25 AUGUST 1979, Page 16

The Berkeley affair

Sir: I was deeply moved, as1 am sure many of your readers will have been, by Humphry Berkeley's African adventure (4 August) and, in particular, by the working of what he describes as 'the incomparable gift of religious faith'.

It is a pity that more public figures like Mr Berkeley do not own up to their dependence on this faith during critical moments in their lives: were they to do so, then the Roman Catholic (and other) churches might expect to draw more converts to themselves— little thought they deserve to do so, since their own witness is rarely as courageous or exemplary as Mr Berkeley's.

Wilfred De'Ath 100 Southmoor Road, Oxford