LETTERS
We do care
Sir: In his article Mot so many mansions', 19 June) Daniel Johnson writes: 'England has an established church which only rarely behaves as though it had a responsibility to the whole nation, and not merely to its active members.'
Mr Johnson is entitled to his view about whether St Ethelburga's should be rebuilt but he really cannot justify this sweeping generalisation. Every parishioner by virtue of their residence is entitled to have their child baptised, a deceased relative buried, or to be married in the parish church, pro- vided they meet the legal requirements, irrespective of whether they attend church or not. Thousands of parishioners who are not active churchgoers avail themselves of these rights every year.
They also receive pastoral care from their local clergy. They can participate in the election of churchwardens at the annual parish meeting. Many of their children go to Church of England schools or are mem- bers of Church youth groups or uniformed organisations.
There are 16,350 Anglican churches in active use. Of these, more than 12,000 are listed as buildings of historic or architec- tural interest. More than 8,000 were built before the Reformation. The Church of England has never claimed that these build- ings were solely for its own use. Many are shared with other denominations. All are at the service of their local community.
I respect Daniel Johnson's strong wish that St Ethelburga's be rebuilt. To suggest that because the Diocese of London has not yet decided whether it should be rebuilt the Church of England has no commitment to the nation is simply nonsense, as your readers will know from their own experi- ence.
Philip Mawer
The General Synod of the Church of England, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1
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