I refer to Alfred Gauci’s letter (‘Pope’s punch’, March 10) in which he advocates forgiveness in the face of wrongdoing by others.

In general, he may be right and forgiving breeds inner peace. But his view may be slightly simplistic. Certain sins are never forgiven by God, as with those against the Holy Spirit. I understand this to mean judging righteousness as bad or wrong and wrong as right.

Even on the cross, Christ said “forgive them Father for they do not know what they are doing” in the face of His Jewish and Roman torturers. He managed to find attenuating reasons, such as His claimed blasphemy and rebellion against Judaea’s Roman administration.

The Catholic Church advocates a just war in self defence in certain circumstances. Aggression is less easily forgiven.

If someone steals your wife, slave or property deliberately or with greed, I don’t know whether this would be forgiven.

I wonder whether Pope Francis has forgiven the Argentinian Junta of the 1970s for abducting, torturing in Buenos Aires and throwing hundreds or thousands of desaparecidos or disappeared people off flying planes to a certain death in the estuary of the Rio de la Plata river. He is not only wary of his country’s present female President but deeply distrustful and suspicious. Otherwise, he is at peace with himself.

Some people ask for trouble and retribution, through greed and gross ingratitude. And they show no signs of being sorry for their sins. They try to justify them with a warped conscience.

When one is wronged, it is not easy to forgive them, especially when they deliberately team up against you and rob you.

So forgiveness bears explaining, and qualifying, even in our Christian view.