FOR Heaven’s sake, can’t the journalists get this straight once and for all? It is the Roman Catholic Church whose head is the Pope.

All Christians are catholic because their vision is (as the word implies) universal.

St James’s church (small ‘c’), in Darlington, might wish to join the Roman denomination of the world-wide church (Echo, Jan 20) but it is already a member of the catholic church.

I am a Methodist catholic and proud of the fact that we have been ordaining women for some decades.

Reverend Alan Powers, Northallerton.

I FEEL so sad that the churches cannot agree over women bishops.

Maybe, if they tried a bit harder and realised we are all going to the same place, the church pews would be full.

I wish the church and congregation featured on the front page of The Northern Echo on Thursday, January 20, were telling me that they were going to help in one of those unfortunate countries that are having real problems.

Surely our day to day living is being kind and helpful to each other. What do church-goers pray for on a Sunday?

If Christianity could learn to agree and let other religions get on with theirs, the world would be a better place.

Sheila Russell, Richmond