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2 weeks Ago
The death of Pope Francis, a man of immense humility, should give us pause for thought and reflection, not only on his life work as a servant of God, but our own lives too. For too long we have been the slaves of social media and online consumerism. We have allowed hate to become the new norm.
We have allowed wars and famine to become tools to rid ourselves of the weak or those who don’t conform to the rules we wish to impose on our brothers and sisters. We mourn his death and celebrate his life and service to the Catholic Church, which he attempted to change from within, moving away from the strict conservatism that dogged it to one of openness, transparency and reform. There were many in the curia and senior ranks of the church who resisted the changes, but Francis persisted.
His humanity and his humility, reaching out to everyone no matter who or what they were, will be his trademark both in life and in death. His faith, seeking peace for all in our troubled world, will be forever his legacy. Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal Contrast between Trump and man loved by billions could not be more clear Donald Trump described Pope Francis as a “good man” who “worked hard and loved the world”.
This is very much a minimalist view of a person who devoted his life to make the world a better place, as opposed to Trump’s efforts to just make his own world a better place. Pope Francis was loved by billions of people, respected by those from other beliefs and a person who led the way to a more accepting church. Those who didn’t agree with him, or even openly opposed his changes, were still welcome in his house, not exiled to an El Salvador prison.
We all need great people to set examples for us to follow, and sadly we have just lost one. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia Even non-believers will remember Pope as a force for good in troubled world How nice it was that Pope Francis was able to celebrate a final Easter Day with the faithful gathering at the Vatican. Although not religious, I thought the late pontiff was a good and pious man.
His 12-year reign was a decent one, and I suspect he will be remembered as a force for good in a troubled world. Francis’s legacy is secure, and the Catholic Church was lucky to have had him at the helm for so long. Like his predecessor, John Paul II in March 2005, both were granted a final Easter Sunday on the most important day in the Christian calendar.
If there is a heaven, may God welcome Francis into His Kingdom. Dominic Shelmerdine, London Hopefully, successor can build on the refreshing legacy left at the Vatican The papacy of Francis reminded me of John XXIII’s – refreshing and with great hope for the future of the Roman Catholic laity. My hope is that Pope Francis’s successor will ordain female priests, put more emphasis on the vital role of nature to “our home” and continue to seek unity with other religions.
Declan Foley, Melbourne, Australia Pontiff stood up for the vulnerable and showed church the way forward Despite the great sadness of Pope Francis’s death, it is such a great relief, dare I say a joy, to observe so many facets of the media acclaim a world leader who spoke out for the disenfranchised, the disabled and the impoverished. He understood and “campaigned” from a climate change perspective and was deeply committed to mitigating the horrors of “man’s inhumanity to man”. With great personal humility, little sense of self and a compassionate insight on the vulnerability of humanity, he laid comprehensive foundations for making the Catholic Church great again.
Would that others might note his blueprint. Michael Gannon, St Thomas Square, Kilkenny Ordinary people built this country, and their stories should be celebrated On a recent visit to Glasnevin Cemetery, I was struck not only by the graves of Ireland’s great patriots and politicians, but also by the thousands of others – young and old, mothers and fathers, workers and children – whose names may not be widely known, yet whose lives were no less significant. History often celebrates the leaders, but the weight of a nation’s past is carried in the quiet stories of ordinary people.
Those who endured hardship, built communities, raised families and simply lived through Ireland’s turbulent decades also deserve recognition. Their legacy, though absent from textbooks, is etched into the streets we walk and the society we share. A nation is not shaped solely by those who make history, but equally by those who endure it.
Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh Leinster teams enjoy an easier route to glory than Munster counterparts Once again the hurling fans of Ireland have been treated to a couple of thrilling Munster Championship matches, subsequent to yet another one-sided bore-fest between Kilkenny and Galway in Leinster. As a fan of hurling from Munster, I must say I find it more than a touch unfair that Kilkenny can pretty much stroll in to an All-Ireland semi-final year after year without breaking a sweat, while the Munster teams fight it out between them. There should, in my opinion, be a large asterisk attached to any MacCarthy Cup wins, either semi-final or final, by a Leinster team since the inception of the provincial round-robin format.
Or perhaps just present both trophies to the actual best team in Ireland at the end of the Munster final? John Slattery, Newport, Co Tipperary Chimpanzees’ behaviour with alcohol could lead to a lot of monkey business The report about chimpanzees eating fruit containing alcohol (‘Scientists stunned by chimps sharing alcohol in the wild’ – Irish Independent , April 22), suggests to me that the poor divils might end up being “out of their trees”. Tom Gilsenan, Beaumont, Dublin 9.
