Should a celibate lay down law for couples?

IT really does seem ludicrous that an individual who is sworn to celibacy should have the gall to pronounce on how, in the main, young married or partnership couples should lead their lives.

The celibate in question, Fr Tom Ingolsby, criticised a former government minister, Senator Mary O’Rourke, for apparently not understanding “that contraception is against the law of God and intrinsically immoral”. (Irish Examiner letters, October 18).

Fr Ingolsby doesn’t tell us how he knows that to be true, but we’ll let that pass.