The Bishops of Victoria speak out against same sex 'marriage'

Low EF Mass at Caulfield North, Melbourne and the priest giving the sermon firmly backs up his Bishops in their stand against same sex marriage and goes on to ask for prayers for the success of negotiations with the SSPX due to reach a conclusion on April 12th.

It is Palm Sunday and flocks of cockatoos circle above the church and the raucous screeching echoes the demonic cries that must have emanated from the underworld when Our Lord rode in majesty into Jerusalem on the back of a white colt ass, unridden by any man, but the priest, this time aided by the sound system, makes himself heard above the hellish clamour and urges his flock to pick up a copy of the letter from the Bishops and to do more, to write and lobby their political representatives.

Here is the letter signed by:

Archbishop Denis Hart
Bishop Peter Connors
Bishop Leslie Thomlinson
Bishop Christopher Prowse
Bishop Peter Elliott
Bishop Vincent Long


Dear Brothers and Sisters

We Australians live in a democracy which rightly places great value on human rights and protecting others from unjust discrimination.

We Catholics also believe deeply that God loves human beings very much. He especially loves those who are wounded and suffering. God loves each of us so much despite the fact that we are all sinners, make mistakes and often do not live up to our responsibilities.

The Church takes seriously that we must live the Gospel itself in order to be a credible witness to others. Deeply aware of Christ's mission of compassion and justice - the Church cannot ignore the responsibility to speak the truth in love.
Sometimes reminding people about the truth of the human person is one such task for all of us.

Some now seek to alter the very nature of the human person through legislation. Our Australian society is now at a critical turning point where truth is at stake.

We speak of current debates about the nature of marriage in our public life. Often it seems as if this matter is simply about human rights and the removal of discrimination.
But in addition to 'human rights' there are also 'human responsibilities'.

We are all blessed by God with the gift of our sexuality.The design itself comes from the Creator of Life.
We all have a responsibility to follow that design.

The Church firmly believes that marriage is founded on the wonderful fact of sexual difference and its potential for new life. Without this there would be no human beings and no future. Bringing new human life into the world is founded on the loving union in difference of male and female.
Children are best nurtured by a mother and father.

As one theologian has put it eloquently: "The God of love can be present in every true love. But 'gay marriage' is impossible because it attempts to cut loose marriage from its grounding in our biological life.
If we do that we deny our humanity."

This will be a 'hard saying' for some. It in no way implies that the Church accepts discrimination against other's human rights. Nor does it mean we fail to understand the complex nature of human sexual identity and desire.
It implies no lack of respect for people who identify as 'gay' and 'lesbian'. As Cardinal Francis George of Chicago recently pointed out......'we all have friends or family members who are gay and lesbian......these are people we know and love and are part of our families'.

However as fellow citizens our concern is for the future of our whole society. We ask you to seriously reflect and pray about the ramifications for current and future generations, of legislation which completely redefines marriage.

A grave mistake will be made if such legislation is enacted. The Government cannot redefine the natural institution of marriage, a union between a man and a woman. The Government can regulate marriage, but this natural institution existed long before there were any governments. It cannot be changed at will.

The argument that same sex marriage supports marriage is wrong. The natural institution will not only be changed, it will be re-defined absolutely. It will become something different. Such a re-definition will undermine rather than support marriage.

Catholics, as responsible citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia, have a duty to remind their political representatives that much is at stake for the common good in this debate.
We urge you to exercise that right and make direct representation to your Members of Parliament.

We encourage you to respond to the on-line survey set up by the Federal Government at their website: www.aph.gov.au/marriage.
The closing date for responses is Friday April 20th 2012. The survey contains three statements with which you can agree or disagree. t then asks if you support the proposed changes to the two separate Bills, to which you answer yes or no. If you choose you can simply answer these few questions in less than one minute.
The survey also provides space (maximum of 250 words) for you to explain your views.
Some points that you might like to consider including are set out at www.cam.org.au/lifemarriagefamily/

Our Australian society will only flourish if the true meaning of marriage is preserved for future generations.


With every blessing.......



Hmm....it seems a little wordy to me and with not enough focus on the spiritual aspect of marriage; it would be good if Bishops could address their flocks as 'Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ' rather than the secular, "Dear Brothers and Sister"....but, hey, the Bishops have spoken and that must be for the good!

Not One of Ours...

The Press Association are reporting that this man (pictured left) was a pro-lifer who paraded his chest, emblazoned with a Cross, in an antagonistic gesture towards 'pro-choicers'.

Read Dr Joseph's Shaw account here in which he confirms that this man was most definitely not one of ours though, frankly, I think the image itself tells you that quite plainly.

The Press Association didn't manage to publish this image with their 'story'. Oh well, I guess journalists just make these mistakes sometimes...

Well done to Dylan for picking up on the fiction in the first place.

Woman's Hour

Instead of going into yet more detail about yesterday's events at Bedford Square, I'll point you in the direction of some good reports on the evening vigil...

A Reluctant Sinner has some interesting thoughts on the evening and has done a report on some pretty (really rather) inaccurate reporting by the Press Association.  

Dr Joseph Shaw of the LMS has some great photos which put paid to the predictable untruth that there were 'at least double' the amount of 'pro-choicers' as there were 'pro-lifers'. It looked even St Stephens to me.

There are more fine reports as well, just look down my sidebar to read them. Moving on slightly though, Woman's Hour this week covered the 40 Days for Life vigils and the 'new era' of pro-life activism in the United Kingdom. I haven't listened to it yet, as I am still waiting for 'Man's Hour' to be introduced by the BBC. It should be, in the name of Equality, if nothing else.

Woman's Hour, this week, also covered the issue of marriage in a phone-in. Somehow (Isn't that just life, eh?), the phone-in embraced a wide range of callers and the issue of 'gay marriage' just kept coming up. It was almost as if the BBC wanted 'gay marriage' to be mentioned rather a lot. The grossly suspicious side to me believes that in 'phone-ins' the BBC station a group of people paid to tell porkies in the studio next door, but that's just when I'm feeling narked off with the state of things. What was interesting, if saddening, was the fact that one lesbian caller rings in and says she is in a civil partnership with her 'partner'. Her partner, it turns out, is a 'deeply committed Catholic' who wants the two of them to get married!

Just how deeply committed to the Catholic Faith is someone who clearly doesn't believe what the Church teaches about marriage? Before that, another 'devout' Catholic calls in and says that even though she is married happily to a man, she agrees with 'gay marriage' too because its all about love and commitment and sharing. I wouldn't mind if these people introduced themselves as 'unbelieving Catholics' or 'heretical Catholics' or 'dissenting Catholics', it is just weird the way they introduce themselves, or are introduced as 'deeply committed Catholics' before making it plain they either have no clue as to why the Church teaches what She does on human sexuality, or they just totally disagree with it. Anyway, if you listen to it, you'll see what I mean. To cap it all off a woman vicar gets on the line to defend natural marriage, only to root her argument solely in Scripture, rather than to remind listeners that marriage is rooted, as Archbishop Vincent Nichols said, in our nature. Depressing phone-in!

You know Warwick Davis is the Real O.G.

Yesterday I was browsing Wikipedia and came across news that Lionsgate and WWE are teaming up for a "reboot" (God I hate that word) of Leprechaun.

