Who could have stood up to Church power?

IN his somewhat confusing column, Ryle Dwyer (Irish Examiner, December 3) says Irish people “shirked their responsibility to inform their own consciences and think for themselves” in relation to past abuses by the Catholic Church.

He seems to be under the naive impression that the Irish people had the freedom to protest at a time when the Church was all-powerful, all-oppressive and enjoyed the full backing of the State.

Any citizen foolish enough to challenge this religious power faced immediate religious and social punishment.