<strong> Our Lady's Dowry</strong><br>Sir – Despite your article "<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/catholics-set-to-exceed-anglicans-among-churchgoers-for-first-time-since-reformation/">Catholics are on course to outnumber Anglicans in Britain</a>" (April 2025), it is still the case that numbers of practising Christians in England and Wales are falling (the figure has fallen to below 50 per cent of the population for the first time in 2021). England has not been Catholic for nearly 500 years; in his <em>Characters of the Reformation</em> (1936), Hilaire Belloc argued that Elizabeth I's Secretary of State, William Cecil, was "the man who by his own genius and that of his son Robert did the essential work of changing England from a Catholic to a Protestant country". The Catholic experience was extremely changeable. At various points, Catholics have considered the conditions for the "Conversion of England", and in the 1850s they seemed ripe as England experienced a resurgence of Catholicism, described by Newman as a "Second Spring". Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman (1802-65), the first Archbishop of Westminster, was particularly attuned to this, and wrote a great prayer for the conversion of England (<em>below</em>). As a young boy living in Edenbridge in the 1940s, I regularly served Mass; it was commonplace for Cardinal Wiseman's prayer to be recited at the end of the service. While I can still recite it word for word, its use has slowly faded. Perhaps the prayer has a renewed potency to encourage those looking for reassurance and a sense of consistency to join the Church. <br><em>(Dr) Michael Straiton KCSG </em><br><em>Cuddington, UK</em>
<strong>Christian bioethics</strong><br>Sir – We were shocked to learn of the <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/britains-leading-catholic-bioethics-centre-forced-to-close/">closure of the Anscombe Centre</a>: an institution whose decades-long contribution to bioethics, most recently under Professor David Albert Jones, has been incalculable. In these troubled times for medicine and society, the question of support for bioethics of the kind the Anscombe Centre provided <a>–</a> critical and tradition-friendly – now arises in all its urgency. Two of us had the privilege of working for the Anscombe Centre before setting up (or in one case, joining) the Bios Centre, an independent medical ethics charity. Bios offers a dynamic new platform for academic research and dialogue, both at the national and international level. We are proud of our record in terms of publications, presentations and less formal interactions behind the scenes. Bios is very grateful for the generous support we have received so far from, in particular, two sympathetic organisations, and also from individual donors. However, our position remains precarious and now more than ever we feel the urgency to remain active in order to serve our society which is facing significant bioethical challenges. Bioethics is critically important – concerning as it does, issues of life, death, care, conscience, respect – but, as the Anscombe Centre very sadly experienced, it is difficult to secure funding. Should a second bioethics centre fail for lack of resources, this will further deprive health care practitioners, pastors and concerned citizens of help in stormy times ahead. The Bios Centre website and our contact details, including a donations page, can be found at <a href="http://www.bioscentre.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.bioscentre.org</a>.<br><em>(Drs) Dr Anthony McCarthy, Helen Watt & Ilaria Bertini<br>Bios Centre, London </em>
<strong>Abortion and cancer<br></strong>Sir – The failure to recognise obvious explanations for a breast cancer epidemic in the UK (Simon Caldwell, July/August 2025) becomes more explicable when it is noted that each NHS prescription for hormonal contraceptives requires two doctors' signatures, just as abortion notification forms require two doctors' signatures. It would be unprofessional for our medical authorities to recognise these as main drivers of our epidemic. The cohort of women born in the mid 20th century were the first to have large numbers of legally induced abortions in the 1970s, and also the first to make use of hormonal contraceptives. When they reached their fifties in around 2000 – attaining the age when they are more likely to report breast cancer – a much increased incidence was observed. Because these risk factors take effect over such a long term most of the published small sample studies report only a small increase in breast cancer post-abortion and following use of hormonal contraceptives within ten years. Hence the authorities can easily refer to published literature to downplay these perils. The nuns and spinsters of yesteryear experienced around 20% more breast cancer than their sisters. The much increased modern incidence, now over a 1-in-7 chance, comes, we are told, from modern lifestyles. What could be more characteristic of modern lifestyles than the resort to abortion and hormonal contraceptives?<br><em>Patrick Carroll<br>London, UK</em>
