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

Cardiff, Wrexham, Brentwood, Portsmouth - Archbishop Mennini is going to be a busy man!

2011 is certainly going to be the year of the Bishops - at the last count we can expect a 38% new intake figure over the next couple of years. and that does not account for any sudden deaths in the mean time. With particular regard to this matter, please pray for Bishop Michael Evans of East Anglia who is critically ill at this time, I believe.

We appreciate the application but don't wait by the phone!

So from where will the new Papal Nuncio select his nominations? How will he set about creating a Terna for the various Dioceses and Archdioceses that are falling vacant?

Well, as far as appointing an Archbishop is concerned it does not look overly promising. a quick trawl of E & W Auxiliary Bishops and Bishops with an existing Diocese and who are still young enough to be appointed, reveals only ten possibles. And, with the greatest chunk of Christian charity in the world, most of those would not appear to fit the bill in terms of scope of experience at parochial, diocesan and international level. Lots of sociological backgrounds, plenty of ecumenical activity (to what avail) and many, many degrees of in depth experience sitting on committees of every shape and hue. But nothing that leaps off the page and yells 'Bishop' or 'Archbishop' at you.
Of course, candidates do not necessarily need to be Bishops for the diocesan posts but, I guess the Archbishoprics require that grounding in episcopal ways.
Hopefully, ++ Mennini might use some different approaches and get a few names from the host of good priests who are capable (I will not embarrass them or, for that matter, disqualify them by naming them here).

As far as the potential candidates are concerned, I've drawn up a crude listing using only the information provided by the E & W Bishops website. I am sure these are all good men and true (well, most of them) but can you see any that have 'ARCHBISHOP' writ large on their foreheads?

Here they are, not in any political sequence:-


1. + John Arnold - Westminster Auxiliary. Has a Law Degree (good) but, apart from 8 years parish experience in Enfield,  seems to have maintained a largely Diocesan series of functions. Could be a contender for Wrexham or Hallam?

2. + Alan Hopes - At 66 he is at perhaps the upper echelons of choice but may be in line for a reward for his service to HE Cormac Murphy O'Connor. Not popular at the orthodox end largely because of his period at Our Lady of Victories, or so I am led to believe. 33-1 as an outsider for Brentwood.

3. + William Kenney - Birmingham Auxiliary. Sports a reasonable CV including time spent lecturring in the 80s in Sweden (but this places him a bit too firmly in the Lib camp for my liking - Academic Sociology - ugh! No thank you!). Possibly a tad too much of an academia taint to his past.

4. + George Stack - yet another Auxiliary from the Westminster stable; a goodish mixed career mainly in the Diocese but nothing that might flag him up as a favourite. Was appointed one of the first Ecumenical Canons at St Paul's Cathedral, London.....err...that's a Protestant church isn't it?

5. + Thomas Williams - sounds as if he should be Welsh but actually hails from Liverpool (well, it's almost in Wales). Has been a Liverpool Auxiliary since I can't see when and held a wide range of parish priest duties before becoming a Bish. Was, of course, one of ++ Worlock's men (cross your fingers when you mention that name).  Nothing too much to report about him except that he likes a weekly round of golf, enjoys horse racing, is an avid Everton supporter and "must have a week of skiing every year".
He is a 'shoo-in' for somewhere! Please not Cardiff!

6. + Patrick Lynch - Auxiliary at Southwark. Again, nothing startling about this man apart from his picture on the Bishop's site - don't let children below the age of 12 see this! Spent time in the USA and then punted around the country somewhat, Peterborough, Daventry and London. Is stated as having "an international dimension" but it does not stack up to what I would describe as an international dimension.

7. + Peter Doyle - current Bishop of Northampton and, therefore, a possible contender for Cardiff? Or does it not work like that? Spent most of his formative years in Portsmouth Diocese (Oh dear) was ordained by ++ Worlock (Oh dearie dear). Another golfer (is that an episcopal pre-requisite?) and loves playing with his fellow clergy (I bet they love playing with their Bishop! - do they ever win?). Used to play rugby. That settles it - he's the firm favourite for Cardiff.