Sadly this isn't an early April fool's joke. Apparently Hollywood is so desperate for ideas that they think rebooting direct-to-video Warwick Davis vehicles is a good idea.

The best part of this article is this comment by a tone-deaf, double-speaking executive:

As for its deal with Lionsgate, Luisi said: "We have been looking for ways to continue our relationship with Lionsgate and we saw 'Leprechaun' as the perfect opportunity to take a well-known franchise and put a modern-day spin on it. This is a property that we believe our audience will respond to and we continue to look for ways to surprise and engage them."

Oh, they'll "respond to it" all right.

As for the "modern spin": this is a very valid concern, inasmuch as cheapo horror films about avaricious Irish goblins made in 2003 date very quickly. Are they going to have the Leprechaun Tweeting or complaining about Obamacare? Ooh, handy!

Plus, having the WWE on board makes casting fairly simple:



So color me excited. By excited of course I mean mortified beyond belief.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

I've now seen the three major films of Mutiny on the Bounty and like them all equally. Simple but powerful in its character conflicts, it's evidently hard to botch. Lewis Milestone's 1962 epic is more famous for its difficult production than its merits, but it's a solid take on this classic story.

Aristocratic sailor Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando) signs on as first mate to the HMS Bounty, a vessel traveling to Tahiti for a shipment of breadfruit. He immediately butts heads with Captain William Bligh (Trevor Howard), a martinet unafraid to mete out harsh punishments for trivial offenses. An interlude in Tahiti is pleasurible for the crew but botanist William Brown (Richard Haydn) finds the breadfruits going dormant. The return voyage is a nightmare, with Bligh increasingly cruel as he struggles to keep the plants alive. Christian at first tries to restrain the crew, especially troublemaker John Mills (Richard Harris), but the deaths of several sailors pushes him over the edge.

All the Bounty films had nightmarish productions and this one's no different. Besides logstical problems with location shooting, the model ship and new Ultra Panavision 70 cameras, Bounty '62 had Marlon Brando, his legendary ego in full flower. Brando went berserk on set, constantly demanding rewrites, a then-unheard of $1,000,000 salary, bullying cast and crew and generally acting like Marlon Brando. Director Carol Reed was fired and replaced by journeyman Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front). Bounty flopped big time, and Brando possibly regretted passing on Lawrence of Arabia.

Mutiny on the Bounty is very much an early '60s epic, mixing epic scope with character dilemmas. Charles Lederer's literate script recasts the Bligh-Christian struggle as a class conflict: proletariat Bligh resents the foppish Christian from the beginning. The film has a well-rounded cast but simplifies its drama: duty-obsessed Bligh is more than happy to sacrifice a few crewmen to deliver his cargo of breadfruit. Righteous Christian restrains his fury until Bligh goes too far. Unlike other versions, this Bounty dwells on the exiled crew's fate on Pitcarin, with Bligh's amazing voyage to Timor scarcely touched upon.

For spectacle Bounty '62 is easily the best telling. Robert L. Surtee's's Panavision photography is astonishing, with gorgeous Tahitian locations and stirring seagoing scenes. The story lacks conventional action but the tropical vistas and well-staged storm sequences are compelling enough; only the climactic fire seems a bit phony. There's also a brilliant score by Bronislau Kaper.

Marlon Brando's bizarre accent takes some adjustment but his performance is fine. Trevor Howard is even better, his Bligh low-key but oozing slow-burning fury that occasionally boils over. When Howard exits the air goes out of the film. Richard Harris gets a meaty part a year before hitting it big in This Sporting Life. Richard Haydn (Young Frankenstein), Hugh Griffith (How to Steal a Million) and Percy Herbert (Bridge on the River Kwai) have notable supporting roles. Love interest Tarita later became the 3rd Mrs. Brando; number two was Movita, star of the '35 Mutiny.

Mutiny on the Bounty is a solid reworking of a familiar tale. Hopefully I'll get to revisit The Bounty (1984) soon.

40 Days for Life with Bishop Alan Hopes: Summary

I've just got back from Bedford Square and here follows a brief report. I'll go into more detail tomorrow.

I think the numbers game - and let's face it, this was never about numbers, nor was it a game - has been misreported already.

40 Days for Life vigil attendees were by no means 'vastly outnumbered'. We were huddled in a large circle, whereas protesters were behind a fence and the lines were not, from what I could see, particularly deep.

I couldn't actually hear very well what Bishop Alan Hopes was saying through a megaphone because the wailing, shouting, jeering, drumming and screaming coming from the pro-abortion protesters was so excruciatingly loud. We just got on with praying the Stations of the Cross and saying prayers for the unborn and all at risk of abortion and all affected by it.

You'll be not too surprised to hear that the chants and slogans of today's abortion rights people are not much different to the previous generation's. The one about the 'Church and the State' is still there. 'Keep your Rosaries off my ovaries' is still going strong. Anyone would have thought that the slogans were peddled out by an aging Tablet reader in Eccleston Square. 'Keep your Pope away from my pussy' was another, so now our beloved Pontiff is accused of cat burglary as well as orchestrating the world's largest pederast network.

One woman spent about half an hour prowling around those keeping vigil shouting at men and women, from whom she was about a yard away, "Stop harrassing women", when, in fact we were just praying and she was, yep, harassing women (and men). A new slogan was, 'Keep your Eucharist out of my uterus' or something, as if we desire to thrust the Most Holy Eucharist down anyone's throats or other orifices, or put our Rosaries anywhere near anyone's ovaries. That would, I believe, be both sacrilege and a grave invasion of the human body which can only be rivaled by a 'Gynaecological Surgeon' taking implements, shoving them up a woman's vagina, killing her child and dragging it out by the feet.

When the 40 Days for Life vigil-keepers sang the 'Ave Maria' repetitively, there were, at times, strange periods of silence from the pro-abortion protesters. I don't know whether Our Lady just got them to shut up or they liked the singing and found it rather beautiful. It was very odd, those moments when it felt like the shouting, screaming, chant and slogan-singing, drumming, angry and aggressive mob looked rather deflated and as if they were thinking of packing up and going home.



It's hard to find moments of humour in such a solemn vigil for the unborn and all affected by abortion, but I must say that, despite the fact that 40 days for life were haranguing and harassing no woman, the pro-abortion crowd started shouting at us to "stop harassing women" when people were singing the Ave Maria gently over and over. Yes, the only woman we were harassing all evening was the Blessed Mother of God!



In conclusion: Drumming, shouting, screaming, slogan-shouting, whooping, slogan-singing, football-terrace like chants, banners about abortion, harassment of those who hold the opposite view to yourself, turning out in great force and being genuinely intimidating and making an almighty commotion that means that the voices of those who oppose you are barely audible - these are all tactics which we as pro-lifers can learn from the 'pro-choice' movement in the UK. Probably best we stick to silent witness, vigil and prayer, I think, because the only thing you really learn from listening to the pro-abortion protesters is a lesson in hatred. The hatred was all theirs, of course, by the end, I think most pro-lifers felt pity for them. I was told there was a particularly loud screeching 'wail' from the pro-aborts at the announcement of the Station of the Cross at which Our Lord died.

