Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
Welby didnt want to resign he was pressured to do so...
Justin Welby’s resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury (Metro, Wed) comes far too late for him to salvage his extremely tarnished reputation – and I have little respect for other senior Church leaders who are applauding him for ‘doing the right thing’.
Welby didn’t choose to resign – he clung on to his post until he was finally pressured into doing so.
Nor do I believe for one minute that he thought that John Smyth QC had been dealt with by the police when his prolific abuse of around 130 young boys and men over a 40-year period was revealed to him in 2013.
Welby and many of his high-ranking colleagues deliberately closed ranks to protect the Church – instead of acting to ensure that Smyth’s appalling activities were brought to an end.
We will never know how many victims would have been saved from abuse had Welby et al (likely including his predecessors, Rowan Williams, George Carey and Robert Runcie) not colluded in what can only be described as massive and intentional cover-ups to protect their discredited organisation.
The chief executive of any organisation worth his salt would ensure that he kept himself informed of the outcome if someone within that organisation were accused of a serious crime.
Welby et al showed the same mentality of self-preservation as shown by Post Office chiefs in the Horizon scandal.
I for one do not respect Welby for resigning – his decision to do so was forced on him. As for the sorrow expressed by him and other senior churchmen involved in trying to sweep the Smyth scandal under the carpet, I suspect that much, if not most, of their remorse is for themselves. Bob Readman, Sevenoaks
Assisted dying bill is a slippery slope
The Labour MP Kim Leadbeater (centre) said she believed she had put forward the best possible legislation (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)Though advocates for ‘assisted dying’ are no doubt with good intentions, I feel the proposed legalisation becoming law is a very slippery slope – that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
If I were diagnosed with a terminal illness, I would expect my physician to talk about treatment to prolong my life or even of a new treatment that may improve my condition, rather than possibly suggest ‘you could always consider assisted dying’.
I fear for the elderly, the infirm and the severely disabled. I am also suspicious that some number-cruncher in the NHS has already calculated the positive benefits of the policy for the health service. It’s not just what the policy starts out as, it’s also what it ends up becoming years later. Mark Horobin, Cheltenham
Lest we forget
Did you buy a poppy this year? (Credits: Getty Images/iStockphoto)Fred (MetroTalk, Tue) is right to regret the lack of poppies worn this year to commemorate our war veterans.
As recent elections showed, people are focused more on the cost of living than on the cost of freedom nowadays – and the sacrifice made by so many is increasingly forgotten.
I will always join Fred in wearing a poppy in the lead-up to November 11 and those who forgot this year can still donate at the Royal British Legion website.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Angus, London
Are Katie Prices new pets another tragedy waiting to happen?
Katie Price is facing backlash for purchasing two more pets after the deaths of several others (Picture: Instagram/Getty)Re your story on Katie Price and whether some people should be banned from keeping pets given the number of hers to have died while supposedly in her care (Metro, Wed). Whatever trauma she has endured in her life, personal tragedies are not mitigation for neglecting innocent animals. Seven animals in her care are now dead.
Criminal charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 should be pursued and an example should be made.
Price is unfit to be a pet owner. I hope a judge takes action to ban her from further keeping animals. Jay K Lawson, The Cotswolds
Readers have their say on our new look puzzles
Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed the new puzzles page design. The variety is fantastic and it’s a great way to keep my brain engaged with more options during my daily bus rides.
I noticed the new wordsearch includes some academic vocabulary – a nice change from the kiddy wordsearches that remind me of my school newsletters or an old Wetherspoons’ kids’ menu activity.
However, I must admit, with so many puzzles now, I might need a longer commute to finish them all!
One tiny complaint, though, the format makes it a bit tricky to fold the paper so that the quick crossword is (more or less) isolated. But hey, a little extra effort for such great content is totally worth it. Keep up the great work! Alfred Foster, Birmingham
What have you done to the quick crossword? I have been doing it for some time now. This new format makes me feel slightly on the dumb side, which I’m not. My 97-year-old mother has been doing crosswords all her life and even she says, ‘What have they done?!’ Come on, Metro, give us a fighting chance. Mrs Louvain Crews, Loughton
What are your thoughts? Have your say in the comments belowComment Now