8. + David McGough - yet another Birmingham Auxiliary. Past experience seems focused on an academic period followed by a longish period as parish priest. General all rounder, may stick the course but not expected to get a place.

9. + Malcolm McMahon - currently Bishop of Nottingham and an OP which is v. good (we like OPs). A graduate engineer (I like that too, not many engineers around, especially in clerical circles). Has also been around the block a few times (in the nicest sense of the phrase). From memory I believe he celebrated EF Mass at one of the LMS's Priest Training weeks in Oxford. If correct, he gets an extra gold star from me.
May be the one to put your money on for Cardiff.

10. + Paul Hendricks - Southwark Auxiliary. Apart from a scary grin he looks much on a par with the rest of the field...not a terribly in-depth CV.

There you have it - 10 good men and true. See if you can spot the magic circlers among them.....better still, see if you can spot the Archbishop among them!

Episcopophobic? Who is scared of Bishops?

Certainly not me. There have been a number of labels created in the past few weeks some, possibly, due to the post on Bishop Thomas Burns (carried by Catholic Church Conservation, Damian Thompson, The Hermeneutic of Continuity, Fr Ray Blake, That the bones you have crushed may thrill (TTBYHCMT ?), Forest Murmurs and many others.
'Episcopophobe' was one new label posted by someone called Joe and as it was linked to this blog, I guess it may be levelled at me. But we need to remember the roots of our language ere we get carried away with name tags. Phobia means fear of and I ain't scared of any Bishop other than the Bishop of Rome.

I do not hate, fear or dislike any of them. I do, at times despise them if they have failed their flock and continue to do so. I do get justifiably angry with them if they write in bad, unintelligible English; I abhor the fact that, in so many instances, they are disloyal and disobedient to the Holy Father, I do get frustrated when they so blatantly fail to come up with initiatives for implementing Summorum Pontificum, it pains me when I see  them bully and persecute good priests just because they wish to offer the Latin Mass and I do intensely prefer not to be patronised by them. But hate or fear? No.

Next comes the question, "Should we criticise our Bishops?" The answer has to be that if it is justified, yes...a resounding YES! But, of course, it must be done with Christian charity.
We have a duty to point out to those in authority, any failings they may be showing in their pastoral care. If we do not then we become culpable.
I may be guilty (almost certainly) of poking a finger of fun at their Lordships from time to time but, I am a Brit and it is a national trait for us to defuse horrendous situations or actions by injecting a touch of humour here and there; it helps to maintain one's sanity apart from anything else.

The sad thing is, we have such a paucity of talent among the Episcopacy of England and Wales. And it is sad that they, or some of them, seek the clubland security reassurances of the Magic Circle.
Where are the men of iron who were not afraid to stand up for the faith? The Newmans, Heenans, Vaughans, Mannings and so on. Why can't todays Bishops see how much they would be loved (by their priests and flocks as well as by God) if they only set to and got to grips with Catholic Education, Adoption, Clerical Abuse and the host of other pressing issues.
Tragically, I am left with the belief that they all harbour ambitions of UDI type control. Anything from Rome must be suppressed or distorted; look at how they have bumbled on for eons over Anglican conversions. In reality, they were keeping the issue at bay. Along comes Pope Benedict and, Bingo! It happens....within months not years!

So, I shall keep on plugging away. After all, it is almost twenty two years to the day that my then Bishop wrote to me stating that (by eschewing modern Catholic liturgies and practices and focusing on traditional forms of worship and catechetics) I was condemning myself to hell for all eternity. I still have the correspondence today. It has helped me enormously over the years as it was so erroneous and un Christian in sentiment that I have felt stronger in my resolve and my faith since then, not weaker.

2011 - And for me it is going to be the Year of the Bishops!

St Thomas More challenges, Cardinal Wolsey - we need to take
inspiration from this man when we tackle our Bishops!

