Father Byrne should retract his proposal

I completely and absolutely disagree with Fr Paddy Byrne in saying that Holy Communion should be denied to children who have reached the age of reason.

(Front page report, “Delay communions until adulthood, says priest” by Fiachra Ó Cionnaith, Irish Examiner (29/05/2012).

Is he trying to turn people away from the church and from the Christian faith?

Of children, Jesus Christ said: “Let the children come to me, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven”.

He made this statement when his apostles and disciples kept the children away from him in the very same way as Fr Paddy is now proposing to do.

Very often it is children who can bring parents either to God or back to God.

They are much closer to God than sinful adults and long gone should the days be when “children should be seen and not heard”. Fr Paddy, unwittingly, lacks understanding in this regard and I hope that he will retract his rather wild proposal or suggestion.

Diarmuid O’Donovan

Derrylugga

Skibbereen

Co Cork