“Please join me in praying, especially for those places in our global village devastated by militarism, idolatry (the worship of God wrongly conceived), dictatorships and abject poverty,” says Archbishop Sentamu.

Even though I often disagree with him, my impression, admittedly from a distance, has always been that he is a well-meaning and charitable individual. No more, after reading the above! I admit that I am talking from a distance, but he did address an audience from “wherever you are in the world”.

What is to be gained by using an insulting word like idolatry to describe the beliefs of the fans, not all of them terrorists, of Allah, Jehovah, Buddha or, for that matter, of the spirit of the third volcano from the left? All it will do is to stir up hatred.

Too many of the true believers he insults are busy killing each other already; also, members of the archbishop’s group, and people like me, who find it hard to believe in a loving father of us all. Those true believers really do not need any more provocation.

Brian A Jones, Clinton Street, Brooklyn, New York.