Sir, It is a day of great sadness when Ruth Gledhill has to report the Church of England’s inability to grapple with issues of sexuality (“Church is ‘the last bastion of prejudice’ ”, Mar 13).
As a gay priest in the Church of England I have myself struggled on a daily basis to live a life of integrity while attempting to be loyal to the Church that I love. This love is, however, being severely tested and my loyalty to an institution that refuses to engage with the variety of sexualities that exist within its own body is nothing short of a scandal. Jeffrey John articulates with great wisdom what many of us either fail to address or are fearful of saying.
This issue sits alongside all issues of justice, waiting to be addressed to save the Church from its own inertia, but more importantly for the wellbeing of those who are searching for the love of God within the Church.
Your leading article is a welcome support for myself and many who are increasingly battered and bruised by the Church.
The Rev David Rushton
London SW2
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Sir, The anthropologist Dr Robert Briffault, who debated the subject of marriage in the 1930s, wrote about it in his book The Mothers: A Study of the Origins of Sentiments and Institutions (1927). He listed many early tribes, such as the Tartar in Central Asia, the Wadoba in Somaliland, the Pueblo Indians and the Zulus, all of whom did not consider themselves married until the woman had borne a child.
Ann Spokes Symonds
Oxford