Madam, - The letter from Jason Fitzharris (August 5th) was a most unamusing collection of inaccuracies. Mr Fitzharris's obvious but unwarranted anger has blurred his vision and caused him to err on a number of points.
Firstly, the considerations from the CDF was not an "edict" or an "order". The document is a serious exhortation from the body which is legitimately charged with defending the teachings of the Church and proposing its doctrines. The repeated references to "Vatican City State" are absurd, as no document, formal teaching, or definition is ever issued in the name of, or invoking the temporal sovereignty of, the Vatican - which is neither a product of the Dark Ages nor a "dictatorship", because it was formed only in 1929, and because many officials assist in the administration of the State, including a cardinal governor.
The point made about Queen Elizabeth is, quite frankly, strange. The position which the queen fulfils as Supreme Governor of the Church of England is not even remotely analogous to the role exercised by the Pope, the Roman Curia, and the Magisterium of the Church in governing and teaching on faith and morals. And even for Mr Fitzharris to question the very right of the above to exercise this role - which is, to devout Catholics, God-given - displays a total lack of knowledge of the subject.
The preamble of the Constitution, to which Mr Fitzharris refers, quite clearly nullifies his statement that all power comes from the people, when it states: "In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom is all authority."
Finally, it is quite saddening that Mr Fitzharris should refer to the Pope as a "foreign despot", and use such unsavoury phrases as "senile whims" when referring to pronouncements made in his name. While the Pope is undoubtedly physically debilitated, I assure Mr Fitzharris that there is nothing wrong with his mind, and he is not senile. Mr Fitzharris was right about one thing: his own reluctance to comment on matters like this is well justified, especially when he admits he has no weekly encounters with the Church he finds it so easy to condemn. - Yours, etc.,
SEAN ALEXANDER SMITH, Wainsfort Manor, Terenure, Dublin 6W.
Madam, - Since a proportion of humans are naturally homosexual, Mary Stewart's claim (August 7th) that homosexual acts are against human nature is clearly false. They may be against God's law, but this law also seemed to allow and endorse slavery, which is considered evil in our society. We cannot use the outdated views of an ancient culture as a moral guide in the modern world. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID O'CALLAGHAN, Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4.