Sir, – Brendan Butler (July 30th) has suggested that the Catholic Redemptorist Order is in the firing line of the Vatican. The Redemptorists were founded almost 300 years ago by St Alphonsus and today (August 1st) his Feast Day is celebrated.
During his life he challenged the growing fundamentalism in the church. He was a practical man who helped people to live with the swirl of challenges that life presents. He helped people take responsibility for their lives so that they would not live out of fear. As patron saint of moral theologians, his views on the primacy of conscience have led to the renewal of moral theology in the post-Vatican II era. The Alphonsian tradition offers a framework for searching Catholics. It also offers a way of responding to those who wish to stifle critical thinking in our church. – Yours, etc,