Sir, - Fintan O'Toole makes the remarkable statement (Opinion, September 26th) that "those who believe, as Dana does, that their God (interpreted by themselves) is an authority above and beyond democracy, must nevertheless submit themselves to democratic rules". The Irish Constitution takes the view that God is above the State, and that authority derives from God (Preamble and Article 6.1). This would, in principle, allow one to dissent from a provision of the State if it were against one's conscience. The alternative seems to be state-olatry, apparently implied in Mr O'Toole's views.
Mr O'Toole seems to think that a banquet of Catholics to support a candidate is in some way a violation of the separation of Church and State. He even writes that "Catholic cardinals and bishops were often leading proponents of what we might now call secularism - the idea that democracy was best served by keeping religion out of election campaigns". This is a very bizarre and tendentious description of secularism, which aims at excluding religion from public life, education and so on. What Catholics sought and seek is toleration. In fact, the Catholic state of Maryland in the US was the first ever to write toleration into its constitution. This was later abolished by the Puritans. Mr O'Toole seems to be very muddled.
The outstanding exponents of secularism in this century were the National Socialists in Germany and the communists in many countries, most extremely in Albania. These people, who thought of themselves as both secularists and humanists, slaughtered more people in a short time than the various religions did in many centuries.
I hope Mr O'Toole's time in the United States will open his eyes even a little to the realities of church and state, and religion and toleration. - Yours, etc.,
The Abbey, Galway City.