Sir, - May I thank Fr Twomey for his thought-provoking article ("The Church still has a vital role to play in modern Ireland", The Irish Times, April 15th).
Modern Ireland is the Ireland of the Celtic Tiger, recently described by a leading politician as "post-Catholic Ireland". It is indicative of the total secularisation of this country that "modern" is seen to equate with "non-religious", giving the impression that to appreciate religious truths and traditions is somewhat old-fashioned and backward.
Fr Twomey, while clearly admitting the dark shadows of pre-Vatican II Ireland, has words of criticism for the media who very often give the impression that there was no light at all. I think he will agree that the point is perfectly made by the great, universally-mourned writer Bryan McMahon, who in his autobiography The Master writes: "I consider the greatest mistake any commentator can make is to pass judgement on `then' in the context of `now'. To do so is to ignore either the prevailing atmosphere of a particular era and hold it up to unjust scrutiny or ridicule by applying to it standards that now prevail in a completely altered set of circumstances. Superficial radio and television commentators, even historians of the shallower kind, are dab hands at this shabby practice: quite often by claptrap they evoke a cheap laugh or a spurious burst of applause. Statesmen long dead and institutions like the Catholic Church are the chief targets." - Yours, etc., Alf Rhatigan,
Mountainview Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.