I cannot agree with one of John McDade's side-comments in his article about the danger of unexamined faith (The Tablet, 24 January) - that the French Government, with its beneficence towards Charlie Hebdo, was supporting the "right to abuse religion". Surely not! It was supporting the right to free speech, part of which freedom is a responsibility to respect other views. I see no lack of respect in the editorial approach of the satirical paper, only oversensitivity amongst believers.
Kippenberger's sculpture of a crucified frog entitled "Feet First", in Bozen, South Tyrol, towards which Benedict took the same line as recently Francis did with Hebdo, was tasteless and faintly ridiculous but never impelled me to question the foundations of my faith or to put in doubt the supremity of Christ's sacrifice for us. As such it can be regarded as a cheapskate polemic, a private joke amongst the rib-nudging initiates. Leave it stand, one day its meaninglessness will be clear even to the rib-nudgers.
John-Paul Holmes, Munich, Germany
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