Myth of Church’s charity to State persists down the years

ERIC Conway (Irish Independent, Letters, November 29) seems to accept the myth of Catholic Church charity when he writes that “the Church stood up to the mark when both (schools and hospitals) were badly needed”.

In fact the Catholic Church took over – some say hijacked – the non-denominational school system built in the 19th century. With a declining population in the first half of the 20th century, there was little demand for new schools. However, during the same period, there was extraordinary growth in the numbers of priests and nuns. By the late 1960s the number of male and female religious had grown to about 20,000 – most of whom were on the State payroll in schools, hospitals and social services. Every service provided to the State was charged at the going rate.

In 1967 the religious were paid an income of €1bn, in current values. The major source of the religious orders’ current vast wealth is State salaries – which, of course, were well earned, even if the orders kept the best-paid State jobs for themselves.

Yet the myth of Catholic charity to the State persists.

I am somewhat surprised Mr Conway raises the relationship between the Catholic

Church and Hitler. The concordat with the Vatican in 1933, concluded soon after Hitler had come to power, has long been seen as giving moral legitimacy to the Nazi regime.

Furthermore, Hitler could not have come to power without the consent of the Catholic Centre Party, which stood aside to enable Hitler to assume power. By concluding the concordat, the Holy See became the first legal partner to Hitler’s regime.

Portmarnock, Co Dublin Anthony O’Leary