Is the magic circle starting to go pear shaped?

First we have Bishop Mark Davies putting an orthodox stamp on Shrewsbury Diocese, then his Lordship's right hand man, Monsignor Philip Egan, an orthodox man according to the pundits is appointed Bishop of poor old Portsmouth Diocese and now, the Bishop of Lancaster, the Rt Reverend Michael Campbell, successor to the acclaimed Archbishop O'Donoghue, has drawn a line in the sand as far as teachers in Catholic schools are concerned and asked them to make a public profession of faith.

This has resulted in shrieks from the left wing press and cries of "McCarthyism rules again".

I don't quite get that; wasn't McCarthy anti communist?

 Is it just the act of asking people to come clean about their beliefs that results in such emotive language?

What is wrong, precisely, with wishing to know where those who are in charge of educating and informing the young stand?

Isn't that where the Catholic Education Council and the Bishops of England and Wales have gone so very wrong over the past forty or so years?

They appear to prefer a sort of grey sludge and mediocrity delivery of religious education as opposed to orthodoxy and clarity.
The thing I was always brought up to believe is that theology is black and white, no room for dissembling or equivocation.

So now, out of circa 28 Bishops in England and Wales, for the first time since Vatican II we appear to have a growing number of good men who are not prepared to toe the party line.

That's getting on for 11% - maybe not a great statistic but a damn sight better than zero.

And, with more appointments looming, and the good offices of the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Mennini, we may hope to see that number of good men increase dramatically.

Who knows, given time and the works of the Holy Spirit, the magic circle could disappear in a puff of smoke?

Did the Bishops have a hand in the Olympic opening ceremony?

I mean, it had all the hallmarks of Eccleston Square writ large over it.
Lots of flashing lights and clouds of smoke; young maidens dancing about the place and then there was the punk rock bit....just the sort of thing that their Lordships think makes them cool and trendy (see Day for Life)

And, to cap it all, it made Britain look like it was stuck in the Industrial Revolution period, cloth caps, mufflers and clogs. Great!

Various British Governments have spent fortunes in an attempt to dispel the commonly held image of Britain as a country steeped in pea souper fogs, with citizens either wearing the aforesaid apparel or deerstalker hats wandering around streets lit by gas lamps..

That is really how many Chinese and Japanese industrialists view us, a slightly comical nation with Morris Dancers outside every pub and Little Bo Peeps herding sheep through city streets.
And now, they know it is true.

The Day of Life which takes place tomorrow was originally intended as a day to reinforce the sanctity of human life when the forces of BPAS and Dignitas are hell bent on destroying it.

Only now, it's riding on the Olympics bandwagon and the promotional image of a young girl swimming has all the depth and allure of a municipal swimming baths programme.

If you can be bothered to look at the Day for Life website you can read the blurb. And blurb it is.

The thing is, I looked for a mention of "God" or something in the spiritual vein. There was nothing, it was all totally secular as far as I could see.

If you wish to prove me wrong and can direct me to where mention is made of Almighty God, then you will win a one way ticket to Pyongyang's Hotel  Dignitas.

Meanwhile, remember that Greece was the original home of the Olympics.....and of cynics.

Welcome to Archbishop Mennini, Papal Nuncio

                                                       

The new Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, has been received by HM The Queen and met with Archbishop Vincent Nichols. He is warmly welcomed to Great Britain and I wish him God's grace in the work that lies before him.

We do know, of course, that some of us (at least) are far from impressed with the performance of the English and Welsh Bishops. In fact, it would be quite hard to imagine a worse scenario of disarray; few vocations (and the good applicants all turned away), Priests totally demoralised due to lack of leadership and an abysmal surrender to the secular forces, the laity, for the most part woefully ignorant of anything coming out of Rome (most will not have heard of the Motu Proprio) and Catholic Schools bullied and badgered for some highly dubious motives.

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator come, to Thy bright heavenly throne. Come take possession of our souls and make them all Thine own.

We need to say that prayer (or sing it) right now. Our Bishops may be failing us but they still are in dire need of our prayers. If prayer can move moutains it can surely bring the graces of the Holy Spirit down upon the Bishops to enlighten and embolden them so that they shine out as beacons of Christ's Faith.

Now, it would be a good and proper thing for Catholics to write a few words of welcome to His Grace and, if the mood takes you, to add a few words as to your perceived state of the Church in E & W today. It is vital that ++ Mennini is made aware of the temperature of the Faith today and is not sucked in to believing all the sound bites that are going to be posted in his direction by the magic circlers.

Here is his address:

Archbishop A Mennini
Papal Nunciate
54 Parkside
Wimbledon
London
SE19 5NE