The new issue of the Modern Churchman has some interesting
comments on the recent Times articles and correspondence on " Catholicism Today " (not " Roman Catholicism "—one of many indications that the original article was written by a Roman Catholic). The Modern Churchman quotes four letters contributed to the correspondence by Anglican Bishops and, in many ways more pertinently, a striking one by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brent- wood. From it two salient sentences may be cited. " There is no difference between the Catholic's acceptance of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and his belief in the divinity of Christ." (It may be explained, since there is often misunderstanding on the point, that the Immaculate Conception has nothing to do with the Virgin Birth ; it refers to the conception of, not conception by, the mother of Christ.) " A Catholic and a non-Catholic saying the Lord's Prayer could not have united minds or mean the same thing." Such assertions as these are no doubt authoritative, and on the whole they are salutary. What they amount to is an unequivocal claim that Roman Catholics are the only true Christians. It is well that that should be plainly said and clearly understood. And, of course, it must be equally understood that non-Roman Catholics do not for a moment admit the claim. There can be complete goodwill on both sides, but clearly no sort of unity in doctrinal matters, and the Bishop of Brentwood sees no great scope for it in social and economic matters either. He may well be right—unhappily.
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