Sir, – For the information of John T Kavanagh (August 28th) and others of his opinion, it was our Holy Father Emeritus, Pope Benedict XVI who, as cardinal prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, began to treat most seriously and properly the issue of sexual abuse by clergy. The Holy Father personally oversaw the dismissal from the clerical state of numerous offenders, including those who were never accused in a court of law but who were, nevertheless, “guilty as sin”. – Yours, etc,
Fr PATRICK
McCAFFERTY,
Glen Road, Belfast.
Sir, – Allow me spare Fr McGillicuddy and other readers the trouble of correcting John Kavanagh’s unwitting if glaring statistical error in his observations as regards communicating with God (August 28th).
Mistakenly he recounts that 37.5 per cent of students, reportedly, don’t believe in God when, in truth and on a positive note, of course, they do. Mhuise sure if only the stats read as per Mr Kavanagh’s take, the good Father wouldn’t have had to get on “the hot-line to His office” in the first place. – Yours, etc,
OWEN MORTON,
Station Road,
Sutton, Dublin 13.