Oh and the other slogan that was repeated over and over again by the pro-abortionist government supporters who turned out in force, but with little charity, was "40 Days for Life, go home!" Has nobody told the pro-abortionists that 40 Days for Life are going home in two days, when, er, 40 Days for Life ends? It seems odd to turn out in such number to tell us to 'go home' when if they'd just left it a day or two, the rather low-key vigil keepers would have done exactly that anyway. Still, logic and reason isn't one of the great gifts of the pro-abortion movement in the United Kingdom, is it? From what I could see tonight, they're just an angry and aggressive mob who behaved as if they were not only children of the Devil, but of the State as well.

"Shame on you! Shame on you!" they cried. Hang on, isn't that what some US pro-lifers in the seventies used to shout at women going into abortion clinics? My, how times have changed and yet the times, they are-a-changin'.

It looks rather like the pro-aborts are far more 'American' in style than us. We shouldn't be too surprised by that, though. After all, it was the Rockefellers of this world that have donated so much money to the cause of abortion across the West, Africa and across the World, who continue to do so and who 'sit back and laugh as the death count gets higher'. I personally believe that if everyone stopped procuring abortion in the UK, the State would enforce it, for this is a war on its own people and population. It is so sad that even anarchists, feminists and 'freedom fighters' are oblivious to that sad truth. Marxists, of course, wouldn't have a problem with it.

Thanks to Sarto for the YouTube video.

Tip-Toeing Around Abortion

I found this advert for a job as a Gynaecological Surgeon at Marie Stopes International in a British Medical Journal magazine. I know that 'employment speak' can be a little 'professional' and often rather ridiculous, but I was interested in how Marie Stopes International can go through an entire advert seeking to recuit abortionists and only mention the word 'abortion' once right at the end. Quite a feat of achievement that. If 'abortion rights' are so intrinsic to human society and so accepted, then why all the pussyfooting around the subject. The language is so vague.

'Our busy centres offer termination of pregnancy, sexual health services and vasectomy and sterilisation in a highly professional environment'.

It all sounds so benign, doesn't it? Marie Stopes are 'dedicated to improving the sexual and reproductive health of clients around the world'. Okay, interesting way of putting it, but how, precisely does an abortion improve someone's sexual or even reproductive health. Last I heard, reproductive health could in fact be damaged by an abortion. Even the NHS says so. Unless reproductive health is simply a matter of taking away unwanted babies. To me reproductive health sounds like the health of the womb itself. Let's continue with the advert:

'Marie Stopes International are looking or Surgeons to provide terminations of pregnancy up to 24 weeks for our Leeds and Manchester Centres as a priority, but we are also searching for excellent candidates in the London region. We are actively looking for Surgeons who already have experience of late term terminations, however, we are able to provide full training within a professional and modern working environment for those without the experience.'

That bit reminds me of those care assistant jobs in the Friday Ad where they say, 'Experience desirable but full training is given'.

'Successful candidates will possess sound clinical judgement and excellent interpersonal skills with a strong focus on team work within a multi-disciplinary environment.'

Bizarre, isn't it?

'All applicants will require full GMC registration with a licence to practice.  Due to the nature of the work involved [that is, abortion], all applicants will require Specialist Registration with the GMC.'

And this is the most laughable bit:

You will be committed to our mission of children by choice not chance [the abortion mission] and promote and live the Marie Stopes International core values: mission driven; customer focused [hang on, I thought Clare Murphy said this wasn't a business - surely only 'businesses' have 'customers']; results orientated [the mind boggles: what could the results be?]; pioneering [eh?]; sustainable ['Sustainable' what? Growth? Not for the baby, but for 'business' perhaps...]; people centred.

And then, just to flout UK equality laws, since there must be out there surely a number of pro-life abortionists...

'All candidates will be pro-choice on abortion.'

Why can't these people just be honest?

'Abortionist wanted: Must have strong stomach and willingness to abandon the hippocratic oath.'

There. That's much better. Much more 'Friday-Ad'. Interesting that they haven't published the salary on the advert, isn't it?

BPAS: Charity or Industry?

A truly excellent analysis today by Caroline Farrow on Clare Murphy, Director of Press and Publicity at BPAS.

Clare Murphy has written an article in today’s Independent claiming that those who are using the language of business and commerce for abortion clinics are insulting women who choose to have an abortion.

For tax reasons BPAS is a charity.  We know what they do for unborn babies. Whether BPAS 'help' women is objectively much contested. Not that it would justify it, but I wonder just how many letters the BPAS receive from women saying, "Thanks so much for helping me. When I needed a shoulder you were there."

Talking of which, I popped up just now to see 40 Days for Life in Brighton. I was told by one of the volunteers there that despite what The Argus may have reported, 40 Days for Life are helping one woman who broke down in tears when she arrived at the abortion clinic. She is homeless and is now going through detox in the hope of having her baby. She is now living with one of the volunteers of 40 Days for Life and receiving true charity and support. She is awaiting placement by the Council, which I expect will mean some form of temporary accommodation. We know what temporary accommodation is like in Brighton. The woman is a rape victim who felt, on arriving at the clinic, that she didn't have a 'choice'.  Having asked BPAS to see a scan and having received counselling from 40 Days for Life, she wants to try and keep her baby. I say 'try' because as we know it is likely that because of her addictions the vultures at social services will be hovering over her when she gives birth. Keep her in your prayers.  I'm thinking very much of going up to Bedford Square this evening to pray and to cover the vigil tonight with Bishop Alan Hopes.

Hie thee to St James' Spanish Place

If you are in or near London on a Sunday, go to Mass at St James' at 9.30am.

Why? Because the celebrant is likely to be none other than the great Father Leon Pereira OP

If you have not heard Fr P preach, you are in for a rare treat but it may be advisable to check beforehand to make sure that he will be celebrating Mass on the Sunday in question.

Help Support 40 Days for Life on Friday

40 Days for Life: Bearing witness to the right to life of the unborn child

'Quae est ista quae progreditur quasi aurora consurgens, pulchra ut luna, electa ut sol, terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata?'

'Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?'

Tomorrow, on Friday 30th March, the 38th day of the pro-life vigil outside BPAS in Bedford Square, London will take place.  Bishop Alan Hopes will be there in the evening from 7 - 8.30pm.

The 'Battle of Bedford Square' will be a spiritual battle and 40 Days for Life need our prayers. It is promised by such groups as Abortion Rights that an opposing demonstration supporting abortion will be taking place on the same day, in the same place, in response, presumably, to the success of the 40 Days for Life campaign.

If you can, go. If you cannot go, then dedicate some time to praying that pro-lifers will be protected from what we can expect to be some aggressive and rather indelicate tactics used by the supporters of the barbaric practice of abortion - since barbarism and the slaughter of the innocent is what they are defending.

Pray too for all expectant mothers and their unborn children and let's not forget also to pray for the doctors whose consciences have been seared by their profession that they may turn away from this evil, as well as our other enemies, those who will be turning out to protest against 40 Days for Life. It is said that the Abortion Rights group have gathered a large number set to turn out in opposition to 40 Days for Life. 40 Days for Life expect to be dramatically outnumbered. Abortion Rights appear to be wanting to turn their counter-demonstration into a 'celebration of abortion and women's rights'. Given that the vast majority of people in the UK believe abortion to be 'highly regrettable', that is an approach that may just backfire.