<strong>Let there be lamb</strong><br>Sir – I was especially struck by the recent letter from Fr Terry Martin (<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/lenten-letters-to-the-editor-leave-those-fish-alone/">March 2025</a>), especially his principled position that going vegetarian is “a deliberate decision to choose no longer to take that which was never ours”. In preparing for the Easter Vigil, and other liturgies, would Fr Martin suggest that I replace all references to sacrificing and consuming the flesh of lambs to the vegetable of my choice, or should I simply omit those readings? I suspect the latter is preferable – having Abraham say “the Lord himself will provide the broccoli” hardly rolls of the tongue. One wonders whether Christ Himself opted for tofu instead of lamb when He ate the Passover. Were the fish He multiplied for the five thousand to eat not really “meant for them” at all? If it were possible to add to the invocations in the Easter Vigil’s litany, I might be inclined to add “from the sanctimony of vegetarians, Lord, deliver us, we pray”. As it is, I will restrict myself to hearty enjoyment of a Sunday roast loin of pork, and an Easter lamb, content in the knowledge that attempts to make vegetarianism a principle of Christian morality are nothing less than hogwash.<br><em>(Fr) Edward Hauschild<br>Rome, Italy</em>
<strong>The veggie option</strong><br>Sir – Fr Edward Hauschild (<em>above</em>) chooses verses from the Bible that give him an excuse to indulge his desire to eat meat and fish, such as the miracle of the loaves and fishes. But when Jesus referred to the miracle, He spoke of feeding the 5,000 with five loaves, and feeding the 4,000 with seven loaves – no mention of fish (Matthew 16:9-10). The only time that Jesus is reported to have eaten fish is after His Resurrection. Fr Hauschild should wait until he is dead before he eats fish, if he wants to take the Bible literally. Of course, one of the problems with taking the Bible literally is all its contradictions. For instance, in Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus says: "When you give to the needy, do not announce it," but in Matthew 5:16, He says: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds." In John 14:27, Jesus says: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you," but in Matthew 10:34, He says: "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." The Bible doesn't say that we must eat flesh meat. We can decide not to. We can think for ourselves and consider whether Jesus really did eat flesh, and if He would eat flesh if He was here today, when we know how much animals suffer, and when the survival of the planet is dependent on ending animal agriculture. I commend <a href="https://catholicactionforanimals.wordpress.com/">our website</a> to your readers.<br><em>Virginia Bell <br>Catholic Action for Animals <br>Milton Keynes, UK</em>
<strong>Chapter and verse</strong><br>Sir – Virginia Bell (<em>above</em>) bemoans biblical contradictions in apparent service to vegetarianism. She seems to overlook that very clearly in John 6:9-11 we see the crowd enjoying both loaves <em>and</em> fish: “as much as they wanted“. While we certainly can choose our diet reasonably, denigrating or overlooking Scripture to do so is regrettable. Given a small window of study, we can see that the Church has had nearly 2,000 years to work out the verses that she seems to find irreconcilable.<br><em>Zachary Houghton<br>Middleburg, FL</em>
<strong>Papal coverage</strong><br>Sir – The <em>Herald</em>’s coverage of the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV was excellent [<em>Thank you. SJ</em>]. Alas, the same cannot be said of the material produced by most mainstream broadcasters. I heard one BBC Radio presenter say that Pope Francis had refused to live in the traditional papal apartments, which was true, and had also refused to have a chauffer – which was not true, as the famous Popemobile obviously doesn’t drive itself. More worryingly, another interviewer was determined to insist that Pope Francis was “progressive on same-sex marriage, women and abortion” – when in fact the late pope clearly emphasised that the blessings referred to in <em>Fiducia Supplicans</em> did not apply to relationships but only to individuals, gave a resounding “no” on the question of women deacons, and compared having an abortion to a mother “hiring a hitman” to kill her child. How did misunderstandings like these come about? Pope Leo will have his work cut out if he wants to combine Pope Francis’s warm style of personal interaction with an emphasis on the clear, firm and constant teachings of the Church. Pope Leo seems to have made a very good start, but he will need many prayers if he is going to be able to bring clarity to the confusion of the past 12 years.<br><em>John Everard<br>London, UK</em>
