no matter how false or morally depraved. The traditional Catholic view, dating from St. Augustine, is that error has no rights. Does that mean that the Church has prosecuted every erroneous opinion about the Faith? Certainly not. Another fundamental Catholic principle is that the free conscience must not be forced. Where forced conversions, for example, have occurred they have always been condemned by the Catholic Church. Private belief or practice is one thing; attempting to spread a false belief