The Sunday before last the bishops of England and Wales decided to urge all Catholics to use their vote in the forthcoming general election. They even suggested questions that we might put to prospective Members of Parliament. I felt patronised. If we can get ourselves to church Sunday after Sunday, we can probably manage to get ourselves to the Polling Station once every five years without pressure from the bishops. Treating us in this way smacks of the clerical attitude to the "simple faithful" of yesteryear.
No doubt there are many who are disillusioned by politics and politicians – some may even be in the congregation. But those so disillusioned by politics may also be disillusioned by the Church and its all-male clergy, in which case they will not be sitting in church to listen to the bishops' exhortations. Young people particularly live and work in a gender-equal society. Married couples today share their responsibilities equally; no longer is the husband the sole or main breadwinner and head of the family. Might not a Church that is reluctant to accept gender equality be out of touch with this generation? Women can achieve high office in politics and is not parliament the better for it?
The Catholic Church is not a democracy. Its members are not urged or even invited to elect the rulers - no boxes for us to tick there. But there are other ways of voting. A Church that is unwilling to recognise and reflect gender equality must not be surprised if young people vote with their feet. The legacy of our current all-male hierarchy may be empty pews in the next generation.
Val Begley, Faygate, West Sussex
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