Monday, 13 September 2010
the Pope in England, first musings
I will be in England myself next weekend, for just two days, in Bristol, including the day the Pope makes an English saint. My brother, who happens to be Warren Professor of Catholic Thought at Duke University, North Carolina, USA, and who is, unlike me, a devout Catholic, is going to be there too, in some way accompanying the Pope. I wasn't minded to muse on this visit (though a colleague who is a Scottish Catholic tells me this morning that his father is making an 18-hour round trip to see the Pope in Scotland) until I switched on Sky News early this morning. Not the first place I would look for theological insights. I heard Eamonn Holmes, who I believe is a Catholic himself update: yes he is, searches for biog of anyone from Northern Ireland always tell you where they went to school, and that tells you their religion in that province refer to the Pope as "the Holy Father". Well, I suppose if you are Catholic that is what you call the Pope and that is how you think of him. However. It seemed inappropriate to me. If there was a news story about the prophet Muhammad (and there have been several in recent years have there not) would it be appropriate for a Muslim (or any other) TV presenter to say "peace be upon him" after Muhammad's name? No. Hein?
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4 comments:
Any association of Mo' and peace is risible.
Cardinal Newman will be beatified, not canonised. The Vatican has gone to war for more minor mistakes. Beware, those Swiss guards have sharp pikes.
Its an utter disgrace. This man and his organisation have covered up thousands of cases of child abuse in order to protect their name.
People traveling for hours to see this man is beyond me I wouldn't look out of the window if he was standing in my garden dressed in a wet suit and a fez.
Oh dear.
I am not a Catholic - not an anything, despite not being able to forget huge chunks of tne bible, studied at A level.
And I am appalled as the child sex abuse.
However.
At risk of being excommunicated from this blog, I am rather surpised to be feeling that Cardinal Ratzinger's visit has gone rather well.
And also that I have rather taken to Cardianl Ratzinger. It must be the Prada esque red booties or a rather strange aura of sweetness and goodness that he has managed to convey.
I cannot explain it and am not responsible for explaining it.
Anyway, I blame it all upon St Paul - whom again, I find is growing on me and creeping up at unexpected times in a very decided manner, typical of him.
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