John Ryan
Prince Charles, to the International Congress of the Salvation Army, Empire Pool, Wembley, London, Friday:
"The example set by the Salvation Army is Christianity at its most essential, simple and effective level, unfettered by academic or theological concerns for dogma or doctrine.
"In an age when we are assailed from all sides by a host of outlandish philosophies and inhuman beliefs, when people are troubled about what is right and what is wrong and anxious about being considered oldfashioned or out of date, it seems worse than folly that Christians should argue and bicker over doctrinal matters which only serve to bring needless unhappiness and distress to a considerable number of people.
"Surely what we should worry about is whether people are going to be atheists and whether they are going to be given awareness of the things of the spirit and of the infinite beauty of nature.
Ststement by Archbishop Thomas Winning of Glasgow, to the Press, Saturday: "Prince Charles statement presumably applied to the Pope's refusal to grant a dispensation in relation to the marriage of Prince Michael of Kent and Baroness MarieChristine von Reibnitz. His remarks will cause annoyance and anger to millions of the Queen's loyal subjects who care deeply about relationships with fellow-Christians in other Churches.
"Perhaps he might care to enlarge his remarks to cover other aspects of this case such as the law of the land which prohibits Roman Catholics from becoming Monarch.
"We all want to see relationships between the Christian Churches further improve, but it will not be achieved by papering over the cracks and pretending that major differences of belief and practice do not exist."
Archbishop Winning interviewed on BBC Radio, Sunday:
"I felt that the Prince was advocating a woolly type of Christianity which is very prevalent in these days and preferring it to another type of Christianity which seems to have clear-cut ideas about what it teaches and what it believes.
"People do get fed up and look at the Christian Faith and say: 'Why don't they stop wrangling about dogma and ritualism'?' " Admitting that Prince Charles had been "expressing the opinion of a great many people in this country who are not committed to their religious faith," the Archbishop con. iinued; "The scandal of Christendom is the way we don't agree about basic truths — but one has to recognise that what each ,Church is looking for is the truth.
"At the moment the Catholic Church takes a eery definite stand on many of these issues, including mixed marriage: and she is pilloried for it because she says clearly what she believes and woolliness elsewhere makes her a victim of public opinion."
Statement to the Press by Bishop Robert Woods. Anglican Bishop of Worcester, Sunday: "All of us have been made to think in the last week about the inconsequential procedures — the carnival of events as someone has described it — t hat went on before the marriage took place.
"I do not believe that it is in the character of His Royal Highness to rebuke the Churches. Ile was stating what millions of people must feel at the moment — that is, the desirability of a common belief and a common practice among the Churches in this day of uncertainty in so many other respects.
"There are far too many people whose marriages have broken down and who wanted to make a fresh start in marriage — but have suffered real anger and distress because of the intransigence of the Churches, "I do not think Prince Charles is naive enough to think that doctrine can be swept aside. What he is saying is that it is possible not to wrangle over minutiae.
"What Prince Charles is asking for is a common understanding of our relation to God and a common understanding of our commitment as a nation and within our Churches to be faithful to Jesus Christ."
Turn to page 10, column 4
Norman St John-Stevas — page 7. The background — page 3.