Christian Brothers' history of abuse

You assert that Edmund Rice, the founder of the Irish Christian Brothers, "banned the physical punishment of children" (The Brothers grim, 28 November). This piece of fiction is part of a cleansing process for the eventual canonisation of Rice by the Vatican.

In fact Rice (1762-1844), a self-flagellant, ordained the use of corporal punishment in his school. In a letter to the Archbishop of Cashel dated 9 May 1810 he describes at length his educational methods. Children in his school are given permission to inflict punishments on each other "for defects in their writing – a permission given them for the purpose of stimulating one another to proper exertions". Rice continues, "Unless for some faults which rarely occur whipping is never inflicted." This is surely a roundabout way of saying that whippings are inflicted – even if rarely.

Mike Galvin


• Your harrowing article mentions the English schools of the Christian Brothers only in passing. As a British citizen educated and sexually molested by the Brothers in England, I know only too well that the abuse and subsequent cover-up by the Roman Catholic hierarchy was exported and continued here.

It has taken me over 40 years to find the courage to now speak out, prompted by the bravery of the Irish former pupils.

When will we English victims have our own Ryan inquiry and report? When will the English Catholic hierarchy be made to account for their silence and collusion and resign in recognition of their own complicity?

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