Dear Sir, James Whale says that ‘Islamist terrorism has raised its ugly head again, which prompts one big question in my mind.  What is it about religion that drives people nuts?’

It is a good to respond to the forthcoming Synod on synodality, which Pope Francis has convened in order ‘to rethink how the Church is run’ – indeed, it makes sense to do so, since this is ‘one way he hopes to address the issue of greater lay involvement in decision-making’ (Catholic Herald editorial, October 2021).

Verulam boys school in St Albans, Hertfordshire ‘is holding consent classes for 14 and 15-year-olds after the murder of Sarah Everard and killing of Sabina Nessa’, in which topics ‘include sexual violence, domestic abuse and “cyber-flashing”’; Julie Richardson, the school’s first female head, ‘has teamed up with sexual abuse charity Survivors UK’, and the organisation’s Sam Thomson said the boys ‘“showed great maturity and seemed to take on board what we said”’, while Ms Richardson commented that the murders were ‘“trag

Vivian Bowden writes: ‘Climate won’t alter unless world leaders do something to curb population growth’, claiming that ‘[o]ur population has surged over the last 20 years and we now have a mass shortage of housing, the NHS is struggling, schools don’t have enough places, police can’t cope, our roads are just car parks and, despite the flooding this year, we have water shortages.’ She concludes: ‘Our Government should cut immigration as promised and also limit all Child Benefit to two children per family’ (Letters, D