Two letters today appeared in The Guardian, one from the SPUC's Education and Publicity Manager, defending the work of the SPUC in schools and one from a lady called Professor Wendy Savage heading a group of fellow workers, research fellows and gynaecologists who are very concerned that the nature of the public debate on abortion is changing, thanks in particular to The Telegraph's investigation into 'gendercide'. According to Wikipedia:

'Professor Wendy Savage (born 12 April 1935 in Surrey) is a British gynaecologist, and advocate and campaigner of women's rights in childbirth and fertility.

Dr Savage read medicine at Girton College, Cambridge. She qualified in 1960 and was the first woman consultant to be appointed in obstetrics and gynaecology at The London Hospital. She has worked in the United States of America, Nigeria, Kenya, and New Zealand. In New Zealand she set up an abortion service before the law was liberalised. She was an elected member of the General Medical Council for more than 16 years. She was shortlisted for the BMJ Group Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.'

It looks like Professor Savage (apt name) may have been a back-street abortionist in New Zealand before the law was 'liberalised'. Looks to me like one of my more recent guitar efforts might just as well have been written about her. From the back-street, to the front-street, to the GMC and the BMI. Really, her signature is quite telling because that's the real story of abortion in the UK. Pray and offer up your Friday penance for the work of 40 Days for Life. They will have a good escort in the Blessed Mother of God, Mary Most Holy, destroyer of all heresies and protectress of the unborn.

Charismatic Reconciliation Service

I was really quite taken aback by James Preece's recent blogpost on the Flame Congress event, a Catholic youth rally at Wembley Arena. The YouTube video of the charismatic performers is a real sight and a real sound to behold. From what circle of Hell does this cacophany come?!

From the Flame Congress, well attended though it was, you would get the impression that the charismatic-pentecostal direction of parts of the Catholic Church is really very popular indeed with the young. Perhaps it is with some, because it 'empowers' and gives people the opportunity to be part of a 'youth ministry'. I don't doubt for a second, however, that the charismatic movement in the Church is a little dangerous and perhaps flammable.

For a start, apart from Eucharistic Adoration, what does the Flame Congress really teach young people about the Faith. As James says, real Catholic teaching seemed not to be on the 'set list' and he claims that some of the worst things he has heard about it are from people who were actually there - you know - the young people themselves. Last night I attended a local Reconciliation Service which certainly had 'charismatic' elements which I personally found off-putting. The guitar strumming was inoffensive, the hymns were mostly modern and a little on the over-sentimental side. I like Gregorian Chant because it puts you in the frame of the liturgical season, at this time Passiontide, without being totally 'in your face'. There was an overhead projector linked to a computer beaming the words of the hymns onto a screen, something I haven't seen in a church since my Baptist days - days I thought were long behind me in the Catholic Church.

Along with the guitar and piano hymns there was a talk, which was actually excellent, about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, by a monk of Worth Abbey. We were told that Priests would be sitting in various posts around the Church to hear Confessions. Excellent. Not only that, but it seemed that virtually everyone went for Confession. Perhaps, for most, that was the only reason they had gone, which is a good sign of Faith in the Church. Apart from the guitar, which I personally do not think is suitable for Church music, all this was great. Before Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions, however, was a small drama-play in front of the Tabernacle in which two young people came up with signs saying, 'Pride', 'Lust', 'Deceit' and 'Greed' which were then given to a man acting as Our Lord with extended arms to receive these sins and comfort the young people.

And, I guess, that had this been in a school or something, that it would have been an effective way of showing young people that the Lord Jesus is the 'Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World'. Is it suitable in a Church however? Well, we might say that it is or could be, if the Church was packed out with young persons with no understanding of Confession or repentance.  However, aside from the young people singing, playing guitar and doing drama, there were very few young people present. The overwhelming majority of those present were adults, and most seemed to me to be senior adults.

After all, a Benedictine monk had literally just given us a talk on our need for repentance in this holy season of Lent and God's infinite loving mercy. What troubles me about these kinds of services is the sentimentalisation and self-indulgence of the service and, as James says in his post, it ends up treating grown adults, who require an 'adult faith' to be treated like children. I know what Our Lord said about how necessary it is that we become 'like little children' if we are to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but I'm quite sure that while Our Lord wishes for us to be open to Him and trusting in Him as children are of parents, that He does not wish us to actually be infantilised. It is this infantilisation of the liturgy and of the People of God that personally makes me want to run for the hills.

Then arose a wonderful opportunity for prayer before Our Blessed Lord in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar while Priests compassionately heard Confessions around stations in the Church. However, the Lord Himself had not yet been placed on the Altar before we were told that 'Prayer Ministry Teams' were also in stations of the Church to pray for people who needed 'healing'. Most of these teams appeared to be comprised of ladies who I thought, once again, I had escaped on leaving my Baptist days behind me. So, while the Lord was exposed on the Altar, to my left were two or three ladies 'praying over' a person who wanted 'healing'. Even if we accept that such things have their place, and I am personally far from convinced that they do, the 'prayer team' beside me was facing the very opposite direction to which the Lord was placed on the Altar, awaiting our prayers, our worship and adoration. To be honest, I found that rather scandalous.

There is God Himself desiring to help us to know His love, to receive our praise, being truly present to us in the Blessed Sacrament, and the prayer teams are ignoring Him and basically suggesting outwardly that their prayer ministry is equal to or as important or more important than the fact that God is literally in the House so that we may come before Him in humility, awe and great reverence. The presence of the 'prayer teams' and a lack of real focus on the Blessed Sacrament seemed to foster a community, some of whom, for instance, would spend ten minutes with the Lord and feel it perfectly appropriate to spend another ten minutes loudly chatting to the person next to them in His Presence. I thought that Catholics kept schtum unless it is really necessary to talk, when the Lord is exposed.

And, while I was trying and mostly failing to pray before Our Lord the sentimental guitar, piano music and modern hymns simply did not stop but for a brief pause of five minutes when they decided to spend some time in Adoration themselves, before returning to strum throughout the rest of Adoration. Perhaps some music was necessary to drown out the sound of people's Confessions, I understand that, but it was my understanding that in order to pray well before our God there is some need for silence or at least, music that aids prayer, rather than distracting us from it. I'm sure I sound like a grumpy old man, but it was really very difficult to pray with the loud, sentimental pap going on in the background.

I don't know what other people thought of the whole thing, but from what I could see, it appeared that as it drew closer to an end, that people who made their Confession seemed to leave rather quickly. Is it really necessary to use such Reconciliation Services to such self-indulgent effect? I was reminded of the new Bishop of Aberdeen's thoughts when His Lordship said that so many distractions are placed in our way to 'seek the Face of God'. He suggested, I think, that some of these distractions were to be found in Catholic Churches, and that it is in silence that we find Him. I know that while people are hearing Confessions around the Church, that this presents a challenge, but I left with the distinct impression that creating an atmosphere of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament was not that high a priority on the 'set list'. It seemed primarily to be about our forgiveness, yes, but not about the One who forgives us - the One on the Altar. I left feeling that I had been to a Baptist service in which the Sacrament of Penance and the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar were accepted as valid.

