The Church of England’s moral authority is now gone

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

It is hard to have sympathy for the Church of England over the failings of its leadership (“Archbishop of York ‘deeply sorry’ over handling of sex abuse case”, Monday 16 December).

Once parishioners learned that the very people they thought they could trust with their children had cruelly let them down, they voted with their feet. The closure of churches evidenced this decline, with institutions forced to sell them for commercial purposes.

The trend towards secularisation has been exacerbated by the church’s disregard for civil law in this matter. It still has assets in property and land, but rehabilitating itself and its image in light of its failure to take child protection seriously leaves it vulnerable to becoming obsolete.

This is not about clergy-bashing: the Church of England as an institution lacks credibility in its moral authority, and the flock may find it can believe without belonging.

Marie Parker-Jenkins

Limerick, Ireland

A warmer welcome

Your article concerning the numbers of people crossing the English Channel by small boats – I’m not going to call them illegal immigrants – missed what is probably the most important factor in determining the number of boat crossings: the weather (“Yvette Cooper refuses to set a deadline to reduce small boats crossings”, Sunday 15 December).

High winds and rough seas, as in 2023 and much of this year, make crossings dangerous and reduce the numbers; slight winds and calm seas, as in much of 2022, encourage crossings.

I don’t believe any government has control over the elements and therefore they are doomed to failure unless they smash the gangs (unlikely), or provide legitimate refugees with easier, legal ways of gaining access to the UK.

Antony Robson

Westbury, Wiltshire

Prize clown

A Nobel Peace Prize for Donald Trump? Absolutely. (“Trump made a controversial promise about the Middle East. But it might not be so far-fetched”, Friday 13 December).

Were I a member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, I would award an unprecedented second peace prize this year, on an aspirational basis, to Trump even before he takes office – and only if he commits to defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine; supports our traditional allies; brings about a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages; works for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine; and abides by the Paris Agreement on climate.

If the president-elect pledges to do these things, I would also give him an EGOT, and throw in a Fields Medal and the Booker Prize for good measure.

Eric Radack

Santa Fe, New Mexico

No Claus for alarm

I am amazed at the fuss over when to tell your child that Father Christmas doesn’t exist (“My toddler now knows about Father Christmas – and that’s a problem”, Sunday 15 December).

In the Fifties, when I was nine or so, and without the current information channels available to all, we knew Santa was a busted flush. We were also streetwise enough not to share this information with our parents.

William Park

Lytham St Annes, Lancashire