Madam, - Martin Long, director of the Catholic Communications Office (August 4th), replies to criticism from members of the Green Party (July 31st) by saying that "far from being silent, Catholic bishops have been forthright in their comment on the use of Shannon airport by military personnel".
As co-ordinator of the NGO Peace Alliance my experience has been to the contrary. It is true that on the eve of the invasion, during the massive march by 100,000 protesters in Dublin, Bishop John Kirby spoke from a public platform with us against the imminent invasion and Bishop Willie Walsh headed an Afri march to Shannon airport.
However, during the past four years - especially on the anniversary of the invasion - this alliance, together with the Irish Anti-war Movement and the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, organised press conferences and rallies attended by thousands of Irish people. An essential part of our mission is that we condemn the use of Shannon airport by the US military as it represents complicity in the continuing destruction of innocent lives and the rape and pillage of Iraqi resources. I was mandated on each occasion to organise the participation of representative speakers from the various religious traditions in Ireland. Senior Muslim speakers were always available, as were representatives from the Church of Ireland, especially the Dean of St Patrick's cathedral.
However, in spite of repeated messages and phone calls to Catholic bishops and archbishops over these past four years, no one was ever willing to represent the Catholic Church, for varying reasons. Even a statement that I could read out at the demonstrations or press conferences was not forthcoming. At one such press conference I was so embarrassed at the refusal of any eminent Catholic churchperson to attend that I prevailed on a priest friend of mine to save the day in some respect for the Catholic Church.
As a Catholic I believe that silence on the immoral use of Shannon airport equates to complicity in the war. Catholic bishops may say that there is an international mandate for the continuing occupation, but they of all people have never equated legality with morality. We had great hopes of the new Archbishop of Dublin; but while he has spoken out against violence in this society he hasn't condemned the violence we are facilitating by allowing the US military to use Shannon airport.
Why has there been this silence from the Catholic Hierarchy on the role of Shannon in the Iraq war? - Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER, Co-ordinator, NGO Peace Alliance, Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7.
Madam, - As a member of the Church of Ireland I must question both the motives and the content of Archbishop Neill's recent interview with Hot Pressmagazine.
There seems to be a trend, or rather a plague, of Uncle Tom Protestants playing the liberal fiddle in order to feel warm and welcome in this State. One can nearly rattle off the platitudes without thinking. They range from opposing the war in Iraq and the US use of Shannon to supporting the Shell to Sea campaign and promoting a form of myth-building nationalism that is re-writing the "Troubles" just as we have re-written 1916 and the campaign of the 1920s.
This "wet liberal take on everything", as Niall Ginty so accurately observes (August 3rd), is seen by many in the Protestant faith as a passport to acceptability. Archbishop Neill is just one of a long line of archbishops of Dublin to promote this trend. His remarks only propped up an existing popular consensus without adding anything new to the debate.
Sadly, many in the Church of Ireland believe this makes them good, inoffensive citizens. It does not. It seems the days of Irish Protestants making a real and relevant contribution to Irish culture have been sacrificed for a wet and weak agreement with whatever the consensus of the day happens to be. - Yours, etc,
IAN COX, Gorey, Co Wexford.