Madam,

The Swansea-based Catholic bishop who covers Aberystwyth parish is quoted in your edition of 29 June ‘Plea to reopen disused church rejected’ to the effect that it is the Vatican which will not allow St Winefride’s Church in Queen’s Road, Aberystwyth to be re-opened.

However this is misleading as the closure or opening of a Catholic church in Wales is a matter for the local bishop.

The Vatican has ruled on some specific appeal matters, but I have little doubt that if the bishop was behind reopening St Winefride’s then there were would be no difficulties with Rome.

In any event, the Vatican has no power over secular matters in Wales.

Sadly it appears that, despite a lengthy and substantial campaign by Catholics and non-Catholics alike to re-open St Winefride’s, despite significant funds raised locally to support restoration and despite the representations of several conservation bodies, the bishop doesn’t wish to budge on this matter.

For a bishop to hide behind ‘the Vatican’ and refuse to answer further correspondence from those who are genuinely concerned is in my view both embarrassing and unbecoming of his office.

Yours etc, David Subacchi, The Ithens, Wrexham.

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