A Symposium on the shedding of blood, death and resurrection

Yes, a most important event for your calendar and it's at the prestigious University of Winchester (formerly known as King Alfred's College) and here you really have to see Left Footer's post, click here.

Dreaming spires, oak panelled studies
 and....blood on tap!

Now, as Catholics we are familiar with the phrases 'shedding of blood' and 'death and resurrection' - they are clear and unequivocal as far as we are concerned but, down in gentrified, leafy Hampshire they have a different meaning.

In Winchester those phrases mean......zombies! Yes, you read correctly, zombies, the living dead. I am not, of course referring to the inhabitants of that beautiful city or to Catholics of a certain westerly leaning but to a learned convention, a symposium no less that is due to be held on 28th October, but what the University authorities cleverly call a "Zombosium".
 I do love academic wit.

Here are the first two paras of the University's blurb on this learned event:

“Zombies now feature widely in film, television, new and social media, gaming, comics and literary texts,” said Dr Marcus Leaning, Lecturer in the School of Media and Film at the University of Winchester, who is organising the conference. “Our Zombosium has attracted more than 17 speakers from across the world, all anxious to share their research into this huge phenomenon.”

The keynote speaker at Zombosium is Dr Ian Conrich, Editor of the Journal of British Cinema and Television and a leading authority on contemporary horror cinema. Dr Conrich has written over 16 books and contributed to more than 50 books and journals. He will present a talk at the event titled An Infected Population: Zombie Culture and the Modern Monstrous.

end/................

Really, from reading this c**p one might almost believe that zombies exist.
There is really only one way to find out for certain.....attend the zombosium.

And my prediction for curriculum development at Winchester University.....remember you read it here first...a BSc in Zombie Studies!

Canon Law and the Chaplain issue

Thanks to Amette who left a comment regarding the school chaplain issue.
The appointment of a chaplain is covered under Canon Law 564....and the person appointed should be a priest. Does this place Archbishop Nichols in breach of CL?

This is what it says:

ARTICLE 2: CHAPLAINS Can. 564 A chaplain is a priest to whom is entrusted in a  stable manner the pastoral care, at least in part, of some community or  special group of Christ's faithful, to be exercised in accordance with  universal and particular law. Can. 565 Unless the law provides otherwise or unless special rights  lawfully belong to someone, a chaplain is appointed by the local Ordinary, to whom also it belongs to appoint one who has been presented or to confirm one elected. Can. 566 §1 A chaplain must be given all the faculties which due pastoral care demands.  Besides those which are given by particular law or by special delegation, a chaplain has by virtue of his office the faculty to hear the confessions of the faithful entrusted to his care, to preach to them the word of God, to administer Viaticum and the anointing of the sick, and to confer the sacrament of  confirmation when they are in danger of death. §2 In hospitals and prisons and on sea voyages, a chaplain has the further facility, to be exercised only in those places, to absolve from latae sententiae censures which are neither reserved nor declared, without prejudice to can. 976. Can. 567 §1 The local Ordinary is not to proceed to the appointment of a  chaplain to a house of a lay religious institute without consulting the Superior. The Superior has the right, after consulting the community, to propose a  particular priest. §2 It is the responsibility of the chaplain to celebrate or to direct liturgical  functions; he may not, however, involve himself in the internal governance of the institute. Well, that all seems pretty clear and straightforward.  Now how could a layman hold this position in the light of the law?

I have a confession to make: it is about homosexuality

After much agonising of my conscience, I have decided to "out" myself.
I know that I am laying myself open to attack from the prejudiced, and I expect a sackful of hate-mail tomorrow morning.

But I can keep my secret no longer, and it is this: I disapprove of homosexuality; I find public displays of sexual desire between members of the same sex distasteful; I think that even long term and faithful relationships between homosexuals can never be more than a parody of heterosexual marriage; oh, and the very thought of buggery disgusts me.

I have other prejudices, too, which I may as well get off my chest while I am in this confessional mood. I believe that there is a number of character weaknesses to which male homosexuals are particularly (but by no means exclusively) prone - cattiness, selfishness, promiscuity and cowardice among them....

....What prompted me to "out" myself in this way was Wednesday's leader in the 'Sun', commenting on Peter Mandelson's refusal to react to the assertion made on 'Newsnight' by Matthew Parris, a newspaper columnist and former Tory MP: "I think Mandelson is certainly gay."

