Letters to the Editor: Simon Harris backed us but he has U-turned on alcohol warning labels

Irish Examiner

09-05-2025

At our 19-year-old son's inquest in 2011, the coroner determined that his death was 'suicide with alcohol a contributing factor'. The coroner allowed me to address the court, and as a result, our views on alcohol received a lot of media attention.
Our views were that it was too cheap, too available, and the country was saturated with advertisements. We gave our support to the passing of the Public Health Alcohol Act.
When the bill was passed, the then health minister Simon Harris thanked my wife and I publicly for our input into getting the bill passed.
At the time, I had great respect for Mr Harris and his unwavering determination to take on the alcohol industry.
In the past few weeks, something really strange happened: first, finance minister Paschal Donohoe called for health warning labels on alcohol, which were due to become law in May 2026, to be shelved.
His reason was that with the tariffs on alcohol the labelling would be detrimental to the alcohol industry — which I might add is absolute nonsense.
Shortly afterwards, Simon Harris backed him on his stance.
To say we are disappointed is an understatement. I find it hard to understand why a man who fought such a sterling battle against the alcohol industry has now become a traitor to what we fought for.
Some might think that these are harsh words, but when you consider the time and effort that so many people and organisations put into the passage of the Public Health Alcohol Act and the unrelenting concentrated efforts by the alcohol industry to derail the passage of the bill, I think these words are justified.
To try to reverse something that he was instrumental in passing is beyond belief.
Mr Harris' words of praise for us are now meaningless, and I'm sure those in the alcohol industry are clapping their hands with glee at his about-turn.
John Higgins, Ballina, Co Mayo
Jesus in 2025 would welcome women priests
I really enjoyed TP O'Mahony's article — 'Scaled-down papacy with women given greater influence in Catholic Church's future' (Irish Examiner, May 5) to be a most compelling read.
Mr O'Mahony examines the possibility about a future female Pope. He then poses the question: Is this notion fanciful or fantasy?
Canon Law (Canon 1024) states: 'Only a baptised man can validly receive sacred ordination.'
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus chose only men as apostles, a tradition reinforced by Pope John Paul II in 1994. Since the early Catholic Church, no woman has been ordained a priest.
I would like to point out the theological difference in the Pontifical Biblical Commission in 1976 where it found nothing in scripture that ruled out women from becoming priests.
I believe that it's always important to remember that the early Catholic Church had women in leadership positions.
It's a cause of great concern to me that women who espouse their faith today are part of an institution that does not recognise them as equal. We have to remind ourselves that women make up half of the world's population and yet it was patently clear at Pope Francis's funeral, that 50% of the global population was not represented at the pope's obsequies.
We seem stuck on the notion of Jesus having chosen 12 men as being the model of selection that we must emulate. It's my contention that the avant-garde Jesus in 2025 would welcome women priests. The Church's fundamental focus is on the Eucharist which is buttressed and undergirded by the consecration, which is the changing of water into wine. It's my humble opinion that it would be within the gift of women priests to perform this sacred ritual.
It might not be such a chimeric notion to think that in 30 years from now the presence of women as priests, bishops, and cardinals could well be commonplace. The logical, rational part of me believes the male priesthood is going to stay for now.
However with the paucity of clergy, the Church will have to take a serious look at how it will minister to its flock, considering the dwindling number of priests within the Church's ranks.
John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
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Reasons why women cannot be ordained
The recent passing of Pope Francis has occasioned the usual comment from the usual quarters about the Catholic Church 'needing to ordain women priests'; views coming from lapsed Catholics or avowed secularists.
That being the case, they may be unfamiliar with the reasons why women are not ordained.
It is not merely a question of tradition, though 'tradition' comes into it, begun by the founder of the Church, one Jesus Christ. Jesus — as he himself explained, and St Paul and others confirmed — came to Earth to be 'the new Adam' who would undo the disobedience of Genesis Adam, by 'obedience to God, even unto death on the cross' (Philippians 2:8).
The Catholic Church believes the priesthood is a continuation of this role, when the Catholic priest celebrates Mass, he does not merely perform a series of ceremonial actions or words, but becomes 'in persona Christi', saying 'this is my body, my blood'. The Catholic Church is thus not free to alter this fact unless God does so — see the Catholic Catechism para 1577.
A woman aiming to enter the Catholic priesthood is putting herself forward to take on the role of Jesus, the new Adam, and high priest, in contradiction of the plan of salvation as devised by God.
She would therefore be embarking on a career path saying 'no' to the very God she would claim to be serving — hardly an auspicious start to any career.
Nick Folley, Carrigaline, Co Cork
Conclave countermeasure to zealotry of Trump
I am hopeful that the 132 'other' cardinals in conclave were guided by divine intervention of the global need for a homemade countermeasure to the zealotry of Donald Trump.
Michael Gannon, Saint Thomas Sq, Kilkenny City
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Pope Leo will follow in footsteps of Pope Francis
America, and the world, has a new Pope, but not the one Donald Trump hoped for himself. Although he was an unexpected choice, he appears to be a very good choice.
From what is being reported, Pope Leo XIV will follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis. The Church needs to be all encompassing as its members are more diverse than they used to be.
My own Catholic childhood, in the 1960s, of old Irish priests with accents so broad I had trouble following what they were saying, are so long gone. Now we have priests from any country — although in my parish, not from America yet.
There are also old tweets from Pope Leo XIV commenting on Trump and Vance, which will make their first meeting interesting. Maybe there will need to be some divine intervention there.
In welcoming the Pope to the job and wishing him good luck, I just hope that he will be aware of the truth of the people he meets, as not all great people are good people.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia
Catastrophic genocide in Gaza must be ended
The genocide in Gaza is now becoming catastrophic. The warnings by Dr Michael Ryan (WHO), Peter Power (Unicef), and the UN Secretary General António Guterres are being ignored by the Irish Government and by the so-called international community, who have abandoned the Palestinian people, and ignored their responsibilities towards the proper rule of international and humanitarian laws.
Too many of these organisations and their leaders are actively assisting or being complicit in the genocide. The UN has been rendered powerless by abuses of the powers of veto. The Irish Government is failing to take all necessary measures to prevent or punish breaches of the Genocide Convention.
By allowing the US military to use Shannon Airport, Ireland may be in breach of Article III (e) Complicity in Genocide.
Ireland has failed to effectively use its membership of the UN and EU to advocate on behalf of the Palestinian people, and to uphold international humanitarian laws.
Its plans to remove the triple lock undermines the role of the UN, and it is failing to process the Occupied Territories Bill in a timely manner.
It is too late to save the Palestinian people who have already been killed, or to undo the physical and mental trauma suffered by millions of Palestinians.
Up to 100 Palestinians are now dying daily, by Israeli bombs and bullets, and by starvation and diseases due to the Israeli blockade and destruction of medical facilities.
Israel plans to expand its military offensive, and to capture and hold the territory of Gaza. Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the cabinet had decided that Gaza's 2.1m population 'will be moved, to protect it'.
This expanded military offensive, and ethnic cleansing, is likely to cost the lives of many more Palestinians.
This genocide must be ended, and all those responsible for it, or complicit in it, must be held to account as soon as possible, otherwise all of humanity is in danger, as the rule of brute force replaces the proper rule of law.
Edward Horgan, Castletroy, Limerick