Defending The Clergy

Sir, - Oh dear, it has been a bad few months for the Catholic Church

Sir, - Oh dear, it has been a bad few months for the Catholic Church. Apart from the recent high-profile court cases, we have seen the dismissal of two progressive people who were ministering to the needs of gay people, the Archbishop of Dublin being criticised for failing to consult angry parishioners before moving a much-loved priest, and the Pope publicly being told he cannot say Mass before 125,000 of his faithful in Hong Kong.

Just when you thought it could not get any worse, a new and grave calamity befalls the Catholic faith: the quixotic Kevin Myers announces (An Irishman's Diary, August 13th) that he has become a champion of the Church's cause, presumably to combat what he calls the "moral frenzy . . . of the lynch mob mood in the country". Already one can hear the forlorn murmur of "thanks but no thanks" echoing through clerical cloisters across the land. At a time when it might be best to keep the head down and quietly rebuild and restore confidence, the last thing you need is a white knight tilting blindly and conspicuously on your behalf. - Yours, etc., David Fay,

Leix Road, Cabra, Dublin 7.