"The fact is: Mandelson is gay," the paper said.  "He also has a brilliant mind.  He is also a talented politician.  And it is also true that times have changed.  The British people will not turn on Mandelson because he is gay.  And they will sympathise with him for the way in which he was 'exposed'.  We say to Mandelson: tell the truth.  You will win respect for your honesty."

The 'Sun' was right about one thing.  Times have certainly changed when the editor of what was once the country's greatest bastion of political incorrectness is prepared to say that an admission of homosexuality should not count against a politician.  But I wonder if the paper is right to imply that the majority of the British people have undergone the same conversion.  I suspect not - and I hope not, which is why I venture today into the politically incorrect breach.

If my suspicion is right, the great majority of us still believe, in our heart of hearts, that there is something nasty and wrong about homosexual intercourse.  What has changed is that it is no longer considered respectable to say so publicly.
 Whereas half a century ago it was a jolly brave thing to invite scorn by admitting to a weakness for the love that dared not speak its name, today all the opprobrium is directed against those of us who disapprove of the love that shrieks its name from California to Clapham Common.

Our condition has even been given a fancy-sounding name, "homophobia", as if we are suffering from an irrational disorder.  If I thought that this was indeed the case, I would keep very quiet about my affliction.  But it is because I believe that homophobia is right, and nothing to be ashamed of, that I feel I should say so. 

Let me say at once that I am not suggesting that homosexuals should be victimised.  I would not wish any man to lose his job simply because he finds other men sexually attractive.  Nor do I think that anybody should be rude to homosexuals, let alone harm them physically.  What I do think is that the proper attitude to adopt towards homosexuals is one of tolerant disapproval, because homosexuality is an unsatisfactory and often squalid and unhappy way of life, and nobody should be encouraged to take it up.

Perhaps some will think it is too late now to try to soften the remarks that I made at the beginning of this column, which many will have found offensive.  But I would like to record with perfect truth (although how people will mock the familiar 'apologia' of the bigot) that Some of My Best Friends Are Homosexuals.  I realise that some excellent qualities are particularly to be found in homosexuals - wit springs to mind - and of course many of the worlds's greatest artists have been homosexual. 
I know, too, that many homosexuals have fought valiantly for their country and that many bore calumny and violence with astonishing bravery at a time when they had to expect it.  They are not all catty cowards, by any means.

Above all, I would like to say that if any of my four sons turns out to be homosexual, I will not love him the less for it. 

What appals me, though, is the way in which militant homosexuals seem to be engaged in a massive recruitment drive, with the Gay Pride marches and those flesh-creeping advertisements for Gay Exchange and other similar chat-lines, shown night after night on the television.

I do not mind a bit what homosexuals get up to in private (although I do not like the idea of it).  But it is when they go public that my stomach turns.  The homosexual lobby seems to have moved on from its campaign to redress civil wrongs to proclaiming that it is positively a good thing to be gay.  Well, it isn't.  In far too many cases, homosexuality is a squalid and - since the advent of Aids - a downright dangerous way of life.  The less that society disapproves of it, the more likely are the young to get into it while they are going through what may be only a phase.

All I ask is that these people shut up about it, and stop pretending that homosexuality is as normal and healthy as the love between a man and a woman.  I applaud Mr Mandelson's refusal to "come out".  I hope that other homosexuals follow his example and stay firmly in the closet, where they can do none but themselves any harm.

Huff! You say and maybe much more but.....these are not my words...they are an extract of an article written by journalist Tom Utley, and published in The Daily Telegraph some 13 or so years ago.


However, I do like the sentiment he expresses; it sums up much of what I believe about homosexuality and those who follow that path.


I do not think that it is "homophobic" to criticise homosexuals, I even do not think it is "homophobic" to say that one dislikes them, as a generalisation.
One may dislike a person but still hold a Christian love for them.

It would be "homophobic" to find it impossible to remain in the same railway carriage as one or to run screaming from the room when a homosexual enters.

Tom Utley now writes regularly for The Daily Mail. He is a father of four boys and a Catholic.
I hope he will forgive me for airing this article from the 1990s.

