In a book published six years ago, the SpanishCatalan Jesuit, Father Joseph Vives, asserted that "what truly characterises the present moment is that `God is missing but not missed.' This is a genuinely new situation which never existed before in the world." We have only to reflect on our own lives, and the lives of others, to realise that for large numbers of Irish people "God is missing but not missed." Secularism, or God-less thinking, obtains on a wide scale in this country. Indeed "Godless Ireland" would now be a more accurate description of the country, north and south.

We are secular/godless whenever our decisions do not allow for either God's laws, His rewards for compliance, or His penalties for our non-compliance. Doing so is like playing golf without allowing for its "laws", rewards, and penalties. It is also true that, as with 90 per cent or more of the things we do in life, our "autopilot" activity can be in accord with God's laws etc, without being preceded by consideration of the same.

But there is much to suggest that even when activity is preceded by reflection, God's views get little or no attention. An outstanding example is provided by media discussion. Whole days go by without even one reference to those views, in either articles or on programmes.

The result is a daily diet of secular/godless thinking, even on Sundays. Issues are considered on the basis of a pragmatism which is neither guided or fettered by God's views.

Acceptance of such media secularism reflects all-round Irish acceptance of godless thinking. If the 99 per cent or so of Irish people outside the tiny media circle were in the habit of allowing for God's views as they discussed things, media discussions would do likewise. It is a remarkable situation, which I have seen grow over the past 30 years or so, and for, I reckon, three reasons: (a) politics, (b) harmony, and (c) convenience.

The (a) political reason owes much to a determined effort in this part of Ireland to lessen tensions in Northern Ireland by showing that Rome's version of God's views does not influence our thinking here. We have been demonstrating our independence in that regard so successfully that Irish political, legal, and judicial thinking is now far more godless than that of Britain and the United States.

When constitutional review committees call for the removal of references to God in our Constitution they are being totally logical, as such removal is already an established fact of government here. It is a spin-off of nearly 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland.

The (b) harmony reason owes much to a dogmatic desire for harmony - another way of saying that our tolerance of anything divisive now is at a low ebb. God's laws, rewards, punishments, and views are anything but clear-cut. This is so even among Catholics, particularly since the 1968 contraception verdict apparently let Catholics disagree on those views and still be Catholics.

There is now a wide range of moral and even religious issues on which Catholics hold different opinions, e.g. conditions for worthy reception of the Eucharist.

This is an enormous change from the all-round conformity of views which prevailed up to 30 years ago. It takes getting used to, particularly when all concerned feel uneasy about it. However, any attempt to compare notes, even when related to different views, is discouraged lest it lead to conflict. It is a "don't-mention-the-war" situation, and is so within families, on social occasions, and even among clergy. Harmony at all costs means that exchanges have to be secular.

The (c) convenience reason for the growth of secularism over the past 30 years owes much to intellectual laziness. It is much, much easier for journalists and broadcasters, politicians and judges, and indeed for all and sundry, to be godless in their thinking than to allow for God's views.

For Catholics, doing so would mean allowing for what is in the 2,865 paragraphs of the updated Catechism. Adults are no more in the mood for doing that than are youngsters in school religion classes, where, as one former teacher put it: "Teachers don't want to teach the subject and students don't want to learn it."

In short, the combination of those political, harmony, and convenience reasons means that secular/godless thinking now prevails in Ireland. Indeed, many of those who still go to Mass are, in practice, largely godless in their moral thinking. What is more, they find that situation quite acceptable, as it frees them from worries related to after-death consequences of thislife deviance. After God has been absent from thinking for a while, God is not missed.

It was not surprising then that recently priests surveyed by the Dublin Diocesan Council identified "the perceived irrelevance of the Church/Faith" as their most challenging problem and, pessimistically, put "promotion of the Catechism" at number 43 in a priority list of "possible initiatives."

They are like teachers of Irish trying to interest people in using a language which, in fact, is not necessary for acceptable survival. That situation explains the lack of impact of bishops' statements, and such as CORI proposals, in recent times. Those who do not miss God do not miss God's ministers. That is particularly so of males, as doing without God appeals strongly to male selfreliance.

Oddly enough, having identified their number one problem, neither the Dublin priests nor the eight people (including their archbishop) who commented on their views, suggested solutions specifically for it. Until they solve that problem, all their other initiatives will be wasteful failures.

Joe Foyle describes himself as a Purgatorian who does six things daily to lessen for everyone what is called the deprivation pain of pur- gatory