Waterloo

Waterloo (1970) was one of the '70s biggest flops, a $35 million multi-national boondoggle. Fresh off his gargantuan War and Peace (1967), Soviet director Sergei Bondarchuk teamed with Italian producer Dino DiLaurentis to depict Napoleon Bonaparte's last battle. The resulting film intersperses amazing battle scenes with dull plot. The biggest millstone, however, is Rod Steiger's awful performance.

Napoleon Bonaparte (Rod Steiger) returns from exile on Elba with a small army. Napoleon's old ally Marshal Ney (Dan O'Herlihy) joins him and they oust King Louis XVIII (Orson Welles), reestablishing Bonaparte as Emperor of France. Napoleon defeats Prussian Marshal Blucher (Sergo Zakariadze) at Quatre Bras, forcing the Duke of Wellington (Christopher Plummer) to give battle at Waterloo. The early rounds of the battle go Napoleon's way, and Wellington knows he must rely on Blucher to turn the tide.

Everyone comes to Waterloo for the battle scenes and Bondarchuk delivers some doozies. Using over 15,000 extras, the film's sheer scope is astonishing. One incredible shot has hundreds of French cavalrymen charging amongst a row of British infantry squares. Other scenes are equally impressive: the volleys that devastate the Imperial Guard's final charge, the point-blank artillery barrage annihilating some holdouts. It lacks the visceral impact of other war films but the incredible spectacle compensates.

Away from the battlefield, Waterloo is a ponderous bore. The story is choppy, with ragged editing and narrative leaps that suggest heavy cutting. H.A.L. Craig's dull script combines bald exposition with famous quotes, the worst kind of historical writing. Bondarchuk's style choices (sudden zooms, Leone-style close-ups, egregious slow motion) irritate more often than not.

Rod Steiger is absolutely monstrous. He bellows, raves, gestures, bugs out his eyes, broods, pouts, sweats, kisses flags, arches eyebrows, purses lips, intones on the soundtrack, a riot of cacophonous ham. Even at his best Steiger isn't subtle but this is rabies, not acting. Christopher Plummer's low-key Wellington comes off wonderfully in comparison.

The supporting cast is scenery. A bored-looking Orson Welles and Virginia McKenna (Carve Her Name With Pride) have miniscule cameos. Dan O'Herlihy (100 Rifles) gets some meaty scenes early on as the conflicted Marshal Ney. Spaghetti Western star Gianni Garko plays one of Napoleon's marshals. Jack Hawkins, Terence Alexander (The Day of the Jackal), Rupert Davies (John Paul Jones) and Michael Wilding (The Scarlet Coat) feature as Wellington's lieutenants.

Waterloo is worth checking out for the incredible battle scenes. Mostly though, this is the kind of epic I don't really like, all spectacle and little substance. And please muzzle Rod Steiger before he bites someone.

Voris Time: Latin Anyone?

I haven't been watching Michael Voris for a while, but his latest video is a classic. Paul Smeaton gets a mention! Well done, Paul!

Elena Curti on the Soho Masses: Export it to Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh

Coming to a town near you? The Rainbow Roadshow...

Elena Curti believes the Soho Masses are so great at communicating the Catholic Faith to men and women with same-sex attraction that they should be exported to Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and, well, seemingly everywhere where there might be 'a gay' and 'a Church'. Wherever there is a gay, there should be a gay Mass. So now we know why St Pio of Pietrelcina once threw a communist out of his confessional box by force, simply for being a communist...

Elena pines for the day when every Church will have its own Gay Mass for the gay contingent. What could possibly go wrong? And how's this for a cracking start to a blogpost:

'Gay Catholics are called to life-long friendship, the Archbishop of Westminster told BBC2's Newsnight programme last week. It was as far as Archbishop Vincent Nichols was prepared to go in articulating the Church's pastoral concern for its gay members. But he could have referred to the bi-monthly Soho Masses for gay Catholics and their families, which continue in his diocese in spite of complaints to Rome by traditionalists.'

How much further did she expect the Archbishop to go? All the way?

Indeed, he could have referred to the bi-monthly Soho Masses, but there is an outside possibility that the Archbishop finds these Masses a little embarrassing at this time, when the dissent emanating from Soho runs in contradiction to Catholic Teaching and while they continue to draw criticism from 'traditionalists' and, presumably, other Catholics of sound faith in Rome. Full of praise for the Soho Masses, Elena opines:

'These, more than anything else, have demonstrated that the Catholic Church takes seriously its ministry to gay members. It counters the argument from those advocating gay marriage that the Church is homophobic.'

It certainly does counter the argument from those advocating gay marriage that the Church is homophobic. If you listen to what some of the organisers actually say, it counters that argument so much that you get the distinct impression that there is very little difference between what supporters of 'gay marriage' believe and what organisers of the Soho Masses believe. Then, as if to finally confirm what many already believed, that The Tablet editorial team is comprised of fantasists, Elena says:

'As for Cardinal Keith O'Brien, what better way to counter the furore that greeted his outburst against the notion of gay marriage?'

Good luck with that one, Elena, love. I think you need a lay down, dear.

And, of course, no Tablet article would be complete without perpetuating the lie that the Universal Church has any support whatsoever, or ever shall, for gay civil unions, even though the parallel Magisterium of The Tablet and (at times, some of) the English Hierarchy can give people the impression that this is the case:

'If we as Catholics are to argue convincingly that marriage is the nucleus of our society, that to tamper with it has implications for the care of children and that civil partnerships are the way to recognise stable, committed gay unions, we need the Church to show support for its gay members. Extending the gay Masses would be a good way to do that.'

I suppose they would be a good way to do that, if, into the bargain, you wished to scandalise the good faith of Catholics, undermine the Church's teaching on sexuality, create breeding grounds for dissent around the country and introduce the Marxist liberation theology of the gay movement into every city and town into the country. Yep, that sounds like The Tablet to me. Love it or loathe it, it can always be relied upon to show us the direction in which Holy Mother Church should be going. Just read The Tablet and remember to go in the opposite direction where the compass is pointing.

This Happy Lean

Criterion has just come out with an incredible Blu-Ray set: David Lean Directs Noel Coward. This means In Which We Serve, This Happy Breed, Blithe Spirit and Brief Encounter in one set. Yowza! If this blogger weren't chronically cash-strapped it would be a must-buy.

Groggy favorite Self-Styled Siren wrote a fine piece on This Happy Breed for Criterion. My own take from the blog's early days can be read here.

Help Me to Meet the Prime Minister

Well, in light of recent news, I'm starting a new fundraising campaign. I'm trying to raise enough money to gain access to David Cameron. The hope is that if I raise enough money, I'll be able to donate to the Conservative Party and get to eat dinner with the Prime Minister. Over dinner, we can talk frankly about 'gay marriage'.

All I need is £250,000, though I'll need a little more to cover my train fare up to London. So far I have raised enough to take Mr Cameron out for lunch at a pub for burger and chips. I know this will work. Help me to influence Government policy by helping me to raise £250,000 to have dinner with the PM. There is an outside chance that Stonewall paid more, so we should aim for £500,000.

