SIR, — M r . Gedge raises so many interesting points that one could
not answer them adequately without occupying more space than is available. If you could arrange for an article by some authority on the subject to be printed in the near future, I am sure it would be very much appreciated by more than one of your readers. I cannot, how- ever, refrain from adding my own little bit now.
Mr. Gedge errs on two general points. Firstly, he does not appear to see the difference between the words " attacti" and " co-operate." Now the difference seems clear to me; it was, in fact, his use of the former word to which I objected before. 'Surely " to attach " implies the dependence of one on the other. Thus, if the Church attached her- self to a regime she would become subservient to it. " To co-operate " would imply two independent forces working together. The Church co-operating with a Government would thus be able to take an independent attitude on nny matter on which she disagreed with that Government, and make an uncom- promising stand. An example of this is the Church's views on inter-racial marriage in South Africa.
My second point is this: Mr. Gedge seems to deny Catholics the right to take part in politics, and also the right to have a party. Religion and politics are two separate things, but surely Catholics may take an active interest in both, and especially when one affects the other. Catholics have a right to form a party as much as anyone else, particu- larly when such matters as the right to choose education for your children, or the basic rights of the individual are concerned (as they would be if the Communists came to power in Italy). Whenever the interests of Catholics as a whole are at stake why
should they not unite politically ? The danger, as the Church points out very often, is that their politics may become indivisibly associated in other people's minds with their religion. Mr. Gedge makes this mistake.— Yours faithfully,
IAN R. WIOHTWICK
Corchester, Corbridge-on-Tyne, Northumberland.
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