The latest agreed statement from the Anglican?Roman Catholic International Commission, ?Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ?, is in sharp contrast to the despondency that seems to have overtaken many ecumenical endeavours in recent years. Here is something to be celebrated at last ? a clear, learned, profound, persuasive but above all generous treatment of one of the most divisive themes of the Reformation. It is right to acknowledge that the longest road to travel to arrive at this comprehensive agreement was on the Anglican side, though that journey started long before Arcic was specifically commissioned to undertake this study. But Catholic members of the commission have also had to admit that Marian devotions can sometimes go too far, and need to be centred on Jesus Christ if they are not to mislead the faithful. The statement quotes the caution contained in the commentary of the cult of Fatima (technically a ?private revelation?) issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2000: ?The criterion for the truth and value of a private revelation is ? its orientation to Christ himself.?

Anglican Evangelicals in particular have held back from the renewed interest in devotion to the Virgin Mary which was triggered within Anglicanism by the Oxford Movement and which is still a vibrant part of Anglo-Catholic spirituality. The new document addresses their misgivings one by one. After studying the long and rich history of the tradition concerning Mary?s sinlessness, for instance, the commission finds it consonant with Scripture, as it does the expression Theotokos, ?Mother of God?. Nor does Scripture exclude the ancient belief in Mary?s bodily Assumption. Hence neither the dogma of the Immaculate Conception nor of the Assumption, both relatively recently defined, need be an obstacle to unity. It points out the many ways that the Church?s attention to the figure of Mary helped to shape and defend Christianity?s core Christological doctrines. But it also accepts there ...

The triumphal return of Tony Blair to Parliament this week was somewhat diminished both by Labour?s less than overwhelming victory in the general election and by the fact that both he and the Leader of the Opposition, Michael Howard, have signalled their eventual departure. Yet a third successive win was an historic achievement, not least because an early return to power by the Conservatives seems unlikely. But Iraq continues to hang like a cloud over Mr Blair?s new Government as it did over the old. And when Tuesday?s Queen?s Speech talked about the need to restore ?respect? in society, some naturally asked whether the fall in respect for politicians, the Prime Minister in particular, might not be part of the problem.

The other key word of the new Government?s programme was ?reform?, meaning its continuing effort to shake up the health and education systems. The Government wants to allow significantly greater participation by the private sector in both domains: encouraging commercial sponsorship of the new academies that are designed to replace failing comprehensive schools, for instance; and letting private enterprise meet some of the demand for treatment under the National Health Service. Notwithstanding that both services will continue to be free at the point of delivery, there are still left-wing MPs and public sector trade unions who regard such flirtation with the profit motive as a betrayal. Indeed, part of Mr Blair?s skill has been to use such ideological conflicts to demonstrate that New Labour is not in thrall to the unions or to the Left. His fear is that despite sinking vast amounts of public money into the public sector there will be little to show in return, without mechanisms ? and the market is an obvious one ? to ensure efficiency and value for money.

One thing MPs learned on the doorsteps in recent weeks is that the public now regards lawlessness on the streets as one of the greatest threats to its quality of life. But for all that Mr ...