Once again the old chestnut "A Cathedral for the City of Brighton and Hove" raises its head (Letters, June 16).

All letters on this subject have one thing in common, which is a lack of understanding of what a cathedral is and what it is for.

A cathedral is so-called because it contains the throne or "cathedra" of a diocesan bishop.

Brighton and Hove is in the diocese of the Bishop of Chichester so Chichester is where the cathedral is. For Brighton and Hove to have a cathedral, it would first have to have a diocesan bishop of its own.

A cathedral is not a necessary accessory to a city. There are cities with no cathedral (Leeds) and towns, not cities, which do have one (Blackburn, Guildford).

-John L Hyde-Smith, Brighton