Sir, I felt compelled to write after reading your leading article and Ruth Gledhill’s piece (July 7).

Many of us resent that Lord Carey of Clifton and his former cronies have for some years been sniping from the sidelines at the Church of England while under Archbishop Rowan Williams’ leadership. Although it may not be true, it is widely thought that this behaviour is born out of frustration that a plan to ensure that Bishop Nazir-Ali should succeed Lord Carey did not come to pass.

Many of us of us who were deeply unhappy with the direction of the CofE during Lord Carey’s tenure did not speak out, but gritted our teeth and got on with our work in our parishes. We may not claim to know God’s will for the CofE, but trust that Rowan Williams has been chosen under God to lead the Church at this difficult time. We would ask for him to be let alone in this task, rather than be wounded from the sidelines. Bishop Nazir-Ali, like Lord Carey, has chosen to hand over his territorial episcope. Enough is enough.

The Rev Canon William Burke

Castor, Peterborough

Sir, Dr Nazir-Ali says that the Church must not be “rolled over by culture” (“Bishop fears orthodox alliance could split Church,” July 6). Surely he must know that the Church is already bound by a culture — one that is several millennia old. Christ was born into a society in which women were second-class citizens. It would never have occurred to him to choose female disciples, since they would have been even less acceptable to his community than were the men he chose. There is another problem with the argument of St Paul, by which a woman could never be “head” over a man — how can Anglicans who hold this position accept a woman as the head of the Church and defender of the faith?

David Kaye

Corbridge, Northumberland

Sir, The report of the launch of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) states that “Leaders of the fellowship told The Times that they believed disestablishment was both inevitable and necessary if the Anglican Church was to remain true to its biblical heritage”.

Disestablishment has not been discussed by the leaders, nor is it our policy. Whoever was being quoted was speaking entirely personally and not on behalf of, or as, the leadership.

The Rev Paul Perkin

Canon Dr Chris Sugden

FCA (UK and Ireland) Steering Committee

Sir, As one of those present at the FCA launch, I can say that the fellowship includes both those for and against the consecration of women as bishops. What we are all against is the lack of adequate provision for those who cannot accept women bishops. The purpose of the fellowship is not schismatic — its aim is to enable believers who are determined to be faithful to the Bible to stay within the Anglican Communion, not to have to leave it.

The Rev James Ryan

West Winch, King’s Lynn

Sir, The claim that “Anglo-Catholics and evangelicals . . . have joined forces” against the ordination of women to the episcopate is misleading. I am a member of the PCC of a Central London Anglo-Catholic Church where women priests are welcome to preside at the Eucharist. Indeed, it is in our parish vision statement that we seek to be part of an inclusive church, and there are many open evangelical churches who feel exactly the same as we do. We are all trying very hard to keep our communion together and neither wish nor deserve to be lumped together with the histrionics being currently fuelled by the likes of bishops Duncan, Nazir-Ali et al.

Mike Lawlor

Teddington, Middx

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