Madam, - As a long-term fan of your Letters page, with its controversial and occasionally tongue-in-cheek contributions, I really must take issue with Dr Orla Halpenny (November 2nd) for taking up valuable space with a load of rubbish.
Let me quote verbatim from her letter: "Now, the European Parliament has decided that Catholics may not be appointed to positions of government because their adherence to principles. . ."
Obviously this simply is not true. By coincidence, shortly before I read this, I heard a BBC interview with Commissioner Chris Patten, in which the interviewer put this point to him. He replied that firstly he himself was a Catholic and that the presidents of the Commission, present, past and future, were all Catholics and had encountered no problem.
Clearly, if there is a conflict between one's conscience and one's job one must either seek a change in responsibilities or resign. This choice is not confined to Catholics. But there is a vast difference between holding religious principles and parading these in a manner that suggests one cannot be objective in dealing with those who do not share them.
Incidentally, may I take this opportunity to ask RTÉ newsreaders and announcers to learn the proper pronunciation of the Italian letters "gli", as in Buttliglione? The G is silent. - Yours, etc.,
W.J. MURPHY,
Malahide,
Co Dublin.