According to Gabriel Daly OSA, “for the Catholic Church, and especially for its leadership, the result of the [Irish] referendum on same-sex marriage is catastrophic” (“Lessons from the spirit of the Gospel”, 30 May). This is entirely the wrong way to take the result. The latter was final proof of the effectiveness of our bishops’ long campaign since 1968 to destroy the most important obstacle to the maturing of the Irish church – the absurd mystique of Catholic clergy. They have finally proven to most Catholics in Ireland that neither wisdom nor virtue comes necessarily with either celibacy or ordination; now it will be possible to have real conversations on the basis of the essential equality of all of us.Sean O’Conaill, Coleraine, co. Londonder