Treatment of Balornock parishioners is uncaring and shocking

Over several months, individually and collectively, we pleaded with the bishop to relent, but to no avail. My own lengthy correspondence with him became increasingly acrimonious and sterile. The more imperious and unfeeling his attitude became, the more disillusioned I became, and I renounced my Catholic faith. In one of my last letters to the bishop I wrote “In the name of God, Bishop, why?”; tragically resonant with the plea of the Balornock parishioners 30 years later, “Please, Your Grace, please reconsider”. Three decades on, the same heartfelt pleas of Catholics fall on the same deaf ears of their overlords.

I now regard myself as a christian with a small "c". I have no problem with religious belief per se. It’s when religion becomes "organised" that I think the problems begin. Those appointed as the organisers seem all too often to become intoxicated with power and thus lose any genuine sense of empathy or compassion. I assume this is what lies behind the uncaring and unfair treatment of the Balornock parishioners. Allowing Latin Mass in one church but forbidding it in another, six miles away, is arbitrary, inexplicable and unchristian.
Iain Stuart, Glasgow.

Read more: We should be proud of King Charles for the wonderful work he has done

When we stood for the Crown
THERE are some who have expressed scepticism about publicly swearing allegiance to King Charles III on Saturday. Some might recall an age when, as an evening at the cinema or theatre drew to a close, audiences, or at least some of them, would rise to their feet as the National Anthem was played. My parents instilled in me that it was decidedly "bad form", if not exactly an act of treason, to join those heading to the exit before observing this act of homage.

Even at home, there was no escape, as before television broadcasting closed for the night, viewers were offered the chance to rise from their chairs to express their allegiance before drinking their Horlicks and heading to bed.

Monty Python and his team wound doubtless have rich pickings were they able to be in London on Saturday.
Malcolm Allan, Bishopbriggs.

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• THERE are two party weekends ahead: the Coronation of King Charles III and the Eurovision Song Contest.

In one of these events many nations are represented as people travel from all over the world to dress up in ridiculous camp outfits, speak and sing in strange foreign languages and deploy an eccentric collection of outlandish stage props.

Those for whom it is not their cup of tea would rather die than participate, but fortunately nobody takes it very seriously.

I know which party I’m looking forward to.
Neil Barber, Edinburgh.

Coronation went down a treat
RE Dennis Caravan’s Cowdenbeath rebellion (Letters, May 2), I was at the same time as an eight-year-old playing out a similar scene at a celebration gala just a few miles west. Armed with a newly-received Coronation special souvenir shilling, I spotted an ice cream van selling a never-before-seen RED cone. Despite the vendor’s reluctance, I spent 4d of said shilling buying the ice cream.

Later parental reaction – mother was decidedly unhappy, father declared it was the boy’s shilling to do with what he wanted.

I sense the young and present-day Dennis Canavan would agree with my father.
Desmond Nolan, Edinburgh.

Buried treasure
GERRY Burke’s letter (May 2) reminds me that the late Wendy Wood (1892-1981), leader of the Scottish Patriots, told me back in 1968 that the real black basalt Stone of Destiny was safely concealed, buried on a hillside in Argyll. The only ones who knew the exact location were herself, a member of the Scottish aristocracy and one other person. The stone would be revealed as soon as Scotland became independent. Let’s hope there is a map somewhere.
Gordon Wright, Edinburgh.

The SPUC is all-inclusive
YOU state that SPUC, the Society for Protection of Unborn Children, is a Catholic organisation ("Row over pro-life choices for pupils in secondary schools", The Herald, May 2). I am a paid-up member of the Church of Scotland and a paid-up member ofSPUC. SPUC is the oldest and largest pro-life organisation. Its founders were Anglican who began a conversation in a pub in 1966. SPUC remains a non-denominational, grassroots-campaigning, inclusive organisation which welcomes everybody who upholds the right to life.

Conversely one pro-choice movement is a women's equality party and the abortion rights movement exists to defend and extend women's rights, but they don't exist to defend female babies who are aborted without rights.

A baby is conceived from the union of sperm from a man and an ovum from a woman. Both men and women are involved. Therefore it seems odd that neither the father of the baby nor the baby itself has any rights. 

In this age of inclusion, organisations which only defend women's rights are exclusive. Therefore should these organisations be allowed to enter schools when they only have women's rights as their focus to the exclusion of babies and fathers?
Irene Munro, Conon Bridge.

Life's a gas
R RUSSELL SMITH and Keith Swinley's imaginative letters (May 3 & 4) make me wonder whether, following my letter of May 2, I may take credit for being the one who turned on the nitrous oxide, aka laughing gas.
David Miller, Milngavie.