EDITOR – For the past two centuries nuns educated people in their schools, and cared for people in hospitals, at a time when the state was either unwilling or unable to provide such services.
Yes, they operated industrial schools, orphanages and mother and baby homes and the values under which such institutions operated clearly failed in many circumstances to reflect those of the Gospel. It is important that people who have suffered institutional abuse should be given whatever help is necessary for their possible recovery from the trauma of their experience.
Many people were lifted out of poverty and lived successful lives because of the education provided by the religious women. Many people also lived longer and healthier lives as a result of the care they administered.
Hindsight alters perspective. It is clear that many Religious regret that their orders ever took on the State’s job of running orphanages or got involved in providing services to the single pregnant women whom no one wanted to help and many of whose families saw them as objects of shame and profound embarrassment.
The cultural context of the times is rarely, if ever, mentioned. Society judges the past harshly while media outlets seek to outdo each other in condemnation. Religious sisters are vilified; a harsh hard-faced nun, dressed in traditional habit, has become the standard media image of all nuns. It is false and unjust.
Those who are still alive are mainly elderly women. We know them and the hurt they experience by this portrayal. The reality is that most have lived quiet, hard-working lives with a minimum of financial reward. In the current atmosphere they are afraid to make their voices heard, knowing the abuse that would be showered on them from many, many quarters.
We, in the Association of Catholic Priests, are now speaking out in protest at the way nuns are being portrayed. We are not suggesting any cover up of abuse, but we look for balance, fairness and perspective in the presentation of the stories.
Roy Donovan, Tim Hazelwood,
Gerry O’Connor, Tony Flannery,
Association of Catholic Priests,
Westport,
Co Mayo.
We need international protection centres
EDITOR – Following on from your article last week about the ‘scrapping’ of plans for IPAS accommodation in Schull, I would like to point out that we absolutely need IPAS centres in West Cork.
Schull is a fantastic village that is very quiet for much of the year, yet sustains many more residents in the summer months.
In general, communities around Ireland lack essential services like GPs and school places, but this is due to political decisions made by successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil governments. Ireland has the resources to provide services for residents and asylum seekers alike.
We just lack the political will. We have a legal and moral obligation to support asylum seekers, and the stronger we welcome those seeking refuge and the more we focus on integration, the better our communities will be.
I am not overly familiar with the building itself so can’t comment on its suitability for this type of accommodation, or the number of units, but I hope another IPAS or centre can be approved in West Cork in the near future.
I note there was no petition shared when the building was originally being developed for Ukrainian refugees just last year, and following the racist, fear-fuelled commentary online, it is very disappointing to think a few loud voices may have led to it being pulled. This must be called out.
The current international protection system is not fit for purpose. It is profit-driven and results in private landlords making significant gains from providing incredibly basic accommodation. This system fails asylum seekers, first and foremost.
We need State-run reception centres where every individual seeking asylum can be appropriately housed and cared for while their application is processed.
Cllr Isobel Towse,
Social Democrats,
Rosscarbery, Co Cork.
Ireland should deal with its own gun culture
EDITOR - A vehicle roars, cartridges pierce the air, and lives are extinguished.Last week America logged another gun tragedy, Montenegro also saw a mass shooting. It is a grim reality: another disaffected individual unleashing chaos, turning innocent lives into mere statistics.
Can Ireland escape this fault line of hate? We can take a decisive step towards prevention by banning all forms of recreational shooting of animals and birds. The practice of firing rounds into living creatures keeps firearms in circulation. When individuals are confined to fields, armed with guns and grievances — what’s to stop them from turning that weaponry against their fellow citizens? The normalisation of hunting – violence towards citizens of field, water and sky is eroding our morals that imbue the qualities of care and respect for life. Let us return to the fundamental principle, ‘love thy neighbour’ rather than ‘shoot thy neighbour’.
John Tierney
Association of Hunt Saboteurs
Dublin 1
Mankind has no control over LA wildfires
EDITOR – Our sympathy goes to all the people affected by the disaster which has struck the Los Angeles area. Already 25 killed, more missing and 150,000 people displaced in a matter of days and fires still blazing.
It is also ranked as the worst natural disaster in US history in terms of cost.
Many of the homes in areas like Malibu were valued at millions of dollars, reduced to ashes in a short time.
The speed of the fire was driven by strong winds which engulfed all and sundry and left firefighters helpless.
This is a natural disaster and mankind has no power over it. We should all respect nature and God who created all things.
Jeremiah McCarthy,
Tawnies Grove,
Clonakilty.
