Saints turn in graves

HOW strange that anyone should ever have considered that the 450th anniversary of the dissolution of Whitby Abbey was the fitting objective of an ecumenical commemoration (April 21). St Hilda must have turned in her grave at the very idea.
How wise it was, and courageous too, of Bishop Augustine Harris to withdraw Catholic pariticipation in such a misconceived event.
Unfortunately, your excellent report on the matter was marred by your reporter's statement that "the Synod of Whitby in 664 decided that the infant Church in England should establish tics with Rome". That, of course, is a perversion of history. What happened at Whitby was that the Celtic Church (already in communion with Rome as its representation at the Council of Arles in 314 shows) agreed to adapt its liturgical practices to the Roman disciplines. St Bede, too, must have turned in his grave.
Manchestei A J Malone PRESSURE of space on the letters page in recent weeks means that several letters provisionally accepted for publication have had to be held over. My apologies. Editor