23 MAY 1998, Page 29

LETTERS Church Times

Sir: I could not refrain from a wry smile on reading Stephen Glover's 'Once again it looks as though he [the editor of the Times] cannot bear to carry criticisms of his paper or his proprietor in any shape or form' (Media studies, 25 April). On only two occasions have I written a letter to The Spectator; on neither occasion did you see fit to print it. Perhaps this was because I had committed the error of trying to defend the dear old Church of England (clearly Ecclesia non grata in your columns) and then compounded the offence by attacking the Tory party in general and Paul Johnson in particular.

The Reverend Peter Hancock

Roughwood Oak, Deadhearn Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks