Magnifying Runcie
Sir: One does not have to be a sycophantic admirer of the Archbishop of Canterbury to find the article on him by A. N. Wilson (`Doing the Lambeth walk', 12 November) extremely offensive, None of us, in fact, agree with his views on the ordination of women or nuclear disarmament; all of us, however, recognise in him a deeply compassionate, highly intelligent and, above all, a profoundly humble man filling an almost impossible task with grace, sensitivity and tolerance.
It would need an article as long to answer adequately your contributor's farrago of misrepresentations, cynicism and sheer personal abuse. The 'Worship tent' was not, for instance, in Lima but in Vancouver, nor did the Archbishop concelebrate 'some sort of Eucharist with a miscellaneous gaggle of women all of whom belonged to protestant sects'. But just to take one point, the Archbishop is Head of the Anglican Communion in much the same way as the Queen is Head of the Common- wealth, and his presence in so many parts of it is a source of very great inspiration and encouragement to countless thousands, however much it may offend Mr Wilson's obscurantist chauvinism.
Another great Anglican archbishop of a previous generation used to say that to be condemned by John Gordon of the Sunday Express was the one certain hope of salvation in the world to come. Mr Wilson bids fair to becoming his successor.
The Magnifica, Group The Revd. Donald Reeves, Nadir Dinshaw, The Revd. Dr. Charles Elliott, PhD., The Rt. Revd. Trevor Huddleston C.R., Mary Tanner, Dr. Esther de Waal, Phd., The Very Revd. Victor de Waal D.D. (Dean of Canterbury), Mrs Jane Williams, The Revd. Canon Dr. Rowan Williams, PhD.
St. James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, London WI
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