Bishops should not be dabbling in politics
sir – Many Anglicans have, in recent years, been increasingly disappointed with the leadership of our Church, especially when it dabbles in politics.
The intervention by bishops such as those of Manchester, Worcester, Bristol and Ripon in the Dominic Cummings affair (report, May 26) was a step too far. It is an abuse of office for bishops to involve themselves in a nakedly political and utterly secular matter such as this. What relevant expertise do they have?
The bishops dissipate their moral authority; they should be the last people to join a witch-hunt. Little wonder churches are emptying.
Gregory Shenkman London W8
sir – I’m grateful to Charles Moore for his excellent and balanced article (Comment, May 26).
I hope that those bishops he criticises will learn from his example that it is better to play the ball than the man. I long for the powerful voices of the bishops to be heard speaking to the fear, loneliness and bereavement caused by Covid-19 and the lockdown.
The Church has a message of hope – which, I am sad to say, I have not heard many bishops articulating.
Lord Carey of Clifton Archbishop of Canterbury, 1991-2002 London SW1
sir – The Church’s imminent review of the numbers of buildings, bishops and dioceses fills me with suspicion.
Closing ancient rural churches will be seen by some as a sensible economy. Online streaming of services has been popular and may be used to justify shutting expensive buildings.
However, both Catherine Pepinster (Comment, May 23) and Giles Fraser (Comment, May 25) mention how important a building can be. The Church is the people, but their faith is recorded in bricks and mortar. I think of a small parish church on Exmoor in which hang tablets recording the deaths of four members of a family who died in two world wars. They were my husband’s father, grandfather and two great-uncles. “We will remember them” will ring hollow if we can’t do this in the place where they worshipped.
Rohaise Thomas-everard Dulverton, Somerset