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Re: 'Catholic church important part of Canada's history,' Editorial, Aug. 3.

It is sad to read The Guardian and its Catholic apologists resort to accusations of bigotry toward any who happen to oppose the continued public funding of Ontario Roman Catholic separate schools.

I admit that I disagree with a good number of the theological teachings of the Catholic Church (infant baptism, purgatory, the Papacy, mass, Mary's immaculate conception and so on). So I would assume that I would be accused of bigotry.

But if that is the case, then the same must apply to the Catholic Church and in particular the recent statements made by Pope Benedict XVI who said that the Catholic Church is the only true church and that all Protestant churches are inferior. Even worse, he also chose to malign Reform Protestants like myself who are committed to principles like "sola scriptura" as being inclined to violence.

The fact is that the pope has every right to defend his church's teachings as being the only true church because the same applies to Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses who also make the claim and even though I strongly disagree with their views, this is what true religious liberty is all about. This is not bigotry, but sincere religious beliefs that include the right to proselytize.

But I do not agree that any religious denomination should be publicly funded for their parochial schools. Why should my hard-earned taxes go to a religious school system whose teachings condemn me with anathemas because I disagree with the Catholic Church's teachings on justification?

It is a shame that Canada's founding fathers did not have the wisdom and common sense of the United States founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin when it came to dealing with church's state issues.

It was Jefferson who wrote in his 1786 Bill for establishing religious freedom (which became law) "...that to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagations of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

Franklin felt that if a religion needed the help of the government, there was something wrong with it.

John Clubine