Sir, – I believe most people, regardless of their religious affiliation, agree with Laura Kennedy (Life & Style, June 6th) that the Angelus bells remind us of an Ireland that no longer exists.
Lobbyists for the removal of the Angelus display a misunderstanding of the current modified “call to reflect” which RTÉ broadcasts twice daily. The social imagery which accompanies the call to reflection is devoid of partiality towards any specific religion. Indeed, so compliant is the RTÉ Authority with the Framework Convention for the Protection of Minority Rights, that not one representative of any church, Christian or other, in Ireland, has requested the discontinuation of the Angelus bell. On the contrary, reasonable people accept that the broadcasting of the Angelus no longer has an exclusive connection with the Catholic Church and is merely a general call for all to reflect on their lives in what many would regard as a rapidly approaching post-Christian Ireland. – Yours, etc,
TOM COOPER,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.