3 OCTOBER 1947, Page 15

CHURCH AND CHAPEL

SIR,—While I think all sincere Christians everywhere must share the desire of your correspondent, Mr. Anson, for the reunion of Christendom, as an Anglican I feel it must be clearly stated that a member of the Church of England who knows his faith would not only regard it as wrong to receive Communion from the hands of a Free Church minister, but he would also view it as purposeless. It is part of an Anglican's faith to believe that Holy Communion, to be spiritually valid, must be celebrated by an ordained priest. It would profit a man believing this little, however much he was in need of the grace of the Blessed Sacrament, to go through the physical actions of a " Communion service " celebrated by one who is a layman, for in the eyes of an Anglican a Free Church minister is no more. Every time one participates in a Communion service, in the prayer for the Church, unity is prayed for; but unity is qualified by being pre- ceded by the word truth : unity and concord follow. Therefore if Anglicans and Nonconformists cannot agree as to what is truth, how can there be unity and real concord?

Prayer is the only certain and sure way in which all sects of Christians may at the present time further the reunion of Christendom. To pray that in God's own time all eyes may be opened to the truth, and that unity and concord may follow, is surely of more real value than the inter- communion of the Church of England and those who do not conform, which may present to the world the face of unity while in the hearts of those participating there is no agreement as to what is the truth. It may be easy to deceive the world, but is God deceived?—Yours faithfully,