Pope Francis RIP

 It has just been announced that Pope Francis has passed away at the age of 88 years old. He is the first serving Pope to pass away since I started writing the Barnet Eye blog in 2008. As someone who identifies religiously as a 'Bad Roman Catholic', the news does warrent a comment. Of all the popes in my lifetime, I suspect Pope Frances has been the one most closely aligned with my own views. The first Pope I recall was Pope Paul, who seemed a distant figure, who I felt little empathy with. At Catholic schools, we'd pray for the Pope. I never really understood why, as surely he was the Pope and Holy enough already! I don't really recall anything about him, other than the fact that he was Pope. He was replaced by Pope John Paul I, he lasted around a month. At the time, I didn't really consider myself Catholic. He was replaced by Pope John Paul II, who was a dynamoic figure. The first Polish Pope. My Dad was hugely excited by him. He went to see him when he visited the UK and made a series of videos of the visit. To his dismay, I taped Match of The Day over them. Dad asked a couple of Priests around to watch the videos, and they got to see the highlights of Manchester City vs Ipswich instead. Dad would probably have killed me, but for one of the Priests saying "I missed match of the day as we were celebrating the Pope's visit, so this is divine providence". The Lord moves in mysterious ways. 

John Paul II was a massive figure and was seen by many as an inspiration to those who brought down the Berlin Wall. He was however and old man and for the lest years of his life, he was unable to really do very much Popery. I was working with a Fundamentalist Christian, when JPII was at the height of his powers. Ian Paisley had denounced him at the EU as "The Antichrist". I asked "What sort of a lunatic genuinely thinks the Pope is the Antchrist?". My colleague announced to a stunned pub "I do". This confirmed to me that the fellow was a bit odd. He'd had a lovely girlfriend who he split up with, because she served cheeecake with a fish slice to his parents. It made me realise that the extremes of religion attracts odd people. 

JPII was replaced by Benedict. A former Hitler youth member (who had recanted the NAZI ideology), he was a hardliner. Where JPII brought down the Soviet Union, Benedict changed the order of service of mass and made all manner of grammatical changes to various prayers. this was highly irritating, you'd start saying the passage and everyone else would say different words. To me it was completely pointless, but I am not a theologian. He also added chest beating to one of the prayers, which seemed to me a bit odd.

He retired and Francis took over. He was a lot more liberal. He told us not to judge people with different lifestyles to the Holy flock. He couldn't bring himself to say that such things were OK, but being a bit less judgemental is clearly a very good thing. I suspect he was a bit constrained by the two hundred od far more conservative cardinals who elected him. I wonder who they will choose. I hope it is someone who realises that we should be united as a human race, not divided. I hope it is someone who is brave enough to drag the Church into the modern era and make people like me a bit less embarassed about some of the policies of the organisation. Most of all, it would be nice if the new Pope read the Beatidues and made them the central plank of his mission. If you don't know what they are, google them.

The Pope agrees that condoms have a role to play in the fight agianst AIDS

Of all the stories I expected to see in the media, this one was probably the last one. The Pope has stated that in some circumstances it is responsible to use Condoms. For members of the Roman Catholic Church, this represents a sizemic shift in his stance. This story is of huge interest. It may surprise you to know that a blog I wrote on the subject is the second most popular blog I've written.

http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2009/05/annie-lennox-pope-and-condoms.html

Over 10% of all hits on this blog are visiting this particular entry. I've no idea what anyone thinks of my views as no one has ever left a comment. That is a huge amount of hits. So what does it mean, the Pope having changed the official church position so radically. Well for English Roman Catholics, I doubt it really means very much. When I was a child, most families had huge numbers of children. I'm one of six and two of my first cousins had 10 in their families. Any visit to a Catholic Church on Sunday will soon reveal that we've all become less procreative. I've never asked, but it is pretty clear that Londoners followed Cardinal Heenans advice in the 1960's when asked what he expected his flock to do in respect to the Pill. When asked Heenan said that it was an issue for the individual and their conscience. I suspect that most Roman Catholics are at ease with their conscience, whatever they do in this respect.

