Alienating is an inevitable result
The Bishop's spokesman on urban issues, Canon Barry Naylor, really did the Church no favours by claiming that Anglicans "unintentionally" alienated people ("Clarification," Mercury, December 13).
I would have thought it was pretty obvious that it was completely inevitable.
How can a Church that claims to be inclusive and non-discriminatory really not understand how it might offend people when it sends it's own bishop to the House of Lords to condemn gay marriage as unacceptable?
The Anglican Church must decide once and for all whether its God loves homosexuals, or whether it sticks by its God's words in the books of Leviticus and Romans which clearly appear to outlaw homosexual behaviour.
It cannot have it both ways. Society will judge its relevance on this issue alone.
Mark Sperry, Leicester
This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:
Unrealistic religious view
Although undoubtedly sincere, the column from the Rev David H Clark (First Person, January 21) about why some Anglicans cannot take the road to Rome is very short on any kind of reason or logic.
Basically it seems to be saying "I don't want to be Catholic because I don't like some Catholic teachings" – never mind what is true and what is not.
The "gay" issue is quoted; the Catholic Church cares for all, but is not afraid to say what is instantly obvious from even the natural law, that physical homosexual acts are quite wrong.
Papal infallibility is grossly misrepresented: in fact it refers only to papal teachings given as universal shepherd to the flock on matters of faith and morals. Why should conformity to defined dogma or truth be a problem?
Who says that the Catholic views on sex, gender and clerical celibacy, and the ordination of women are "unjustifiable"? Abortion is a posh word for murder of an unborn child, and even many Anglican clergy would regard marriage as indissoluble.
To sum up, it is not possible for abortion, and other issues, to be both right and wrong. Anybody who wants freedom to believe something wrong is something right, or vice versa, is being unrealistic.
Hugh Montefiori was, of course, well known for lack of orthodoxy; and my Anglican friends had little time for what he preached.
Mark W Jacques, OP, Quorn
