Sia,—Two officers of the Newman Association deny (July 15) that
Fr Laurence Bright, OP, editor of the association's journal and director of its theological studies programme, is a Marxist. However, Fr Bright is reported to have said that 'the only body of thought that the Christian could today support was the Marxist one' (Catholic Herald. February 25, 1966). He added (Catholic Herald, March 18, 1966) that he repudiated Marx's atheism, but he apparently accepts the rest of Marxist philosophy. This accep- tance, one gathers, is supposed to help towards pro- moting a dialogue between Christians and Marxists.
As a professional student of a Marxist society, I am deeply interested in such a dialogue where and when circumstances warrant. However, a dialogue requires two separate parties. Someone professing to accept both Christianity and, in large measure, the Marxist 'body of thought' is disqualified (unless schizophrenic) from being a party to a dialogue be- tween the two.
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