What about the wider world. Sadly I doubt it will make too many people adopt condom usage, even in the specific example given by the Pope of having sex with a male prostitute. I sincerely hope that I'm wrong and people heed his advice and always use one in such circumstances. What it will do is it will remove one excuse which men have used to persuade women (and other men) to take risks.

It is also a strong sign that the Church and this Pope are mindful that the world has changed. All religious leaders should make their primary mission on Earth, one of promoting peace and tolerance. I think the most interesting aspect of the Popes comment and one which hasn't been picked up by any comment I've seen, is the fact that he is not condemning gay sex involving male prostitutes. He's actually urging them, in measured tones to be responsible. I wonder how this will go down with the extremist "God hates Fags" brigade?

I'm sure people will have all manner of views on this. People who hate the RC church, will no doubt find something to hate about what he has said. For me, it is a welcome sign and one which hopefully will have a positive effect on the fight against AIDS and the fight against intolerance. That can only be a good things.

The BBC do a pretty good write up on the subject here :-


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11804943

Pope in London : The best thing is the protests

In case you haven't noticed, the Pope is in London. Millions have come out to see him, the papers are full of it. The media has been awash with the chattering classes giving their opinion. Richard Dawkins must be chuffed as he's been rolled out time and again to tell us all his views. Stephen Fry has jumped on the bandwagon. These pundits take the view that the Pope shouldn't have been invited because, unlike the 5 million Roman Catholics in Great Britain, they don't like him. Gay rights campaigners such as Peter Tatchell have been out on the streets protesting. I never really imagined Tatchell getting into bed with Ian Paisley, but this is one of the stranger effects of the pope's visit.

People have asked me what I think of the protests (for those of you who don't know, I'm a Roman Catholic). I think it is great. If people feel strongly enough about something to protest, they should. I don't agree with many of the protestors, but so long as the protestors are peaceful and don't prevent other people from enjoying the visit, it is perfectly right and proper for them to protest. I am sure the Pope himself is actually chuffed. All of the debate has caused huge interest in the visit.

Many people forget that until 1829, it was illegal to be a Roman Catholic. Untold numbers of people died as a result of the reformation and the religious infighting. Roman Catholics couldn't legally practise their faith. There are still vestiges of this discrimination in the Act of Settlement, which prevents a Roman Catholic becoming monarch. For the Pope to formally visit Queen Elizabeth II is a sign of the progress we've made. We live in a tolerant society. We can say what we like. If we don't like someone, we can protest and that can only be a good thing. A society where a Papal visit didn't spark a few protests would be a society I couldn't live in. If we only tolerated protests we agreed with, we'd have no freedom at all. That is why, even though I don't agree with the protestors, the fact they are there shows we live in a healthy democracy.

I won't be going to see the Pope tonight, although my son will. I'm going around to see some friends and celebrate the end of the Yom Kippur Fast. This isn't a comment on the Pope, its what we always do on this day. We live in a multi racial, multi cultural, multi faith society and that to me is something worth celebrating. I believe Londoners love a bit of Pomp and ceremony. We know we are the capital of the world and as such it is only right that the Pope should come to see us. I hope he has a good time and all of those who see him get something great from the experience

Papal Condoms : The message on the Doorstep in Barnet

There was a big story on the airwaves yesterday. A minor official at the foreign office wrote a spoof memo which suggested various activities the Pope could undertake on his visit, including launching a range of condoms. As I left mass last night, a couple of people mentioned it to me. Strangely the mock outrage of some commentators didn't seem to be mirrored by the parishioners of Mill Hill. In the 1970's one of Britains favourite comedians was Dave Allen. He used to mercilessly rib the church. Most Catholics found him hilarious as they got the jokes. In the 1990's Father Ted came along. Again Catholics weren't offended. So on to the Foreign office email. Now none of us whos work involves computers and emails ever send each other spoof or jokey emails do we? It is part of our nature and our culture to make such jokes. Should the official be sacked? Of course not. It's probably the best publicity the Catholic Church has had for weeks. As to the launch of a range of Condoms, one old boy of Irish extraction said this to me. "If the pope launched his own Condoms, no one would use them anyway. Who wants a Holy condom" - Boom Boom.

