Sir, The Church of England should have the confidence to permit people to marry wherever adherents to the denomination request (report, July 11).
The retention of any restriction speaks more of the protective nature of church ministry than it does of a confident assertion of a Christian witness towards a wedding desired to be celebrated by two people in a church. The C of E needs to respond with pastoral and sensitive awareness to those seeking marriage in the national church wherever they desire. If the C of E (and its Synod members) focused more on the need to live for the Kingdom rather than the need to exist for the protection of the institution and restrictive practices, maybe it would not find itself at the bottom of the league for preferred venues for marriage. The Church exists to serve not to dictate.
FR PETER SHERRED, Guston, Kent