SIR,-lf Mr. Ivens (April 13) would carefully re-read my the Spanish Inquisition, he would discover that I did not it purely as a political movement.
letter on represent
My words were ". . . did not long remain a body working SOLELY for the conversion of sinners ." At no point do I deny the existence of religious intolerance in Spain. It did exist, just as it did everywhere else in the 16th century, and the Inquisition in Spain was connected with this. My subject, however, was the Inquisition itself, not the issue of toleration.
On the matter of politics, Mr. Ivens himself shows a "curious blindness". He seems not to acknowledge the close inter-relation of religion and politics in the 16th century. Where would he draw the dividing line between them, judged by 16th, not 20th, century standards?
M. L. Rutherford
West Hartlepool.
reference to the letter
(April 13) about a Spanish soldier who was punished for refusing to kneel at Mass; I can only think that the man concerned refused to PARADE on this occasion. in any Army, refusal to parade is a most serious offence and the eorrect procedure for the individual is to parade with the others and then remain outside the church until the service is finished; returning to the Barracks with the others, if required to do so. I have known quite a few "Barrack-room lawyers" who made the same mistake. It is a parade until it reaches
the church door.
Thomas A. O'Brien Hertford, Herts.
S1visited the . Badajoz Land Plan in Andalusia recently, and it should refute the evidence of those who say that the government is doing nothing about land reform.
Badajoz, 300 miles from Madrid. is the centre of an area where the land was very fertile but "dry". Before the Plan, all that could be grown was oak, olives and corn. Because there
was only seasonal work, there was much unemployment and poverty.
Dams were built on the upper reaches of the GuadalquivirGuadiana to control the supply of water and to supply electricity. Canals and irrigation channels were constructed. The land was then prepared and split up into small portions ready for the new farmers.
New villages were constructed where necessary, and, where this Was done, the Government supplied free the church, priest's house, social centre and school. Farmers buy their land on longterm loans and afforestation and new industries were introduced.
This is only one of many such "Plans". Another has recently been built at Jaen, near Cordoba, and two more are scheduled for Posada and Malaga.
F. C. South.
14 Queensway, W.C.2.
THANKS
Fr. V. Sebastian of St. Francis Xavier's Parish, Mandalay, Burma,
thanks all readers who have been very kindly sending him copies of the CATHOLIC HERALD and other papers in past years and assures them of his prayers.