What to wear at Mass or, rather, what not to wear

This is always a fine topic for lively debate and a full combox although, I am not airing it for that reason.

This dishes it out but, perhaps
the Vatican dress code policy
might be better.
Where did "ugly" come from?

The dress code for church is a matter that has gone by the board in most parishes today and, literally, anything goes.  I am not just talking about mantillas here, I am sure that good Catholic women have had enough of Catholic men telling them what to place on their heads, I am aiming this post at men in T shirts, women in skimpy dresses and children looking as if they have just strolled in after a romp in the garden.

Ashley E McGuire on Altcatholicah has a well balanced piece on the issue, let's face it, it should be no great deal, we should all by instinct look our best when we appear before Almighty God.
But, somehow, dress is such a sensitive issue. There is a certain priest of a certain order in London who bangs on about it ad nauseum. He is right to mention it but not so that by constant repetition, he drives people away from the Mass.

So please read Ashley McGuire's post (and take that hat off your head in church. Unless, of course, you are a woman).

APOLOGIES - I cannot give credit for the photo, lost the reference, but thanks to whichever blog it came from.

I'd like to be a chaplain but not a charlie!

School Chaplains, now there's a title to titillate if ever there was one. In my day a school chaplain was strictly for the public schools sector (sorry, those hailing from North America, can't explain, just think reverse terminology of your system).

This man is a chaplain Chaplin

The phrase conjures up images of sixth form cads such as Flashman and Barber with their little fags (don't go there America) called Valero Minor and Ivereigh Minimus.

Now it appears, all Catholic Secondary Schools are encouraged to have a chaplain, at least that is what I assume from reading the Westminster Diocese website.
Well, good and well done and, even, huzzah. I think that is fine and admirable.

But...now you were expecting a 'but' were you not?
 But...what sort of priest is appointed to be a chaplain to a London Secondary School with 1800 students on its register?

Oh, shock, horror, the postholder does not have to be a priest.

 OK, (I think), I can live with that but it would have to be on the proviso that the lay appointee had a suitable CV covering a generous helping of religious education experience and qualifications plus, ideally, a background in commerce to provide that all important aspect of being in touch with the real world. I am sure that is as straight as I can put it and who would gainsay that?

Put it another way, I quite fancy such a post, there is a dire need for it in this (West Wales) part of the world.

So what do you think should be the duties of a chaplain? I've only got a scanty idea, I could be miles apart from reality but here's my stab at the job description:

Counselling? .....well, maybe...not too sure about this. You see I have operated many training programmes for counsellors and I quickly came to the conclusion that most of the poor souls on the course were in dire need of counselling themselves. They all, or nearly all, had massive emotional and psychological hang-ups.
I am sure that careful counselling of the right kind could be a good thing for young people but there is rather too much psycho babble out there for my peace of mind.
For me, counselling young people would have to be a very closely monitored process...and therein lies the rub because all counselling has to be confidential - not easy that one!

Bullying issues - now I am sure that a chaplain could play a good role here. There is much to be done to develop the right sort of ethos and strategies to stamp out unacceptable behaviour.

How about leading the school in prayer, say at assembly? Or, organising religious visits that might possibly link in with the National Curriculum? Not bad, not bad.

And then there could be RE although, I am uncertain as to how secondary schools, even Catholic ones, are timetabled for this subject.

Well, I could go on and, no doubt some of you may have some excellent suggestions to make but what we arrive at is that this post is not just a job for someone with a few hours free each week.

This is a vital role. It demands some professionalism, some degree of teaching competence as well as inter personal skills and experience.

So I was somewhat surprised to be told of a well known school that has a chaplain (approved of by the authorities) who is (wait for it) twenty four years old.

Now I am attempting to be as charitable as is humanly possible but a 24 year old chaplain is stretching things a tad. He may be a wonderful person, an outstanding scholar, an erudite bloke - but has he got what it takes to speak to boys from the age of eleven to sixteen and to advise and guide them?

He certainly knows now't about Summorum Pontificum or the recognition enjoyed by the SSPX but that is not the end of the world.

The issue is, does he know the catechism?

And just in case you think that I am being ageist - you are correct!

And, as an extra point of mild interest, both the Cardinal Vaughan and London Oratory Schools have chaplains and they are both priests.

