Cardinal Newman brought into play

I WAS drawn to Angela Tilby's Charterhouse Chronicle (Catholic Herald, 23 April) by its title reference to Newman and by the large photograph of the great man; but I was disappointed to find his name being used to serve a rather loose argument.
In paragraph five Ms Tilby appears to identify all those who want to turn toward Rome as "black suited clergy playing at being Roman Catholics" and then as "ritualists".
I am not myself an Anglican but I doubt whether this could be called a fair description of most of those troubled and sincere individuals.
She then goes on to say that Newman, who disliked ritual, would not have seen these folk as his heirs. Now Newman did dislike "ritualists", if we mean by that word, clergy who concentrate undue attention on the forms and lose sight of the substance; but if on the other hand the term "ritualistsis used loosely to blast all those who differ from Angela Tilby's more liberal views, as is clearly the case in her article, then Newman would definitely have been on the side of the "blacksuited clergy". Perhaps I could quote from Ian Ker's excellent biography of Newman.
"Although he (Newman) had to admit that he thought they, (Anglican clergy) lacked "an intellectual foundation", which for "practical purposes" the Evangelicals could be said to have, he had every admiration and sympathy for them, particularly when they were persecuted for ritualism. It reminded him of his own experience ip the Church of England."
I don't blame Angela Tilby for wanting to enlist Newman on her side but she shouldn't try to do so by sleight of hand even in a chatty article. Newman deserves better than that and so does truth.
Philip McCarthy Lr Bebbington Wirral I WAS shocked by the tone of Angela Tilby's diatribe against those Anglicans who in good faith are seeking full communion with the Catholic Church. In what way does she advance her cause by impugning the integrity of those who hold views contrary to her own and by unsubstantiated accusations of misogyny (Sara Maitland, surely not?) and (quaintly) ritualism?
In this parish, in London's notorious King's Cross district, we have little time for "playing at being Roman Catholics" or for the smug complacencies of the "senior Anglican clergy" with their "scholarly" retreats. We have the highest concentration of homeless people in western Europe, an estimated 200 crack dealers, countless number of alcohol and drug abusers, prostitutes and people with mental health problems on the streets on top of the "ordinary" problems of unemployment, poor housing, reduced services, poverty and deoay common to our inner cities.
In this setting we celebrate the mystery of faith daily in the Mass, the divine office and service to the community. Our Crypt Centre offers hospitality to some of the most marginalised people in our society, staffed by four full-time workers and over 50 volunteers from all churches and none, and is fully committed to the principles of equal opportunity.
Like many other similar parishes our roots are firmly in the Anglo-Catholic tradition and with total consistency we intend to remain loyal to that element in our tradition which Newman understood and Ms Tilby prefers to ignore. namely reunion with the Holy See. (It is ironic that she should attempt to enlist Newman's support for the innovation of women's ordination while, as reported on your front page, Dr Sheridan Gilley, himself a noted Newman scholar, has more accurately interpreted Newman's logic by following his example.) Of course, ecumenical dialogue must continue, but it should be understood that the Church of England's claim to be "a part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church" has now to be set against actions and intentions which will inevitably result in its becoming, as the Dean of St Paul's has warned, a "liberal, protestant, sect".
The Catholic Church in this country has less to fear than Ms Tilby makes out and much to gain. And, by the way, we do have women servers and, yes, I not only washed their feet on Maundy Thursday but kissed them as well!
Revd Trevor Richardson Area Dean of South Camden