I mean that it is in 2011 that I intend to work, pray and strive to aid the Bishops of England and Wales in their Episcopal roles, after all, they do want laity involvement do they not?
Of course, I am not being quite so public spirited as it might first appear; my interest in the Bishops is all due to the fact that, I have had enough of them, their puerile defence of the faith in the media, their lack of spine in facing up to legislation on adoption by homosexuals, their general absolute lack of resepect or obedience to the directions and teachings of the Holy Father.
This is what Our Lady of Fatima meant when she said: "The Holy Father will have much to suffer."
I appreciate that many believe that we should pray for our Bishops and let them get on with it, after all, they are the Princes of the Church.......but they have had long enough to put the England and Wales house in order. Instead of order we have disarray.
What do the stats show? I suspect that the decline in Mass attendance figures, conversion rates,  number of Baptisms and Marriages are at an all time low. Who is responsible?
So what can be done?

Firstly, all that can be done should be done with the full force of Christian charity; no histrionics, no snide remarks - no "Punch and Judy contest" as David Cameron remarked when he became leader of the Conservative Party.
That does not mean that we should be soft on failure or disobedience to the Magisterium, we need to be clear, unequivocal and straightforward, no pulling of punches.

Where to start? How about by reviewing a few facts about our Bishops?
For example, has your man publicly defended the faith in a full and confident manner?
Has he issued guidelines to Catholic Schools regarding how he will protect them when they stand firm against the imposition of sex education. Has he re-taken the high ground over homosexual adoption and instructed Catholic Adoption Agencies accordingly.
Has he fully implemented the teachings of the Holy Father (and past Holy Fathers) with regard to:-

a) Priestly celibacy
b) Women priests
c) Extraordinary Form of Mass
d) Priestly freedom to celebrate EF Masses as and when they see fit or in accord with  
    parochial demand.
e) Freedom of entry to seminaries for young men who hold to an orthodox stance in
    their faith.

I suspect that the answer to all of the above is NO. So, maybe, a start needs to be made to hold them to account. I am working on a project that I will publish shortly, once the full facts are made available, meanwhile, pray and watch this space!

STOP PRESS: New Papal Nuncio announcement!

H/T to Fr Ray Blake for breaking news regarding the new Papal Nuncio to Great Britain.

GBs new Papal Nuncio

 Welcome to Archbishop Antonio Mennini, Titular Archbishop of Ferento,  born in Rome in 1947 and ordained in December 1974. He comes to us from the Russian Federation where he was Papal Nuncio, a post held for the past two years. He has also held the Papal Nuncio brief for Uzbekistan since 2009 and has worked closely with Muslim religious leaders and members of the Eastern Orthodox community. This is not a CV that indicates a depth of experience in dealing with issues affecting the western world, Uzbekistan has only 500 practicing Catholics and the Russian Federation is not typical with its framework of parishes being largely fragmented and disparate. However, Archbishop Mennini has faced considerable challenges in his role over the past few years and appears to have acquitted himself well.

I hope and pray for him in his new role - we have a lot riding on this man as he enters the picture at a critical stage - is he the man to break the Magic Circle?

What do we expect of a Bishop?

Do we expect a Bishop to:-

* Speak out against Government moves that are in conflict with the teachings of the  
   Catholic Church

* Enable Catholic Schools to operate without draconian controls (provided that they
   conform, again, to Catholic principles)

* Fully support the Holy Father and to effectively comply with all guidance and  
   authority from Rome

* Refuse to comply with legal requirements regarding adoption of children by   
   homosexual couples

* Refuse to comply with the sex education programme in Catholic Schools as
   implemented by the Government

* Competently manage and support all priests and religious under their control

* Avoid 'Magic Circle' type networking and, instead, be confident and assured in
   managing their own Diocese

* Encourage holiness and piety within their Diocese

* Ensure that prospective seminarians with an orthodox viewpoint are not excluded at  
   interview stage

* Aid and encourage Anglican clergy who wish to convert and become Catholic priests

* Not regard themselves as 'mini Popes' free to do as they please

Or.......

....................do we expect Bishops to do otherwise; because, if that is the case, does that not strike you as being close to the demonic? "If you are not for me you are against me"