A Jesuit and the Duchess of York

This may seem an unlikely heading but the year is 1676 and Charles II was on the throne ruling a Protestant country. His brother James, the Duke of York was, somewhat embarrassingly for the King, a convert to the Roman Catholic faith.
What is more, James (later to become James II of England and James VII of Scotland) married, after the death of his first wife, Mary of Modena, a Catholic who became the new Duchess of York.
It was to this young girl that Fr Columbiere was appointed chaplain and then took up his duties at St James Palace.

The following account is from the Vatican Archives....

"He (Fr Columbiere) took a vow to observe all the constitutions and rules of the Society of Jesus, a vow whose scope was not so much to bind him to a series of minute observances as to reproduce the sharp ideal of an apostle so richly described by St. Ignatius. So magnificent did this ideal seem to Claude that he adopted it as his program of sanctity. That it was indeed an invitation from Christ himself is evidenced by the subsequent feeling of interior liberation Claude experienced, along with the broadened horizons of the apostolate he witnesses to in his spiritual diary.
On 2nd February 1675 he pronounced his solemn profession and was named rector of the College at Paray-le-Monial. Not a few people wondered at this assignment of a talented young Jesuit to such an out-of the-way place as Paray. The explanation seems to be in the superiors' knowledge that there was in Paray an unpretentious religious of the Monastery of the Visitation, Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom the Lord was revealing the treasures of his Heart, but who was overcome by anguish and uncertainty. She was waiting for the Lord to fulfill his promise and send her "my faithful servant and perfect friend" to help her realize the mission for which he had destined her: that of revealing to the world the unfathomable riches of his love.
After Father Colombière's arrival and her first conversations with him, Margaret Mary opened her spirit to him and told him of the many communications she believed she had received from the Lord. He assured her he accepted their authenticity and urged her to put in writing everything in their regard, and did all he could to orient and support her in carrying out the mission received. When, thanks to prayer and discernment, he became convinced that Christ wanted the spread of the devotion to his Heart, it is clear from Claude's spiritual notes that he pledged himself to this cause without reserve. In these notes it is also clear that, even before he became Margaret Mary's confessor, Claude's fidelity to the directives of St. Ignatius in the Exercises had brought him to the contemplation of the Heart of Christ as symbol of his love.
After a year and half in Paray, in 1676 Father La Colombière left for London. He had been appointed preacher to the Duchess of York - a very difficult and delicate assignment because of the conditions prevailing in England at the time. He took up residence in St. James Palace in October.
In addition to sermons in the palace chapel and unremitting spiritual direction both oral and written, Claude dedicated his time to giving thorough instruction to the many who sought reconciliation with the Church they had abandoned. And even if there were great dangers, he had the consolation of seeing many reconciled to it, so that after a year he said: "I could write a book about the mercy of God I've seen Him exercise since I arrived here!"
The intense pace of his work and the poor climate combined to undermine his health, and evidence of a serious pulmonary disease began to appear. Claude, however, made no changes in his work or life style.
Of a sudden, at the end of 1678, he was calumniously accused and arrested in connection with the Titus Oates "papist plot". After two days he was transferred to the severe King's Bench Prison where he remained for three weeks in extremely poor conditions until his expulsion from England by royal decree. This suffering further weakened Claude's health which, with ups and downs, deteriorated rapidly on his return to France.
During the summer of 1681 he returned to Paray, in very poor condition. On 15th February 1682, the first Sunday of Lent, towards evening Claude suffered the severe haemorrhage which ended his life.
On the 16th of June 1929 Pope Pius XI beatified Claude La Colombière, whose charism, according to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, was that of bringing souls to God along the gospel way of love and mercy which Christ revealed to us".

Part of St Claude's legacy was to leave a rich collection of writings and this following piece is extraordinarily beautiful, I hope you agree....

