An interesting play on words, that...
"The Pope!? How many divisions has he got?" was apparently Stalin's dismissive response to Pierre Lavin on the proposal to include the Pope in the Allies' War Conferences. And, according to the programme, there is plenty of support for Pope Benedict XVI here in Britain, most heart-warmingly from the seminarians interviewed at Oscott.
The programme decided to highlight a few other divisions.
On the whole, it was far from the hatchet-job I feared. I was annoyed by the fact that, given the number of young people interviewed by Mark Dowd when he came to Blackfen, (none of whom have any difficulty accepting Church teaching on morality) the only teenagers to be portrayed on the programme were ones who were so poorly catechised in the tenets of the Faith that they thought their support for abortion was compatible with their professed Catholicism.
I was also irritated by the fact that Bernard Wynne was described as being involved in Stand Up for Vatican II, but his Chairmanship of the dissident group Catholics for a Changing Church was not mentioned. He and his group actively oppose Church teaching. That fact is not being made clear.
I was amused to hear that one ex-parishioner complained that she left because the choir were suddenly being required to sing more Latin. According to the documents of Vatican II, the choir should never have stopped being required to sing Latin!!
And two quotes from me made it onto the programme... I don't recall them being quite so close together in the original interview, but I was very pleased that my quoting of Pope Benedict's "Truth is not subject to a majority vote" didn't end up on the editing-room floor.
The programme is available (only for the next week) on the BBC's Listen Again feature. Several of us will hope to hear it tonight (I didn't expect to be able to listen this morning) but the evening edition is 15 minutes shorter than the morning one, and I don't know which bits will be edited out.
So far, a few other bloggers have given their verdicts. Check out Fr. Ray Blake, Fr. Michael Brown and The Sensible Bond.
UPDATE: This has attracted further comment. You can read more from John Smeaton, James Preece, Dominic Mary and His Hermeneuticalness himself...
3 comments:
Just listened to your bit on the programme, Good on you Mac !!!!
Archbishop Nichols was misleading listeners about the Soho Masses. He has received irrefutable evidence that the Masses are being run by and for those who openly oppose Catholic teaching on homosexuality. Past and present members of the Soho Mass Committee have identified themselves as either practising homosexuals; in 'marriages', civil partnerships or same-sex relationships; openly opposed to Catholic teaching on homosexuality and related issues (such as homosexual adoption and AIDS prevention); or affiliated to anti-Catholic, pro-‘gay’ groups, such as Stonewall. Not one has stated that they fully support Catholic teaching on homosexuality. Some of the Soho Mass committee have been proven to be instrumental in campaigning for anti-Catholic, pro ‘gay’ legislation, regarding civil partnerships, the adoption of children by homosexuals and so-called ‘equality’ legislation, which threatens the very freedom of the Church to speak out on moral issues. Archbishop Nichols has been made aware of all of this and has been shown indisputable evidence. Three factual articles on the Soho Masses can be found at:-
http://www.christianorder.com/features/features_2006/features_junejuly06.html
http://www.christianorder.com/features/features_2007/features_may07_bonus.html
http://www.christianorder.com/features/features_2007/features_nov07.html
A fourth article for Christian Order on the Soho Masses is in the pipeline.
Well done, Mac! I also really liked 'truth is not subject to a majority vote'. Amen!
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