Sir, - Watching Sky News on Tuesday, July 15th I was somewhat taken aback to hear Fintan O'Toole quite brashly describe the day's proceedings at the payments to politicians tribunal as something akin to "the people of Ireland .. . discovering that the Pope had his finger in the till".
Despite the quite obviously loaded agenda and weight of baggage that lies behind such a remark, it is near impossible to stomach how such a free-thinking, post-Catholic individualistic polemicist (etc, etc, etc) now unashamedly claims for himself the ability and the authority not only to sum up the minds and hearts of a whole nation but also appoints himself its spokesperson. Am I that out of tune with the Ireland of the 1990s that only I could state unequivocally that I am not one of the people of Ireland for whom he was speaking? It seems to me that a man who could wax quite lyrically about his (and by projection our) inability to accept how de Valera could look into his own heart and know what the people of Ireland needed is now making the same mistakes himself.
Speaking for others is a weakness that is found in every generation. Using the opportunity to use well-chosen words that hurt and cause offence is a new and unwelcome twist. - Yours, etc., (Fr) JOHN CARROLL,
St Aidan's Presbytery,
Enniscorthy,
Co Wexford.