"Ave Maria" - Flying the flag for the unborn in Melbourne

Tuesday morning and a small group is gathered outside an abortuary near the city centre.
Behind a wall lies a tree screened building quaintly bearing the title  'North Melbourne Procedural Day Centre' as though it was some municipal place of rest from the busy, uncaring world.

Whereas, of course, it is a place where deeds most bloody are carried out routinely and the victims are the unborn and the girls and the women who have been scared or duped into agreeing to the 'procedure.'
Plus, the prospective fathers who get little or no say in the matter.

We joined the group and were met with a warm reception, the Rosary continued and then we sang 'Soul of my Saviour and proceeded through the set pattern of prayers and hymns as laid down by the Forty Days for Life organisation.

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers (and sisters)....' 

A complete cross section of Catholic society came to join the group and came and  went in the course of the next two hours; young mums with children in push chairs, students, retired folk and an excellent organiser, Trudy, who kept the prayer rota going evenly and smoothly.

We only met with a bit of anger from one young executive type who marched past very quickly shouting-
"Why don't you get a life" - but that is what precisely we were doing, getting a life and, maybe getting several lives, but the irony was lost on him.

More hymns, the good, traditional ones such as 'Come Holy Ghost', 'Ave Maria' and, of course, 'Salve Regina'.
There is no better hymn to sing in public than Salve Regina - it is the battle hymn of the faith and it stirs the blood no end. It turns a timid Catholic into a brave Catholic.

Bemused office workers hurried past and the groups' numbers rose and fell reaching, at its lowest 3 and at its highest, some 13 souls. Not bad for 10am on a Tuesday.

Here is a prayer that was included in the 40 Days prayer book:-

My Child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials.
Be sincere of heart and steadfast, and do not be impetuous in times of adversity.


Cling to Him but do not leave Him,
that you may prosper in your last days.


Accept whatever happens to you;
in periods of humiliation be patient.


For in fire gold is tested, and the chosen in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust in God and He will help you;
make your ways straight and hope in Him.


You that fear the Lord, wait for His mercy,
do not stray lest you fall.
You that fear the Lord, trust in Him, and your reward will not be lost.


You that fear the Lord, hope for good things,
for lasting joy and mercy.
Consider the generations long past and see:
has anyone trusted in the Lord and been disappointed?


Has anyone persevered in the Lord and been forsaken?
has anyone called upon Him and been ignored?
For the Lord is compassionate and merciful;
forgives sins and saves in times of trouble.


Woe to timid hearts and drooping hands,
to the sinner who walks a double path!...............

The Back-Street Abortionists

The Back-Street Abortionists

There was a time you could go and see a back-street abortionist

A time you could go and see a back-street abortionist

Have your unborn baby killed by a back-street abortionist

But we left those 'dark days' behind!

There was a time you’d be imprisoned as a back-street abortionist

A time you’d be imprisoned as a back-street abortionist

Killin' babies was illegal while there were some who supported it

But we left those 'dark days' behind!

Lord Steele had an idea he said,

“Let’s move the abortionists!”

Said: “Here’s an idea! Let’s move the abortionists!”

So we moved the abortionists and for over 40 years

Let them kill babies noon, sunset, sunrise

Oh, whatever happened to those back-street abortionists?

Whatever happened to those back-street abortionists?

Maybe they just became the front-street abortionists

As they were told that they had ‘served their time’

Now you can go and see your front-street abortionist

You can go and see your front-street abortionist

Have your unborn babies killed by your front-street abortionist

 'Cos nothing’s sacred, not even your baby’s life!

Kill your babies at the front-street abortionists!

Kill your babies at the front-street abortionists!

Kill your babies at the front-street abortionists!

That’s the message of ‘Abortion Rights’!

Kill your babies at the front-street abortionists!

Say, “It’s my body!”

As they sling a bag of babies in!

Cry, "It's my body!"

As they sling another bag of babies in!

Into the bin outside!

Kill your babies at the front-street abortionists!

Kill your babies at the front-street abortionists!

Say, “It’s my choice!”

No, dear, its the choice of the abortionist

The one with the pills, hoover, knife

The one who takes your baby’s life

The ones who used to be 'inside'

In those 'dark days' when child murder was a crime

(Optional Extra Verse)

Lord Steele
Here's an idea!
Let's close the abortionists!
Here's an idea!
Let's move the abortionists!
Let's move the abortionists, back where they really oughta sit
In a prison cell for their crime
Until they've really 'served their time'
 Then we can say: 'We've left those dark days behind...'

Public Money and Catholicism

Two days in a row now I have heard Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society discuss public money and what should and should not be done with it.

Whenever something happens in this country to do with Christianity or the Catholic Church we get Mr Sanderson telling the news how outrageous it is that public money is being used to support some aspect of Christianity.

The idea of World Youth Day coming to London has Sanderson is hysterics decrying the idea of public money being used to bring young people from all over Europe to London to listen to the Holy Father at World Youth Day. The idea of public money being used to maintain Britain's Cathedrals has him spitting feathers. When Churches claim religious education is being undermined because the Government don't think its as important as learning facts and figures, Sanderson bleats about public money being used for religious education.

At what point does it become acceptable to say public money can be used for anything but Christianity? I trust that Mr Sanderson has no problem with public money being used for abortion, 'diversity training', extortionate rates of rent set by landlords for housing benefit, war overseas on two or three fronts, sex change operations, cosmetic surgery, embryonic research that yields little in terms of advances in medicine, climate change-related flights of fancy and the vast range of very dubious things that Government spends 'public money' on? The message seems to be: spend public money on anything, anything, but don't spend it on anything to do with religion and in particular, Christianity. It's becoming rather tired. You would think that Catholics and Christians made up 0% of Britain's population. Obviously, Mr Sanderson must have been a little peeved when the people who turned out to see the Holy Father at the Papal Visit put paid to that myth.

An Open Letter to The Argus

I'll be surprised if The Argus publish this letter:

'While I personally do not consider the graphic imagery of abortion to be a sensible approach to protesting against abortion, it is also true that Abort 67 have changed a number of people’s opinions about abortion because they have shown people the truth about what abortion really is. Perhaps that is why the BPAS clinic is so very concerned.

I have seen the vigil outside Wiston Clinic and saw no evidence of any ‘intimidation’ or aggressive tactics being employed by those taking part. All that 40 Days for Life and Abort 67 campaigners do is hand out information about abortion. If the information is refused, then that response is immediately accepted by the campaigners. It isn’t immoral or illegal to give out information. What kind of objectiveinformation do BPAS provide?

The only filming I have seen was when police have shown up and a camera has been used as part of any legal defence which may follow should they be arrested. At a time when The Telegraph have exposed abortion law being flouted by abortion clinics in the United Kingdom it seems odd to run an investigation into a small group of people who, unlike abortion clinics, do everything in the clear light of day.

When I visited the campaigners to see the vigil, someone came out of the clinic to dump ‘medical waste’ into a bin outside the clinic. Inside those bin bags, of course, are the remains of tiny human beings. Maybe The Argus should consider running an investigation into Wiston Clinic and the industry out of which they make so much money?

