16 APRIL 2005, Page 23

From C.D.C. Armstrong Sir: Peter Oborne’s strictures on the Prime

Minister’s decision to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II are quite remarkable. He seems to believe that Mr Blair’s presence at the Vatican was inappropriate because Britain is not a Roman Catholic country. Has it really escaped his attention that the ceremonies at the Vatican were attended by a remarkable range of heads of state and heads of government, many (if not most) of them from countries which are not Catholic? And has he failed to notice that the British delegation included not only the Prime Minister but also Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy?

Colin Armstrong

Belfast