Good to see Diarmuid Doyle continue the debate about the relevance and place of the Angelus before RTÉ's Six One News. As an atheist, it has irked me for years that the Angelus is still aired by a supposedly secular country's national broadcaster. The Angelus cannot be 'radically redesigned to take into account [my] reservations' or the reservations of non-Christians, as the Angelus, whether aired to a mute episode of The Simpsons or to pictures of stained glass windows, is a Christian practice for Christians. The only thought going through my head watching the Angelus is what a superstitious, conservative and insecure nation we remain.

If some inducement is required to get people into a thoughtful trance before the news, play the national anthem to a backdrop of people staring into space. I'm still not sure how this would remind us of "our ordinary, unsung greatness and resilience", but the Angelus only reminds me of Ireland's outdated connection to, and fear of, the church.

Fra McCann,

framcca@live.ie

Wicklow.