Confirmation: a question of age
I read with some alarm your report (News from Britain and Ireland, 8 October) that the Bishop of Leeds is to bring forward the age at which children receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Personally, I feel 11 is too young to take this final initiation step into the Catholic Church.

I was pleased to read that Liverpool has reverted to the age of 13, as this is a demographic that need to be encouraged in their faith. I feel that, at the younger age, the Church has a sitting target who will absorb all the gifts of the Holy Spirit but may not have the maturity to process their true and inherent meaning.

Children at the end of their primary years have quite enough to absorb for the draconian testing demanded by our Government. They are also on the verge of secondary school with all the changes involved.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is not to be “done and dusted” and foisted on children who are already on overload. It should be administered to teenagers who may have controversial views and questions – and may find the path a rocky one – but the ultimate reward will be their enthusiastic reception of this Sacrament and all it entails.