Editor,

As an elderly atheist, I am so confused. First, I was astonished by the election of Donald Trump. Today, I am bewildered by the appointment of Callista Gingrich as ambassador to the Vatican.

Pope Francis has spoken respectfully of atheists. My admiration for the Argentinian pope would increase if he refused to accept a divorced woman with a sketchy record of ethics and marital fidelity as ambassador.

Please ask your priest to encourage consistency and integrity; it’s a difficult struggle for all of us, secularists and religionists alike.

STEPHEN KAHN

Freeland