Is the Pope a Catholic?

I read this article on the BBC website today, about the Pope worrying that the church might have to start appointing gay people to senior positions. You see I wasn't aware that there was such a ban. I just thought there was a requirement for all clergy (except for married ex Church of England Vicars) to be Celibate, be they gay or straight.

I've no idea if it's true, but years ago, I was told that historically, the Priesthood was seen as a good career for gay Catholics. There was a good reason for this. Priests traditionally are most likely to come into our lives at times of great stress, when we are emotionally vulnerable. Historically with the man of the house going off to fight wars or spending long days working, a Priest who was heterosexual would find himself in a position of huge temptation and with ample opportunity to take advantage of it. Society was far more comfortable with a priesthood who were "not interested". Who knows what they got up to elsewhere? I don't see it as our business one way or the other, so long as they were providing a service to the community.

To this day, many Priests have problems with Alcohol. I happen to believe that this is often due to the unbearable stress of sexual frustration and associated guilt. If I had to lead a celibate life, I'm sure I'd have drunk myself to death years ago. There are many aspects of equality which many people are uncomfortable with. For example, I am far from convinced that the legislation which forced the Catholic Adoption agency to stop placing children, due to the requirement to treat gay couples equally, really was something which benefitted society, especially when there were plenty of agencies which were available and provided the service. Would I have a case for discrimination if I approached a specialist gay dating agency and demanded that they fix me up with a woman? I'm a Roman Catholic, my children have been brought up in the faith, but as I married in a registry office and didn't receive a Church blessing, I don't take communion. I don't feel discriminated against for this. It's the rules of the club.

Society has a bizarre attitude to sex. England may change captains, because the current one chose to put his plonker where it shouldn't have gone. Tiger Woods has lost millions of pounds worth of sponsorship for his "virility". The news is full of stories of other footballers with "super injunctions". To be honest, I don't care what people do in their own homes, behind closed doors, so long as it is consensual and between adults. It's none of my business. I'd much rather the Pope trusted us and allowed us to follow our conscience in these matters. If someone says one thing and then does something else, that is an issue, but if they just get on with their job, who cares. In the good old days, you'd hear old biddies on street corners saying "Oh, that Fr O'Murphy, he's a lovely man" and you know full well what they meant. No one cared.

Is the Pope a Catholic? I do wonder sometimes.

Tomorrow's great question : Does the bear crap in the woods?

Annie Lennox, the Pope and Condoms

Pet hates time. I don't like Annie Lennox. I hated her when she was in the Tourists, I hated her collaberations with Dave Stewart, who I also dislike. Don't get me wrong, she can sing, but I just don't like what she sung. Even songs such as "Sweet Dreams" which are good songs, were ruined by the treatment given to them by Stewart/Lennox.

She is just one of those people who I find irritating beyond belief. I loved the feminine side of the punk movement. Poly Styrene, Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, The Slits. To me they had musical integrity. Lennox always seemed like a stowaway, along for the ride, not paying her dues.

Highly unfair, but us punks hated people because their trowsers were too wide, let alone because they used their talents to sing banal pop.

Anyway, Ms Lennox has popped up again to criticise the Pope. She states that the Pope's antipathy to Condoms is making the Aids crisis worse. Well sorry Annie, I'm afraid to say that yet again you are talking nonsense. I'm what one might consider a rather bad Roman Catholic. I think the Pope is wrong about birth control, but to blame him for the spread of AiDS is ludicrous. His message regarding AIDS is that you should abstain from sex outside of marriage. If EVERYONE listened to him, then there would be no AIDS pandemic.