St Claude de la Colombiere (Jesuit: 1682)

Oh Jesus, you are my true friend, my only friend.  You take a part in all my misfortunes, you take them on yourself, you know how to change them into blessings.  You listen to me with the greatest kindness when I relate my troubles to you.  You have always balm to pour upon my wounds.  I find you at all times, I find you everywhere.  You never go away.  If I have to change my dwelling, I find you there wherever I go.  You are never weary of listening to me.  You are never tired of doing me good. I am certain of being beloved by you if I love you.  My goods are nothing to you and by bestowing yours upon me you never grow poor.  However miserable I may be, no one nobler or cleverer or even holier can come between you and me and deprive me of your friendship.  And death, which tears us away from all our other friends will unite me forever to you.  All the humiliations attached to old age or to the loss of honour will detach you from me.  On the contrary, I shall never enjoy you more fully and you will never be closer to me than whenever everything seems to conspire against me, to overwhelm me and to cast me down.  You bear with all my faults with extreme patience and even my want of fidelity and my ingratitude do not wound you to such a degree as to make you unwilling to receive me back when I return to you.  Oh Jesus, grant that I might die loving you and that I may die for love of you.  Amen.

A plague on.......

I am a great fan of Damian Thompson who writes for The Daily Telegraph and has a very good blog, Holy Smoke.

I used to be a commentator in his combox but then it all got a bit too trollish for wimpish me and I stopped.

I was not doing any good and it was not doing me any good.
But I do occasionally drop by and see what people are saying. Paul Priest (OTSOTA) keeps the flag (and the flak) flying for the faith and for sanity and I also enjoy the comments made by one, Benedict Carter.
I know not whether he bloggeth or not.

Benedict's comments, I think under Damian's Archbishop Nichols post are very interesting.

I am not an ' end of the world is nigh' merchant, and neither, I am sure is BC but he does have a post of significance...here it is:


"A French nun, Sister Madelaine Porsat, who died in 1843, was a seer. She had a vision of seven plagues coming before the end of the world and the Second Coming.


The sixth one is universal bankruptcy.


"Voici la sixième plaie, la crise du commerce. Le commerce marche à sa fin, parce que la roue du char n'a plus son pivot, la confiance.


("Here is the sixth plague, the crisis of commerce. Commerce approaches its end because the wheel of the cart no longer has its pivot, confidence.")


The only link I found in a quick search online was to a book in French, 'Voix prophétiques: Prophéties modernes proprement dites' by a JM Curique.


Can anyone tell me if they have read this book, and what are the other 6 plagues, including the seventh to come?"

Time to get planting out those cabbages, I reckon!


And please spare time to visit this blog by Charlie J who is, dare I say it? The world's youngest blogger - I await contradiction.

Young Catholic bloggers need our encouragement so please drop by on Chasubles and Chalices to say Ni Hao!

May the Saints preserve us!

Yes, it's that time of year again when Catholic bloggers look in their diaries to see if there is anything of calendar importance to blog about and - bingo! Out leaps the 31st October at them.

Halloween is with us yet again and likely to be even more satanic in its excesses and its spread.
Back in 1990 I happened to be on a study programme in Concord, Massachusets at this time of year and was both shocked and fascinated by the range of devilish costumes, masks, sweets etc that was available in the shops (stores).
This did not, as far as I was aware, exist in Great Britain, we only had the jolly old pumpkin faces and a lit candle.

But rapidly, over the intervening years, as is so often the case, we have caught up with America's lead in excesses of the satanic kind.

"Aaah", I hear "But it's only a bit of fun". Well if you believe that dressing a 3 year old up as a corpse or putting a zombie outfit on little Johnny is fun, please don't invite me round to Sunday lunch.

The means and manner in which the world laps up this grotesque perversion of a perfectly good Catholic feast is manifested by Marks and Spencers shop assistants dressed as witches with theatrical blood seeping from their nostrils. Jolly good fun! What next? Police officers parading as Chuckie? Traffic Wardens as Dracula? Well they are half way there aren't they? The traffic wardens I mean.

Satan and his demons must be laughing their socks off. There they were, labouring away for centuries with temptation and sins of the flesh and all the time the answer was staring them in the face.
"Make them think that it's all a joke and, bit by bit, soul by soul we will harness them" It's positively Tolkienesque.

So, Catholic parents, now is the time to regain the lost ground and reject the way of the world. Recreate the proper feast of All Hallows Eve, the eve of All Saints Day. Throw parties, dress up your children in the garb of the saints, yes, even light a bonfire - flame is cleansing and flame is light.

Not eternal fire, just a bonfire for the feast!

