I was surprised by Fr Anton Gouder's response (August 19) to my column of August 14. Two examples should suffice to convey it.

First, Fr Gouder notes that I asserted that divorce undoubtedly weakens the institution of marriage. But he also claims that throughout my article I shed doubt on this and similar statements.

When I want to pour doubt on a statement, I just do it. I do not begin by saying that it is "undoubtedly" true. For it would then be a contradiction, and self-defeating, to doubt it.

Second, Fr Gouder says that I had no warrant to describe as provisional the conclusions of a paper I cited.

But the title page of the paper by Libertad Gonzalez and Tarja K. Viitanen, which is available on the website of the German Institute for the Study of Labour (Discussion Paper 2023, March 2006), states: "IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author".

Fr Gouder raises some other points about my article. Interested readers can make up their own minds by comparing my column with what Fr Gouder says about it.