D E Margrett rightly identifies the importance of compassion in Christianity (Thursday, September 15).

However, it is high-minded arrogance to claim that socialists, liberals and left-wingers have a monopoly on compassion.

Mr Margrett describes me as a fundamentalist, which I do not deny. However, L Spiteri seems rather fundamentalist in his zealous conviction that only socialists are true Christians. Both D E Margrett and L Spiteri display the usual tactics of the left - shoot the messenger, not the message.

MATTHEW A CLARKE,

Worcester.