MICHEÁL Ó Fearghail’s suggestion (Letters, July 18) that the plan to introduce legislation to counter duplicity on the part of the clergy is politicians being “opportunistic” has more than a ring of truth to it when viewed in the context of how truthful and honest are those same politicians.

AS the father of a family and as a normal human being I am as appalled as anybody else at the abuse of minors by those in positions of authority, which includes (but is by no means most prevalent among) members of the Catholic clergy.

THE outrageous suggestion has been made that when the copyright expires on our national anthem, it should be altered, edited or dropped altogether.

FATUOUS comment of the month must go to your political correspondent Shaun Connolly (June 13) who wrote, regarding our upcoming compulsory resitting of the Lisbon Treaty referendum (since we gave the wrong answer last time) – “The economic crash has so shaken the nation that any notion of a no protest vote has been terrified out of people by the plight of pathetic, bankrupt no-EU Iceland”.

I WONDERED how long it would be before someone started telling us that because of the recession we needed to sign up for the Lisbon Treaty.

I WOULD like to clarify a number of issues that Micheál Ó Fearghail raised (Letters, September 16) where he criticised me for holding public meetings in my own constituency about the future direction of the EU.

FIANNA Fáil MEP Brian Crowley is touring Co Cork at present, continuing to promote the official Lisbon Treaty line — that a no vote was a vote against Europe.

THE Green Party is asking members for feedback on the Lisbon Treaty.

I am grateful to Pope Benedict XVI for affirming (contrary to a widespread misconception) that the traditional Latin mass was never abrogated.

I WISH to make a few points in response to Micheál Ó Fearghail (Letters, April 11) and what he sees as the contributory negligence of women who risk being raped by “placing themselves in vulnerable situations, while expecting all males to accept a ‘no’ in each and every situation”.

I WISH to respond to the letter from Micheál Ó Fearghail headlined ‘Behaviour can increase risk of rape’ (April 11).

I WAS surprised that Micheál Ó Fearghail stated that the Catholic Church has “never taught that the Pope is the head of the church” (July 23).

THERE has been a flurry over the new document from Rome upholding the teaching that Christ founded the Catholic Church.

SURELY it’s time to call a halt to the outrageous exploitation of Halloween?

YOU treated us to a two-page spread on teenagers and sex that showed clearly the bankruptcy of the liberal/permissive agenda (Irish Examiner, May 26).

THANK you for your prominent coverage of the Holy Father’s firm words about experimentation with human embryos.

THE Luxembourg prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, whose country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, recently made the puerile statement that “nearly half the 454 million EU citizens have already backed the charter”.

THE issue of computer voting has been in the news lately.

I WILL never be party to the charade of unverifiable computerised voting and an "independent tribunal" will not do it.