McAleese research on Church will be checked

I read James Hogan’s letter (Jan 18) requesting references from Mary McAleese on her comments about gay priests, and wondered if he had furnished any statistics or references himself.

I feel the focus of McAleese’s research on the Catholic Church’s stance on homosexuality, and its alienating impact on some, particularly young gays, is being side-lined.

My understanding of McAleese’s “critical reasoning” is that she is problematising the Church’s dominant discourses, which reflect how gender differences are managed and misjudged within Catholicism, so that the institution can become more Christ-like in its dealings with all of its followers; after all, a homophobic Church, which claims to be Christian, seems to me an oxymoron.

On a more positive note for James, I can guarantee him that the “prestigious institution” in Rome (similar to all third-level colleges) will scrutinise her data and references before sanctioning her PhD.

I may be wrong, but I expect that Pope Francis will value McAleese’s contribution to improving Catholic governance.

Dr Ann-Marie Desmond

Timoleague

Co Cork