I see that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has risked causing a new controversy by inviting a comparison between Gordon Brown’s response to the economic downturn and the Third Reich.

In an article for The Daily Telegraph, he claims Germany in the 1930s pursued a “principle” that worked consistently but only on the basis that “quite a lot of people that you might have thought mattered as human beings actually didn’t”. Dr Williams, the most senior cleric in the Church of England, then appears to draw a parallel between the Nazis and the UK Government’s policies for tackling the downturn, which he says fails to take account of the “particular human costs” to the most vulnerable in society. “What about the unique concerns and crises of the pensioner whose savings have disappeared, the Woolworth’s employee, the hopeful young executive, let alone the helpless producer of goods in some Third-world environment where prices are determined thousands of miles away?” he ask

He has a point. Savers are being entirely neglected as government chooses to look after the financially imprudent. Ambitious young people are finding that there are no jobs for them, leading to pent up frustration. HOWEVER let is remember that Dr Williams is a Mmarxist at heart so whilst he rightly flags up some of the dangers that the Labour government present to us, his alternatives would be worse.

Full details of how Tony Blair ordered Downing Street officials to lie about his passionate commitment to Roman Catholicism throughout his ten years in No 10 emerged yesterday.

“Spin-doctor Lance Price said Mr Blair told him to kill off an accurate Press report in 1998 – months after he took power – that he had spoken candidly of his Catholic faith to an Italian cleric on a holiday in Tuscany. ‘He asked me to squash a story that he had told the Archbishop of Siena, “In my heart, I feel more of a Catholic,”’ said Mr Price, an ex-Downing Street deputy Press secretary. ‘He said, “I don’t discuss my Catholicism with anybody.” In his heart he was a Roman Catholic throughout the time he was Prime Minister.  ‘He was worried it would blow up into a much bigger story, with people asking whether he would be beholden to the Vatican because as a Catholic you are supposed to believe that the Pope is infallible.’  As Prime Minister, Mr Blair, whose wife Cherie is a devout Catholic, repeatedly denied rumours that he had converted or planned to do so the moment he left office. Soon after winning the 1997 Election, Mr Blair started taking Communion regularly at the Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral.”

If Tony Blair was a Roman Catholic during his period in power why spend all that time LYING about it? I see no problem about him having such a faith and being UK Prime Minister however I do see a problem with him telling others to lie on his behalf on such a matter, don’t you? It sets a very nasty precedent which I am sure other followers of the Roman Catholic faith will condemn.

Did you read that Roman Catholic priests have been banned from using ‘heterosexist’ language in their churches in case they offend gay worshippers? They have been told by their bishops not to assume that every churchgoer is a heterosexual and to reflect this ‘in language and conversation’. What a load of bull.  The Bible is FULL of heterosexist language and all the better for it! However it is not one’s sexuality that should most concern the Church, it is a dedication to pursuing Christian values and trying to live good and decent lives. I think this constant obsessing by the Church to be kind to gays less these wall-flowers get all upset is just farcical. There is NOTHING that is easy in Christ’s teachings and that means that regardless of what goes in behind closed doors, God sees everything and judgement will be made as explained in the Bible. The Church would do better to focus on THAT.

Friday night and time to find out who out there agrees with the Dalai Lhama when he states….

“Sexual pressure, sexual desire, actually I think is short period satisfaction and often, that leads to more complication,” the Dalai Lama told reporters in a Lagos hotel, speaking in English without a translator.He said conjugal life caused “too much ups and downs.”Naturally as a human being … some kind of desire for sex comes, but then you use human intelligence to make comprehension that those couples always full of trouble. And in some cases there is suicide, murder cases,” the Dalai Lama said.He said the “consolation” in celibacy is that although “we miss something, but at the same time, compare whole life, it’s better, more independence, more freedom.”“The Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual and temporal leader, on Friday said sex spelt fleeting satisfaction and trouble later, while chastity offered a better life and “more freedom.”

It’s quite an interesting perspective insofar as Christ himself was celibate as far as we know and there is a tradition in human history advocating celibacy. To be blunt it’s not something I could buy into although I respect any who choose such a path in life. I also think that when celibacy is enforced, as in when one is a priest for instance, this can lead to very bad outcomes. I see nothing wrong in a celibate lifestyle but of course if we were ALL to follow it that would be curtains. Even for Tibet.

I see tha the Vatican newspaper has forgiven John Lennon for saying four decades ago that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus. In an article praising The Beatles, L’Osservatore Romano said Lennon had just been showing off. I think the Vatican is just showing off and am minded of that Lennon line “Imagine no possessions…” and then think back to my visit to the wonders of the Vatican. Shall we forgive them?

