Madam, - Would it be too much to ask journalists writing on religious matters, especially regarding the Catholic Church, to have some basic education about their topic?
A common error, committed in a recent report by Philip Pullella (World News, November 22nd), is to describe Franciscans as monks when, in fact, they are friars. The Franciscans, like the Dominicans, eschewed the sedentary lifestyle of the older monastic communities and adopted a more itinerant one. - Yours, etc,
JOHN LOUGHLIN, Professor of European Politics, Cardiff University, Wales.