O'Doherty needs to check the facts
Tuesday October 27 2009
IAN O'Doherty refers to me as an "irate letter writer" who took umbrage with his column's assertion that Mother Teresa was a charlatan and master of her own mythology (Irish Independent, October 26).
He said the "reader wanted facts not rumours".
Then he goes on to cite several facts from Christopher Hitchens' book 'The Missionary Position'.
Here are some more facts: my letter was calm and measured and not irate (check it online); I wrote that Hitchens' book contained allegations, some true (as cited by Ian), and some questionable; I also wrote that some of the accusations in the book "could be rumours", not that they are rumours.
It's possible that everything in Hitchens' book is true but I'd rather be sceptical than gullible.
Finally, I did not write the headline to my letter ('I'm interested in fact not rumour') -- a sub-editor wrote it.
Once again, Ian, check the facts.
Kenneth Francis,
Swords Road, Malahide
Irish Independent
