Sir, – “When Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.” Surely there is a place for a modern-day Paul to withstand Benedict to his face, who is also to be blamed. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – To echo Churchill, Rome rule is probably the worst form of governance for the Catholic Church, until you’ve tried all the others. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The Roman church created a special place for dissenting Anglicans in England a number of years ago, and this seems to be working for the benefit of Christianity. I know other problems still exist but they can be ironed out in time.
Is it time for the Church of Ireland to create a space for dissenting Roman Catholics in Ireland? This would test the tolerance of both traditions without compromising core beliefs. We both profess the creed. We believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic church”. Perhaps this is an ideal time for many Christians to reach out and try to achieve one church with many traditions alleviating acrimony.
Maybe there is too much power to lose and too much political baggage to carry. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – You quote Fr Peter McVerry as saying, Jesus “revealed, instead, a God of compassion” who is “incompatible with the God of the law” (“Silenced priest told to reflect on the situation”, Home News, April 11th). But surely we’re only talking about one God here. Jesus himself said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law” (Matthew 5:17). Being the God of the law and the God of compassion at the same time is what inexorably led to his death. That was precisely the point. – Yours, etc,