Sir, - The letter from the Dean of Christ Church, Dublin, the Very Rev John Paterson (March 30th) concerning my "distasteful" report on the consecration of Bishop Paul Colton (The Irish Times, March 26th) is unfair and even contradictory. Accusing me of "gross intrusion" and "questionable journalism", he criticises me for naming some of the Roman Catholics present who received Communion at the service and for "ignoring" (not naming?) those who opted for a blessing instead.
The consecration of a bishop is a public event and the people invited, apart from family and friends, are there because of their public role. Were it the case that they were attending a service in a private capacity, and were named in a newspaper report, then I would agree with Dean Paterson's criticisms.
But from a journalist's point of view, not to speak of that of a Religious Affairs Correspondent, to choose not to report that such prominent Roman Catholics had received Communion at such a public Church of Ireland event would, in the context, be a dereliction of duty.
It is a matter of major public importance, following the publication by the Catholic bishops of these islands of their uncompromising One Bread One Body document last September, that such leading Roman Catholics should publicly choose to ignore the bishops' teaching and partake in Anglican communion.
That one of those Roman Catholics is also the State's Minister for Education - a sphere where the influence of the Churches remains strong - increases the significance of the event.
None of the people named in my report has complained about the matter and, as was clear from the report, the Minister concerned, Mr Martin, spoke freely to me on the subject.
Dean Paterson's question concerning The Irish Times setting up "a type of ecclesiastical thought police" is simply facetious.
Father Padraig McCarthy of Rathdrum, Co Wicklow (March 29th) suggested that "an individual may indeed have political as well as personal religious motives in deciding to receive Communion: we must leave that to the conscience of the person." I did not respect this, he said.
When a public person acting in a public role in a public situation chooses to exercise his/her conscience publicly on a contentious issue, then it is my duty as a journalist to inform the public accordingly. I would argue strongly that that was the case in Christ Church on March 25th. - Yours, etc., Patsy McGarry,
Monkstown, Co Dublin.