion is spirituality. If we are possessed of spiritual souls, and I believe we are, we can never form successful and happy societies if we ignore the spiritual dimension."
Twenty years ago in Limerick Pope John Paul II said: "The Irish people have to choose today their way forward. Will it be the transformation of all strata of humanity into a new creation, or the way that many nations have gone, giving excessive importance to economic growth and material possessions, while neglecting the things of the spirit?" What material for reflection there is here as we move closer to the new millennium and what it means! - Yours, etc.,
Canon Thomas Kelleher, Courceys, Kinsale, Co Cork.