Sir, - When President McAleese created a theological turbulence over the "Body of Christ" I painted the President as an a-lacarte, cherry-picking Catholic" and her brand of ecumenism as "candy floss and superficial." She wavers!
Her recent pontificating at the priests' conference on `Women Priests and Sister Churches" I would pencil in as `pure and utter tosh'.
Aware of her c.v. on the Body of Christ, it was most disingenuous of the organisers of the said gathering to give her space. Many people are unaware that Mary McAleese is a professional campaigner on the above issues.
May I use your excellent paper to hammer home the point that the NCPI does not speak on behalf of the ordinary priest in the presbytery nor for me? The same goes for the American Nun's National Conference.
People conveniently forget that the Body of Christ is the only absolute true reality - the only real thing on this planet of ours. It's the benchmark of history nailed down by the Carpenter of Nazareth. When one goes astray on this foundational reality a Gadarene slide to destruction sets in. It's the missing link in all the other religions.
The president is right. The Cardinal is right. Both can't be right. Both can't be wrong. One is right. One is wrong. I will throw my hat into the ring with the Cardinal.
The famous Anglican convert and novelist G.K. Chesterton once said the Catholic Church was `the only messenger who never tampers with the message."
So many today are sipping from the Irish stew-pot of subjectivism, relativism, modernism, it's refreshing to digest the bread of truth served up by Cardinal Ratingzer on the true identity of the Catholic Church in Dominus Jesus. Strong meat, indeed! The historical Church of Christ always presents her menu of truths on Salome's bloodstained silver dish.
To hear such absolute truth is a rare bird these days - among so much cuckooism, celtic-spiritualism, feminism and political correctness. The nearest many of the "little popes" on RTE get to an absolute true statement is their constant overuse and abuse of the adverb "absolutely".
Ecumenism has turned out to be a stubborn mule - the more you swear and kick the donkey, the more it turns out to be a biblical Balaam's Ass.
The millennium moment of all history is the divinely induced conception of the Christ Child in the womb of the woman, who is both Virgin and Mother. Guardini says succinctly that the conception of the Son of God is the birthday of Christian virginity. Here is the moment of classical Christianity. Here is being formed embryonically, Christian virginity, celibacy, the Catholic priesthood and deaconship. Herein lies too the St Andrew's fault-line on the exclusion of women-priests and deaconesses. The Catholic Church always drinks deeply from this well at Nazareth. All other sources carry a health warning. Feminists conveniently forget to see that God is honouring all women in honouring Mary of Galilee.
By the way, here is something for your readers to chew on. Everybody knows where They were born. Nobody knows where they were conceived, not even Mary of Nazareth. There is one glorious exception - the conception of the Son of God. - Yours, etc.,
Raymond A. Hannon C.C., Farnham Drive, Finglas South, Dublin 11.