Maybe The Argus could speak to women who are still haunted by their abortion? Maybe The Argus could investigate what is in those bins? Of course, the truth is not pleasant. It is in the BPAS’s interests that the ugly truth of abortion be suppressed and their practice be defended, but then local newspapers are not there to defend the powerful, but the weak, defenceless and vulnerable. Who could be more weak, vulnerable and defenceless than a baby in a mother’s womb?'

England is looking well

"You mustn't concern yourself with Blogger, my dear. Ladies should be concerned with pretty things. Photobucket is pretty. Imageshack is pretty. Certain posts on Listverse are pretty..."

Occasionally Groggy manages to have someone else publish his writings. The excellent site Listverse published my list of Top 10 Worst Generals in British History. At least one character from this film features, and I avoided a lot of obvious picks for the esoteric and bizarre. All that and I worked in a Flashman quote.

Review of Mutiny of the Bounty (1962) coming soon!

Brighton and Hove City Council and Mears Group: The Perfect Partnership

From The Eye of a Needle

This is the handiwork and Council house maintenance work of Mears. I took these photos recently.

Let me know what you think of their work.

A woman I know was recently moved here by the Council...

Nice touch! Welcome to your new home, with kind regards from Mears Group!

Sorry the place is a dive, because, frankly we couldn't be arsed with it but enjoy a cup of tea in one of our mugs!

Also, here's a brown paper bag in case you vomit once you realise how much money we're making out of this business! Crap decorating, great mugs! Or are the real mugs the poor people who have to live in accommodation maintained by Mears and the people of Brighton and Hove whose Council tax money is going to these cowboys?

Damp extraction?  What, even the weekend before she moves in? Yes! See, at Mears, they really care for their clients! Even though the company grosses huge profits annually, you get a good return because they are prepared to even extract damp out of walls before you move in! Days before!

Novel use for a Council wheelie bin...

'Did you say these guys also do Social Care?' I hear you cry.

Yes! Yes, I did!

See the attention to detail that the Mears boys go into to keep the customer satisfied!

Oh, but the customer isn't the tenant, no, its the Council, and they've already given the Mears the £200 million contract, so, actually, let's not bother with finishing the walls...

Lovely. A dream home. Or is that nightmare? Still, its only a council tenant so let's not bother to paint the walls or remove the existing wallpaper. Let's leave it somewhere in between!

She lives on a pittance on benefits so let her sort out the carpet and decorating. Maybe the local SVP will help.

Nice work, boys!

Sumptuous decorating. Interior decor that anyone would be proud of.

The Mears boys are well worth the local authority's massive expenditure.

What is that expenditure?

Wait for it...

It's £2 million a month! What a snip! These Mears boys are well worth the money! Great job!

Beautiful isn't it?

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, 'When can I move in?'

Poor? Need accommodation in Brighton? Well, Brighton and Hove City Council have just the place for you, all courtesy of Mears, the firm that just loves to give back to the community...unless you're poor, that is. "Oh well, they're only poor, eh? Nobody's interested in what the houses of poor people look like anyway...right?"

Two tone floor-boards? Something old, something new. Like it!

Hmm...interesting. This is like 1970s British home mixed with a flavour of the Med. Or is it Moroccan-inspired?

Whatever it is, its fantastic!











Of course, this is an exception to the rule. Mears usually provide an exemplary service to the Council and their tenants. This is evidenced by video footage I took of the last place at which the occupier of this property lived. She had someone come round to examine it before she left. They told her that they suspected it had subsidence and that it could fall down any day. Still, that won't stop the Council moving someone in now that the previous tenant has been 'upgraded' to better accommodation, also maintained by Mears Group. 'Mears: Making people smile.'  That's their company motto!

I fear Mears will not be smiling when they see this video below and the images above...



Of course, the tenant could have decorated the last place herself with help from friends, or she could decorate the new place too, but, perhaps after having had five children taken into care by social services because she is 'drink dependent', maybe, at some point, she just lost the heart to decorate. And no, its not the same person that I talked with last night.

Five children, all removed by the State and taken into care. Now, that's what I call another victory for women's rights. Where are all the feminists when women really need them? Actually, where's The Argus when you really need them?

'Women's Rights': For Some, But Not For Others...

I talked with a woman who attends the Soup Run last night. Somehow we came to discuss social services, abortion and pregnancy.

She related to me that recently she had thought that she was pregnant. She lives in one of the many homeless hostels in Brighton.

Before taking a pregnancy test at the doctor's surgery, a test which came back negative, her GP laid out her 'options'. Abortion was suggested to her, not something she enquired about, were the test to be positive.

Having replied to the doctor that if the test were positive that she would want to keep the baby, the doctor warned her that, because she is 'drink dependent', that social services would soon step in to remove the new baby and take him or her into care. This is all before the test result was even in. So, before she has even been informed whether she is pregnant or not, her GP was basically encouraging her to abort the child, on the grounds that the child will be 'drink dependent' from birth, but by the same token, advised that were she to give birth that the child would be removed and taken into care (to be put up for sale, sorry, adoption, we can presume) on the grounds that the child would be 'drink dependent' from birth. Does that make any sense?

Not really, but then the eugenic mindset of so many working in the field of healthcare does not make much sense. Why would it? Eugenics is not science but a pseudo-science. The logic of the medical profession is rarely challenged nowadays, but it should be. For a start, the women's liberation movement proclaimed to be a new era of 'women's rights' and 'equality of treatment'. It also promised 'reproductive freedom' for women. Yet, this 'reproductive freedom' should really be re-examined and, if necessary, re-named, since 'reproductive freedom' seems either to indicate the freedom to access abortion - a negative freedom - to 'terminate' pregnancy, or, on the other hand, if truly this term reflects some kind of reality, then it is a 'reproductive freedom' granted to some and not to others. We can safely assume that if this woman was not poor or 'drink dependent', then the counselling given by her GP would be different. That's what status in society grants you - respectful dialogue with those in authority or a position of power. This is a woman and yet, I have to ask, where are her 'reproductive freedoms' and more than that where are her 'woman's rights'. The answer is that they don't exist for her, or rather that, more generally, that they exist for some but not for others.

Secondly, I'm not wholly convinced by the idea that because a woman is drink-dependent that the baby will emerge at birth asking for a can of Skol Super. There may be a period in which a new born baby suffers some form of withdrawal symptoms, but I doubt that there is conclusive scientific evidence that says that every baby born to a mother with drink problems will be an alcoholic. Secondly, we can assume that the advice to abort is because the baby's life will end up just like that of his mothers and that the inference is that this is a life 'not worth living'. Oh, and I forget that she also told me that because she is drink dependent that the baby might have 'birth defects'. What evidence is there for that and why abort because the baby is imperfect? Thirdly, the argument from the GP falls down from his own suggestion that the baby will be removed from her because not only is she alcohol dependent, but this will be passed down to the baby. So, an alcohol dependent baby suddenly loses the genetic alcohol dependency because it is being raised by a middle class couple in Kettering, instead of parents or a mother who drinks in Brighton?

Already, a pattern emerges in which truth is sacrificed for an ideal, or an ideology which says that some women have rights, but others do not. Some women have 'reproductive freedoms', whereas others have the freedom to abort and have their children removed from them at birth by social services. They are even, as was the case for this woman, told by their doctors, who, let's remember, work for the State's National Health Service, that if they are pregnant, it is either a suggestion to abort or the warning that social services will step in and take your baby away. Can you imagine how degrading, insulting and downright terrible that must feel?

