Church will survive despite the media

AS a long-time fan of Dr Tony Humphreys, I was sorely disappointed with his column (Feelgood, December 18).

When I saw the headline ‘The Catholic Church may not survive in its current form – but let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater’, I was delighted.

I couldn’t believe that some high-profile professional was going to defend the vast majority of decent Catholics in Ireland. But when I read on I was horrified to see that his column was actually anti-Catholic. He wrote: “Will the Irish Catholic Church survive the present crisis? I hope not.”

The last two masses I attended in two neighbouring churches had large congregations. Only those who never wanted the bother of going to mass have left at the first excuse. Throwing the whole Catholic Church away because of the evil wrongdoing of a minority is throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Dr Humphreys wants us all to stay Christian, but not Catholic. I’m sure he is only too well aware there have been cases of child abuse in every religion, every underage sport, every youth organisation in the world.

Of course there have to be changes made in the Catholic Church. These will come and Catholicism will survive. Media people are only too happy to tar us all with the same brush and I’m sick of it. The vast majority of religious people in the Catholic church are decent and hard working.

Eamon Reilly

Finea

Mullingar

Co. Westmeath