My congratulations to the  Church of Ireland rector who has been branded a killjoy after he banned Halloween parties on Church property.

Earlier this month, the Rev Terence Cadden of Seagoe Parish Church in Portadown wrote to youth leaders telling them that Halloween contained “negative spiritual influence” and to hold parties associated with the holiday would be “inappropriate”. The letter stated: “While the Select Vestry encouraging enjoyable and safe parties, we ask that organisations do not focus on Halloween, either by negative fancy dress, stories associated with Halloween, or by decorating buildings with items associated with Halloween.” Mr Cadden told the Belfast Telegraph yesterday: “The church must protect the interests of its children, and the Select Vestry believes that the trappings of Halloween with its dark connotations, and not linked with Christ, are inappropriate. We have had much support in our stance.”

He’s right. Halloween is not a Christian festival and the Church should not embrace it. If secularists want to party all night long on this night that’s fine but it is surely inappropriate for a Church dedicated to Christ to cheer-lead for it using its property and other resources? I note that the local Free Presbyterian MLA, Stephen Moutray, criticises the Minister.

Changed times…and a real horror show. Sit in power with the IRA, fine. Ban a pagan festival from Church property – not fine.

The two most senior figures in the Church of England have condemned
the behaviour of City traders, and questioned their value to society. Fair enough – I feel the same about the Church of England. I also wonder how these clerics think that the share investments that their Church makes are made to work for them? Holy fools claims wholly without foundation. Plus ca change? 

The Church of England under the leadership of Rowan “Druid”  Williams goes from bad to even worse.

Today, it issues an apology to Charles Darwin.

The Church of England will officially apologise to Charles Darwin for misunderstanding his theory of evolution. In a bizarre step, the Church will address its contrition directly to the Victorian scientist himself, even though he died 126 years ago. But the move was greeted with derision last night, with Darwin’s great-great-grandson dismissing it as ‘pointless’ and other critics branding it ‘ludicrous’. The Church is also anxious to counter the view that its teaching is incompatible with science. It wants to distance itself from fundamentalist Christians, who believe in the Biblical account of the creation of the world in seven days. An article to be posted on the Church’s website will say: ‘Charles Darwin, 200 years from your birth [in 1809], the Church of England owes you an apology for misunderstanding you and, by getting our first reaction wrong, encouraging others to misunderstand you still. ‘But the struggle for your reputation is not over yet, and the problem is not just your religious opponents but those who falsely claim you in support of their own interests.’

Just a few points here.

1. Darwin is dead and cannot read this apology so what is the point, precisely? I loath all these latter day apologies. Those who DO believe in Darwin’s teachings also believe that since there is no after-life there is surely nothing to be apologising to.

2. I just love the notion that the Church seeks to distance itself from those who believe the words of the Bible. But why stop there? Why not really go for it, embrace Gaia and abandon even the pretence of Christianity?

What to make of the news that an Italian comedienne who said that Pope Benedict XVI would go to Hell and be
tormented by homosexual demons is facing a prison term of up to five years.

Now then, I certainly do not agree with her infantile comments but I do not see why the Pope needs legal protection from alleged  humour! I also think that if Ms Guzzanti wanted to be brave, why not try a few Mohammad gags in her act  to see how they go down? The truth is that religion should not be afraid to made fun of – so what if some dippy comedienne wants to make a gag about the Pope, or Christ? Yes it is disrespectful and insulting but WE have to big enough to take it.

Ireland is running out of priests.  I was reading this interesting article which reveals that there will be the grand sum of THREE newly ordained Priests for Dublins 1 million Roman Catholics. Elsewhere conditions are just as bad as younger people eschew the priesthood.

I sympathise and rather agree with Sean O’Dwyer (No relation to Frank of this parish?) a priest from Tipperary who says we need to look to lessons learned  when he served as a missionary in Peru. There, he explained, one priest could be looking after 50,000 people,  and could only do so with the help of hundreds of volunteers. 

In his opinion: “We have to learn from the missions system. The only answer to all this is with lay involvement. The co-operation of the people is essential.” And the future of the church in Ireland? “Humanly speaking you might think it’s going to get worse and worse,” he said. “But it’s God’s church, and maybe he’s putting us to the test to find other ways of stirring people.”

Too true. The testing of the established churches is all in God’s plan. However I think it telling that we are moving to the point where countries like the UK and Ireland are now essentially godless nations in which the work of missionaries will be very important. Many of the missionaries will come from outside our lands.