As we all know that isn't going to happen. The point is that if people don't listen to the Pope about Sex outside marriage, why should they give a stuff about his views on Condoms. How many Roman Catholics avoid contraception? Men avoid condoms because they enjoy the sensation more if they haven't got one on. Nothing will change that, not Pope's, not Annie Lennox, not AIDS.

If AIDS is ever stopped it will either be through the advance of medicine or people taking greater personal responsibility and being less selfish. I've not heard the Pope railing against the treatment of AIDS or the development of vaccine. His message is one of personal responsibility. It is probably rather naive in this day and age, but much as Annie Lennox may not like it, he hasn't made a single person catch AIDS against their will. If they'd listened to him, they wouldn't be having sex full stop. Lennox states :-

"If there was ever an example of irresponsibility, it's the Pope going to a country like Angola, where people are dying left, right and centre because of unprotected sex, and telling them they should carry on or that they should abstain. What planet is this person on?"

The Pope doesn't tell people to carry on having unprotected sex, he tells them to stop altogether. No one listens to that, they wouldn't listen if he said wear a Condom. I'm afraid to say that, like everything else Lennox does, this just adds to the litany of irritation this woman has caused me over the years. If she really believes people who tell her they caught AIDS because they were following the Pope's values and morals, she really is more stupid than I thought

The Blair Pope Project

As it's Good Friday I thought I'd look at Tony Blair's proposal that the Pope should get with it and modernise. Good old TB has only been a Roman Catholic for five minutes but he's already telling the Pope how to run the show (some things never change).

Tony's message - dump the old policies, modernise, make the Church punter friendly. Unpopular policies? Ditch them. I don't doubt that soon we'll all be "New Roman Catholics" I've no idea what clause 4 of Canon Law is but I'm sure Tony will soon be asking the Cardinals to ditch it. Now it may surprise you to hear this but I have a mole in TB's private office and he's passed me this transcript of an extraordinary conversation between TB and a secret advisor. I've no idea who the secret advisor is, but they have the codename "Mandy" - I've thus far been able to figure out who this is but any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

----------------------------------------------------------

TB: Hi Mandy, I'm off to Church with Cherie, fancy coming along?

Mandy: Why would I want to do that?

TB: It's great, you get a free sip of wine and when you die you go to Heaven

Mandy: Erm, Tony, I'm afraid to say that the Pope, you know the boss, is a bit of a stick in the mud. He's not really very keen on people who lead alternative lifestyles.

TB: That's terrible. What can we do?

Mandy: Why don't you ring him up and tell him that he'd increase his sunday takings by 10% if he dropped the ban on gays.

TB: That's a marvellous idea, I'll suggest it to the members at the next AGM

Mandy: Erm Tony, the Roman Catholic Church doesn't have an AGM. To get a vote, you need to be a Cardinal.

TB: That's terrible. I know, I'll ring up the Pope and suggest one member one vote. I wonder why he didn't think of that.

Mandy: Look Tony, even if the Pope agreed, the Cardinals wouldn't agree. They are all old men, who've never married, they are set in their ways.

TB: Well you're not married, I'll ring the Pope and tell him to make you a Cardinal. Then you can work on the others. We'll soon sort it out. You'd love Rome and those fantastic outfits.

Mandy: Tony, those outfits are terrible, so 1760's. I wouldn't be seen dead in one.

TB: Good point. Well once you're a Cardinal, you can get Jean Paul Gaultiere in to do a rebranding. I think Priests would look great in nice black polo shirts with, "Team Pope" on.

Mandy: Tony, you really have no idea do you?

TB: That's why I've got you.

Mandy: Look, before you ring up the Pope, let's float the ideas in the press.

TB: That's a fantastic idea, must shoot Cherie is giving me one of those looks.

Cherie: Hurry up twatboy, we're late for mass.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Please note that the above conversation is a dramatic reconstruction of events that may or may not have happened. The Barnet Eye has been unable to verify the authenticity of the transcript, but felt that on this, the holiest day of the year, it may help you reflect on the issues and challenges facing us all in the next year.