Breda O'Brien, the archbishop and astrology

Two letters in today's Irish Times re Archbishop Brady, Breda O'Brien and astrology might be worth a read.

ARCHBISHOP AND ASTROLOGY


Madam, - Breda O'Brien (Opinion, September 1st) is one of a number of commentators who have suggested that one could not expect anything better from the mass media than for them to focus on that part of Archbishop Seán Brady's recent speech at Knock in which he criticised the fortune-telling industry.

That aspect, writes Ms O'Brien, "generated a predictable response". She writes that the archbishop's comments on the matter "were little more than an aside in a substantial homily".

If that is so, I wonder why the Catholic Communications Office headlined its press release about the speech as follows: "Those who put their trust in horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, tarot cards and mediums lack trust in God's providence and are colluding with an illusion, promoting a fiction - Archbishop Brady".

Feeling superior to the mass media is a pleasant experience, particularly for fellow journalists. However, public expressions of such superiority may be used to discount legitimate and critical journalism.

One expects tabloids to be sensational (which is not necessarily the same thing as being inaccurate), and some of what they have published in defence of horoscopes could be seen as predictably self-serving. However, a number of newspapers carried serious reflections on the archbishop's speech.

While the media are certainly not without sin, their graces might more fruitfully spend their time in dialogue with critics rather than in condemning journalists as the "commentariat" (Archbishop Brady's term). - Yours, etc,

COLUM KENNY, School of Communications, Dublin City University, Dublin 9.

Madam, - I salute The Irish Times for exercising impeccable judgment in printing the full text of Archbishop Brady's homily at Knock. It was an excellent clinical assessment of Ireland in 2007. One of the most apt phrases for me centred on trust: "Trust is the fruit of perfect love". Trust permeates all facets of human interaction. The reality is that loss of trust leads to so many broken marriages causing pain and heartbreak. Truth is the next casualty. - Yours, etc,

MARY RYAN, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.