Malcolm Meikle last week suggests that the Bishop of Worcester seems to advocate a policy of do-as-you-like in society with regard to the Church's stance on the issue of the Travellers.

As many of us know and understand the Bishop of Worcester, this would be furthest from his mind. The issue at stake in all of this is the way in which society treats those who are seen as different. All the legal statements in the world won't solve the issue; the solution lies in a willingness for each to consider the other. The Church's mission in this instance is to consider both sides of the issue and to encourage each party to do so for the good ordering of society and to help all people live together while observing the laws of the community. That doesn't mean advocating a policy of laissez-faire; it means helping all people to work together for their common good. That is a missionary goal of the Church at Large.

In accommodating the Traveller community, who settled for a short time in Pershore Abbey Park, we resolved immediately that nothing would change in our day-to-day routine (including leaving the Abbey open all day, as usual), that we would seek to ascertain the well-being of the Travellers, that we would encourage negotiation with the Wychavon Council and that we would welcome the Travellers' presence at the VE60 Commemoration if they were still there on Sunday, 8th May. When the Travellers left Abbey Park, I thanked them profusely for the immaculate state in which they had left the Park. I ask Mr Meikle to negotiate with the Abbey before making any further statements on our behalf.

The Rev Kenneth Crawford, Church Street, Pershore.