Sir, - I admire Soline Vatinel's sense of hope as expressed in the last paragraph of her letter (January 31st). For me it is a struggle against cynicism every time I read about the "restoration" attitude of Rome.
It was with horror but no surprise that I read of the fate of Sr Lavinia Byrne at the hands of the Roman Curia (The Irish Times, January 15th). I note from the chapter entitled "Conscience Today" in that most humane, compassionate and instructive book, Does Morality Change?, by Fr Sean Fagan SM, where the author talks about the various inquisitions, that in 1540 Pope Paul III established a special Congregation of the Inquisition to oversee these procedures. In the 1908 reorganisation of the Roman Curia, this body became the Congregation of the Holy Office and in 1965, this in turn became the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
You can change the name as many times as you like, but if you do not change the mind-set, does anything really change? - Yours, etc.,
Angela O'Brien, Beech Park, Athlone, Co Westmeath.