Madam, - Many Presbyterians, both in the North and, perhaps especially, in the South will be pleased to learn that the moderator designate of their church, the Rt Rev Dr Kenneth Newell, has personally invited the Roman Catholic Archbishop, Dr Sean Brady, to the opening night of the General Assembly on June 7th.
As many will be disgusted to learn that three of the 21 presbyteries of the Church in the North have called on Dr Newell to reconsider the invitation on the grounds of its inappropriateness, and of the doctrinal differences between the two churches.
The assembly seems to have taken refuge when asked "that the Archbishop's invitation be rescinded" in the response that this was Dr Newell's personal invitation. Must the inference be that the archbishop would not have been invited had not Dr Newell courageously, even if personally, invited him?
Has not the time arrived when the leader of the largest Christian Church on this island may be invited by the General Assembly to its opening night as an honoured guest and invited to convey the greetings of his people? We have no doubt this would be done with total discretion.
Dr Brady has already spoken at the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, the first time a Roman Catholic archbishop has done so. Can Presbyterians not be as magnanimous as our Anglican brothers and sisters in Christ? - Yours, etc.,
Rev Dr WILLIAM O'NEILL, Bailey Green, Summit, Howth.