This is the cruel injustice and judgment that the poor face in Brighton and in every town in the United Kingdom and it is not only levelled at those who drink or are drug dependent. The eugenic movement that led to the Holocaust and the destruction of countless human lives in Nazi Germany never went away and sheepishly abandoned their causes. They just moved into new areas in which their evil ideology could be made acceptable and palatable. They went into social services divisions, psychiatry, medicine, genetics, the abortion industry and anywhere that they could make an impact on society in accordance with their pseudo-scientific view of humanity.

Ann Furedi, head of BPAS is another example. Prior to her time as head of the BPAS, Ann led the Birth Control Trust, the 'charitable arm' of the Galton Institute (formerly known as the British Eugenics Society). The stated aim of the Birth Control Trust remains to 'spread supports practical initiatives in birth control, especially programmes to increase access to women's health care services in developing countries.' Consistently, Ann Furedi proclaims abortion as a women's rights issue. But what, Ann, if a woman has fallen on hard times, is pregnant and does not want her child to be aborted and does not want to give the child up for adoption. Where are her rights, as a woman, then? We are not naive, however. We know that these are not the kinds of 'women's rights' issues that concern one like Ann Furedi.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)

There's a lot to like about Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011), Tomas Alfredon's new take on John Le Carre's spy novel. I found the old BBC series a chore, Alec Guinness notwithstanding, and Alfredson crafts a more streamlined experience. Certainly Gary Oldman's George Smiley is superb. But the movie never becomes as absorbing as it should be, remaining detached and often unengaging.

In the early '70s, MI6 agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) is apparently killed in Budapest by KGB boss Karla. Retiring boss Control (John Hurt) assigns George Smiley (Gary Oldman) to ferret out a Soviet mole, believed to be ensconced in "the Circus's" upper echelons. The suspects: Percy Alleiline (Toby Jones), the pushy new boss; Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), who has a personal connection with Smiley; Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds), an odious bureaucrat; and Toby Esterhase (David Dencik), a Hungarian emigre. Deep-cover agent Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) becomes the focal point, his recent mission in Istanbul providing Smiley crucial information.

Tinker, Tailor succeeeds on most levels. Writers Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan do a fine job with Le Carre's complex narrative and moral ambiguity. The twists are easy to navigate and the shifts in time and place are well-handled. Alfredson provides interesting direction, with nice use of internationale locales (Budapest, Istanbul, Paris) and clever imagery (the multiple window shots). The only technical demerit is a bland Alberto Ingelasias score, topped by the regrettable use of a La Mer dance mix (!) over the finale. It's certainly interesting to watch Smiley unravel Karla's plot.

Interesting is the operative word. For all its intricacies Tinker is never entirely involving. There's no sense of urgency, its twisty plot and brisk pace resulting in cold detachment. The large cast remain ciphers, when their relationships are crucial to the story. One climactic scene between two characters is a damp squib when it should be an emotional high point. Superior spy films like The Day of the Jackal and The Kremlin Letter achieve clinical versimilitude while engaging the audience. In this regard, Tinker is only a step or two above Topaz's terminal numbness.

Gary Oldman's Smiley makes the film. His cobra-like visage, with devious smile and piercing eyes, reveals his true nature, a ruthless spy hunter with a mask of gentility. Oldman's performance is a study in underplaying, rarely raising his voice but dominating the screen through sheer will. This makes Smiley's few unguarded moments, as when he recounts meeting Karla, all the more powerful. If there are sequels I'll check them out just for Oldman's sake.

The rich supporting cast is reduced to making impressions. An unrecognizable Tom Hardy (Inception) gives a standout turn, giving Ricki Tarr real depth and feeling. You can't go to theaters these days without tripping over Mark Strong and Toby Jones, and both do well in underwritten parts. David Dencik (The Girl in the Dragon Tattoo) and Kathy Burke (Elizabeth) benefit from their relative anonymity.

On the other hand, Colin Firth's pivotal role is so thinly sketched that his revelations make no impact. Benedict Cumberbatch (War Horse) has lots of screen time and an ugly haircut, but zero personality. John Hurt (A Man for All Seasons), Ciaran Hinds (Munich) and Stephen Graham (Public Enemies) get what amount to extended cameos.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a mild disappointment. It's certainly a good film, but lacks the depth or impact to push it into classic status. But if Gary Oldman returns as George Smiley, I'll definitely be watching.

Catholic Melbourne - same as Catholic Westminster

It may seem presumptive to have been in Australia for only 9 days and to be offering a view on what's what as far as the Faith is concerned.

But, on reflection, I find that church affairs are really just as they are in the UK.
On the surface, at any rate, and that is all that I am qualified to comment on.

The city Church of St Francis - the oldest Church in the State of Victoria -
but why the empty cross? How sad.

There is a dearth of Latin Masses in and around Melbourne (a la Westminster) and even St Patrick's Cathedral only offers an EF Mass on Wednesdays at 5.30pm.

The Church of St Francis, right in the city centre and surrounded by high rise office blocks, has no Latin Masses on offer which is a great pity as it is a beautiful church that appears to be busy with the faithful coming and going throughout the day.

There is a lack of statues in the Cathedral which always makes me feel a shade uncomfortable but then, St David's in Cardiff (Old South Wales) is also imageless, more or less.

One difference that is noticeable is that the wearing of the mantilla seems much more the custom here, even by the non traditional faithful.

The mainstay of traditionalism in Melbourne is the Church of St Aloysius, in the suburb of Caulfield North.

Here the altar is ad orientum and I found myself wondering if the Ordinary Form of Mass was also celebrated in this way. I was enlightened after the 8am EF Mass when a modern altar was wheeled in from the wings - a complete reversal of how it is in England and Wales, and a welcome one at that.

But I do have one grouse (and that applies also to churches in Great Britain).
It is the issue of being acoustically challenged when the sound system is so basic and pitched at high volume that good sermons literally fall on deaf ears. Or deafened ears.

Does the parish priest ever sit in a pew and listen to one of his brother priests preach?
They must not. If they did so they would surely make haste to employ the services of a professional sound engineer to put in a decent system.
How sad it is for wise words to be so unintelligible that, instead of uplifting the soul a thin red mist is engendered.
Older churches were designed and built with the natural amplification of the human voice in mind; they cannot easily take a modern speaker system that bounces the sound waves off a thousand surfaces.

SSPX priests, if I remember correctly, tend to despise sound systems and use their voices to effect, the way that God intended perhaps. It adDs a lot to a sermon if the deliverer has to inject intonations and volume at varying pitches. It makes it hard to deliver monosyllabic homilies.

Please accept these comments as a shallow view on Catholic life here in the Diocese of Melbourne; for a really in depth appreciation please watch out for a post from Kate Edwards (Australia Incognita) as I believe she is working on a report.

It is almost six years since we were last in Melbourne and the number of EF Masses and churches that offered them has shrunk.
Not a point for the brick by brick file I'm afraid; but it does go to show that the battle for the reform of the reform must go on and that the pace should, if anything, be increased.