<strong>Rite and dignity</strong><br>Sir – In <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/exclusive-interview-cardinal-roche-if-they-only-knew-that-most-days-i-celebrate-mass-in-latin/"><em>To Rome from the West Riding</em></a> (April 2025), Cardinal Arthur Roche affirms that “the Church, through conciliar legislation, decided to move away from what become an overly elaborate form of celebration”. Did the Second Vatican Council legislate a mundane New Mass? A ban of the Traditional Latin Mass? Altars to be replaced by tables? Priests to say Mass facing the people? Removal of altar rails? Lay Eucharistic ministers? The Host being given to communicants, standing? Even Cranmer did not go as far as that. Vatican II did say that “Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognised rites to be of equal right and dignity; that she wishes to preserve them in the future and to foster them in every way.”<br><em>Kevin O’Donovan<br>London, UK</em>
<strong>Priestly celibacy</strong><br>Sir – Patrick Mitchell’s plea for married priests (Letters, April 2025) needs some qualification. It would certainly be wrong to think of the choice of celibacy for priests as a devaluation of sacramental marriage. In the Old Testament, the primeval command of God to “increase and multiply” dominates. Jesus’s disciples were shocked at His invitation not only to marriage where divorce was not permitted, but to celibacy “for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven”. The reference to “eunuchs” is not to be taken literally, but a way of bringing home the absolute nature of a choice to perpetual continence out of a desire for total self-giving to God – by one whose love for God will not be satisfied by anything less. That is the crux of the matter. Celibacy is not something to be forced on anybody, but surely we want and need priests whose love for God is that deep. Is it not such a love which makes them wonderful priests and makes us, the laity, love and honour them because we understand what a self-offering they have made for our sakes, and for love of God Himself?<br><em>Ruth Yendell<br>Exeter, UK</em>
<strong>Care of children</strong><br>Sir – The USA has asked Australia to stop censoring pornography, racism and violence being posted on social media accessible by minors (<em><a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/us-government-warns-australia-to-stop-censoring-free-speech/">US government warns Australia to stop censoring free speech</a></em>, 6 May). The Trump administration seems to have a radical understanding of free speech not shared by most of the world. The Australian government’s “censorship” in this regard is aligned with Catholic moral thought: you do not expose young people to harmful images. Here in Australia there is huge support for our current system of e-safety across the political spectrum.<br><em>(Fr) Joe McKay OFM<br>Kedron, Australia</em>
<strong>Trump’s tariffs</strong><br>Sir – In his article on President Trump and the recent imposition of swingeing tariffs (<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/trumps-tariffs-a-beacon-of-catholic-social-teaching/">Trump’s tariffs are a beacon of Catholic social teaching</a>), Gavin Ashenden draws some outlandish conclusions about their social impact. A programme that reduces trade and growth will inevitably increase unemployment and poverty. In those contexts the poor always get hit hardest, and I struggle to see that as a positive in any Catholic context. Even if one thought that Mr Trump’s policies were intelligent and strategic (which I don’t) then it remains clearly his intention to benefit the United States at the expense of the developing world – which is selfish capitalism at its most reductive. When the top 0.2% of Americans stop enhancing their massive fortunes by billions of dollars and those resources are distributed between the remaining 99.8% of Americans, then we can start talking about Catholic social teaching.<br><em>Anne Monahan<br>Liverpool, UK</em>
<strong>Back in the box</strong><br>Sir – Your chaplain makes an important point about the state of catechesis about Confession today (<em>A Father’s Heart</em>, May 2025). To what extent do people really take on board the fact that priests also go to Confession? One prison chaplain whom I know makes a point of encouraging members of his congregation – about 40 or so prisoners – to take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He speaks very positively of the great help and support he himself receives from frequent Confession: “it has saved my life!” Would it perhaps encourage parish congregations to take better advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation if their priest makes it clear that he himself also goes to Confession; that he knows from personal experience that it may be challenging, but that it can also be transformative?<br><em>Teresa de Bertodano<br>London, UK</em>
<strong>Sino-Vatican pact</strong><br>Sir – As Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV was previously Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in the curia. As the Herald observed shortly after his election (<em><a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/signs-of-the-times-what-can-we-tell-about-the-pontificate-of-leo-xiv/">Signs of the Times</a></em>, 11 May) this means that he has recently had access to information about every bishop in the world, for better or worse. Now that he is Supreme Pontiff I hope that he will use both his personal knowledge and papal authority to steer the Vatican away from Pope Francis’s apparent determination to appease the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. An important first step would be the annulment of the dangerous Sino-Vatican Pact, which has betrayed thousands of faithful Chinese Catholics who kept the faith at great cost and whose witness has been disregarded.<br><em>Vincent Wong<br>Stamford, USA</em>
