A brave decision

From Ms Teresa Elwes SIR — I am a director of the claimant company of St Mary and St Michael's Parish Advisory Company Limited. I would like to draw your readers' attention to three areas that were not addressed in your report (April 14) on the High Court case.
First, the company is made up of 352 parishioners, 80 per cent of the parish of St Mary and St Michael's in Stepney, east London. Your report did not consider why it felt forced to bring this action, as a last resort, against the Mother Church — a difficult and painful decision in itself.
The members are stalwart members of the Church from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, including those who clean the church, arrange the flowers and act as ministers of Holy Communion — the very people the Church is built on. This case illustrates the bravery of ordinary people who were not prepared to be dismissed by members of a hierarchy that, to our sorrow, have not shown themselves to be accountable to the people they claim to serve.
Second, during the hearing the diocese was forced to disclose that a compromise with the parish was possible and that the use of the graveyard was not essential to the school development. Instead, the diocese alienated the parish and reportedly spent more than one million pounds disinterring the graves.
Third, the diocese successfully argued that as the land was formerly "mission land" and was acquired before "parishes" existed, the parish had no rights over it. This finding is of great importance to the wider Church. If this judgment stands all "parish land", including church buildings, first acquired as a mission, could be appropriated by the diocese.
Finally, the diocese is considering "piercing the corporate veil" by suing individual members of the limited company for costs. Their actions in this matter could be interpreted.as an attempt to stop an appeal and to keep critics quiet. As one of the members of the parish was quoted as saying to the East London Advertiser: "They can take my money, but they will never take my faith." We brought this action with integrity. We will continue to live by it.
Yours faithfully, TERFSA ELWES London El