Letter: A Catholic education

Sir: Your article about church schools ('A learning experience that's beyond belief', 6 August) raises a number of questions for at least one practising Catholic.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham is now asking Catholics to double their contributions for the upkeep of Catholic schools while the number of church-going Catholics is dwindling, and so an increasing burden will be placed on those who do go.

There are Catholics like me who do not think it good to separate our children from other denominations or religions - how can this help to promote religious unity? Our contributions are taken from the Sunday collection. Should we give more for a cause in which we do not believe? Do the non-Catholics who so eagerly attend our non-paying (non-private) Catholic schools also pay, as Catholics who have no children at school are expected to do?

Cardinal Hume himself expresses his concern about whether the effort and expense are justified if the results are not satisfactory. Most Catholic young people leave the church when they leave school. Can this result justify the effort and expense?

Yours faithfully,

A. L. CLARKE

Studley, Warwickshire

6 August