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Letters from 2 to 8 April 2007

Like all letters to the editor everywhere, these letters are the opinions of the writers and not Anglicans Online. We publish letters that we think will be of interest to our readers, whether we agree with them or not. If you'd like to write a letter of your own, click here.

You are authoritarian; I am benevolent

From this week's front page: "That level of authoritarian control over religious matters is hard to find these days in most of the provinces of the Anglican world. It certainly doesn't exist in the United States..."

It was only a few months ago, I think, that I saw a report in the Church Times about how rigorously the American church was attempting to root out all pockets of resistance to the ordination of women to the priesthood. My comment at the time was, "The American church aren't prepared to take it but they're happy to dish it out."

(By the way, I'm in favour of women priests.)

Steve Vince
St Mary's (C of E), Bushbury
Wolverhampton, UK
3 April 2007

Much better than being stressed about sexuality

Each year the BBC World News website shows pictures of Christians celebrating first Palm Sunday, and then Easter. Last year the Anglican Church got one photograph out of about twenty four. This year they got none. The Roman Catholic Church got by far the greatest number, although they do not represent the majority of Christians. On Palm Sunday, seven out of eight photographs featured the RC Church. The eighth featured the Orthodox. Not a single Protestant church celebration was shown.

Last year I complained to the BBC about this. I got no reply. This year, about six weeks ago, I e-mailed them to ask if there could be a better Anglican representation in their forthcoming photographs. I got no reply.

Equally worrying, I e-mailed the Press Officer of the Church of England last year with my concerns. I was fobbed off with a comment along the lines of, "it's up to the BBC which pictures they show". This year, after Palm Sunday, I e-mailed him again, asking whether the C of E sent any pictures to the BBC, or were invited to do so. As yet I have received no reply.

This is worrying. The BBC is the BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation. There are two established churches in Britain. The Church of Scotland is completely ignored in these pictures, and the Church of England almost completely. Now I suppose that the BBC could reply, if they replied at all, "we are not bound by the British establishment" or somesuch. But to home in on the Roman Catholic Church to the extent they do, surely needs an explanation.

Bill Tegner
St Mary's, New Ross
New Ross, County Wexford, IRELAND
billtegner@eircom.net
8 April 2007

Earlier letters

We launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published letters are in our archives.