<strong>Going gluten-free</strong><br>Sir – In June your chaplain (<em>A Father’s Heart</em>, June 2025) made a number of sensible points in relation to communicants who suffer from coeliac disease, and the practicalities surrounding the balance needed between valid matter for consecration – ie bread made with at least some element of wheat – and the needs of people whom wheat makes ill. In our parish we have a number of regular communicants who are gluten-intolerant; our priest simply consecrates a second chalice for them, from which they receive Communion in one kind. A brief announcement tells visitors who need to know about it, and the theology of concomitance that underpins it. It is a neat, pastoral and doctrinally sound solution. <br><em>Mary Kennedy<br>Birmingham, UK<br></em>
<strong>Church weddings</strong><br>Sir – Flora Watkins makes a convincing case for the presence of children at weddings (Column, June 2025), but it was my understanding that the Church only allowed weddings in a non-Catholic building for very good reasons, It therefore surprised me to read that a dispensation was granted partly because the local Catholic churches did not appeal for aesthetic reasons. Surely, the outward appearance of a church should play a very minor part in ones choice of venue. What happens inside must be of much greater importance. I am surprised that any Catholic would not want to be married in a Catholic church for such a flimsy reason, though it is implied that there were other reasons as well. What is even less believable is that a dispensation was given in such circumstances, suggesting that marriage in a Catholic church was considered not all that important.<br><em>Lucy Johnson<br>Leamington Spa, UK<br></em>
<strong>Action at last</strong><br>Sir – It has taken a new pope for something to be done about the sinister legacy of Fr Marko Rupnik (<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/pope-leo-orders-the-removal-of-rupniks-rape-art-from-vatican-websites/"><em>Pope Leo orders the removal of Rupnik’s ‘rape art’ from Vatican websites</em>,</a> 10 June 2025). This is all to Pope Leo’s credit, but serious questions remain about why so little was done under Pope Francis – who even allowed Rupnik’s artwork to appear in one of his video messages as late as summer 2023, long after complaints had been raised about Rupnik’s behaviour. Answers to that question may never come, but abuse survivors may take some comfort from the fact that Pope Leo has done something, which is more than happened before.<br><em>William Nolan<br>Chicago, USA</em>
<strong>Corpus Christi</strong><br>Sir – In England and Wales the solemnity of Corpus Christi remains transferred to the next Sunday. I know that it is easier to get servers and flower girls for a procession at the weekend, but surely with proper catechism they might turn up on the Thursday instead – as they used to. It seems a lost opportunity for weekday witness in the streets.<br><em>Angela Purdy<br>Liverpool, UK</em>
<strong>Don't forget Frassati</strong><br>Sir – I am thrilled that Carlo Acutis, that lovely, holy boy who bore suffering with such grace, is to be made a saint. But he seems almost to have eclipsed Pier Giorgio Frassati, whose canonisation was announced with his. Frassati, who died aged 24 in July 1925 and shocked his family when the streets of Turin were filled with his mourners, should not be forgotten. He was a mountaineer, lover of the Eucharist, an anti-Fascist (when the term meant something), a laughing saint, a beloved friend, someone who served the poor in anonymity – and who kept his terrible suffering from polio, which killed him, to himself, because his grandmother was being buried and he did not want to add to his family’s pain. Every year in Holy Week I read his sister’s book, <em>My Brother Pier Giorgio: His Last Days</em>. His relics were brought to two World Youth Days; John Paul II called him “The Man of the Beatitudes” and Benedict XVI loved him too. Three generations of my extended family, and so many of my children’s friends, are devoted to him, and repeat his byword – “Vers l’Alto!” Frassati and Acutis would have been great friends, and should be equally honoured.<br><em>Mary Taylor<br>Danbury, CT</em>
<em>Photo: Christian Adams' cartoon may be seen in full in the letters pages of the July/August edition. letters@catholicherald.co.uk</em>
<strong>To subscribe to our thought-provoking magazine and have independent, high-calibre and counter-cultural Catholic journalism delivered to your door anywhere in the world click <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/subscribe/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">HERE</mark></a></strong>.
