Letter: False voice for God's people

Sir: Apropos the letter (15 March) from Pauline Sharpston and Eleanor Sharpston on the subject of so- called women priests:

. . . in execution of a mandate received from the Holy Father and echoing the declaration which he himself made in his letter of 30 November 1975, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith judges it necessary to recall that the Church, in fidelity to the example of the Lord, does not consider herself authorised to admit women to priestly ordination.

. . . His Holiness Pope Paul VI, during the audience granted to the undersigned Prefect of the Sacred Congregation on 15 October 1976, approved this Declaration, confirmed it and ordered its publication.

Given in Rome, at the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on 15 October 1976, the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila.

(signed) FRANJO Cardinal SEPER

Prefect

I submit that the above is all that needs to be said on the subject of the ordination of women and that all else is so much hot air.

Yours faithfully,

RALPH C. GRETTON

Southend-on-Sea, Essex