Remembering the Holy Souls in Purgatory is also part of All Hallows Eve festivities and, if you wish, you may flavour the evening with these suggestions, courtesy of Fisheaters:

From the English Catholics we get begging from door to door, the earlier and more pure form of "trick-or-treating." Children would go about begging their neighbors for a "Soul Cake," for which they would say a prayer for those neighbors' dead. Instead of knocking on a door and saying the threatening, "Trick-or-treat" (or the ugly "Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat"), children would say either:

A Soul Cake, a Soul Cake,
have mercy on all Christian souls for a soul cake!

or

Soul, soul, an apple or two,
If you haven't an apple, a pear will do,
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for the Man Who made us all.

While Soul Cakes were originally a type of shortbread, it is said that a clever medieval cook wanted to make Soul Cakes designed to remind people of eternity, so she cut a hole in the middle of round cakes before frying them, thereby inventing doughnuts! Fresh plain cake doughnuts would be a nice food to eat on this day.

And,  instead of occult imagery employ the holy imagery of Mother Church.
Dress the children as their patron saints, enjoy good wholesome food, that is potato crisps shaped like potato crisps rather than pentagram shaped, light candles but around a blessed statue of the faith. And please tell this to your Catholic Primary School Headteacher and your Parish Priest.

In brief, have a good time rather than a bad time!

All it takes is 60 seconds.....

......Father Sam Medley SOLT produces a fine blog, A Medley Minute, and his postings are often accompanied by a one minute video clip...hence, a Medley Minute.
They are all good and uplifting but this one held a particular appeal for me...

Visit his blog if you have not already done so. We are blessed in this country, by having this young priest with us, labouring on our behalf, make the most of him, he could be moved back to the USA or to Russia or who knows where?

A moral dilemma (and a cat is involved)

As a Catholic am I entitled to kill a neighbour's cat because it is stalking my bantams? What would St Thomas Aquinas have to say on the matter I wonder?

This is the moral dilemma facing me (the topical one at any rate).

If I shot this marauding moggy it would equate with breaking the 'Thou shalt not steal' commandment but what other options do I have?

I know that if I approach my neighbour and make a case for restricting the cat in some way it will be met with a point blank refusal; a cat is, after all, a free agent able to roam the fields and hedgerows as it will. Fences will not contain it. The only solution would be for the neighbour to make the cat a 'house cat', never to see the great outdoors again - that seems a bit harsh.



Bantams may safely graze......how to avoid a cat-astrophe!



Meanwhile, as pastor of a flock I have a duty of protection towards them. It's not as though my bantams are pets precisely; they have essential functions like laying eggs and eating all the things that creep under the earth and providing my garden with enrichment (if you get my drift).

And I cannot keep them penned up either. My bantams are all either pure blood Old English Game or second generation thereof and that means they are, basically, as wild as the Jungle Fowl that they are descended from. They would pine and fall sick if confined, even in a roomy pen.

Now, in the context of global warming, economic meltdown, war, famine etc., this problem is pretty paltry (oops! sorry) but I find it refreshing to have such parochial issues to worry about from time to time; it takes my mind off the four horsemen of the Apocalypse (and Bishops) and boots me back into being some sort of sane(er) person.

So, after some internet research I have come up with the answer which I am happy to share with Mulier Fortis and other cat lovers...I shall commence a novena to St Gertrude...who she?

Patron Saint of cats of course......but hold on...shouldn't I be looking for a patron saint of chickens?

Well, after another web search I find that I should be praying to St Brigid of Ireland, patron saint of poultry keepers.......I shall do both!

Smacking to become illegal in Wales - but go ahead and have an abortion

Is it a giant magic mushroom?
Or a nuclear explosion?
No, it's the Welsh Assembly version of
The Houses of Parliament!

Today's latest nonsense from the Welsh Assembly Government is a vote to introduce a law banning the smacking of children in Wales.
This follows on closely from yesterday's move to make it illegal to have body piercings below the age of sixteen whilst abortions may be carried out virtually regardless of age.

Now I am not advocating smacking one's child but I do believe that this sort of decision should be left in the hands of the parents rather than a bunch of, well you know what they are!
Equally, I abhor body piercings but, again, do not believe that legislation is a means of effective action. Lawmaking should be done with regard to public safety, national security, protection of goods and property and so on.

It should not involve itself with the colour of a woman's lipstick or the side a man parts his hair - that must be determined by the individual.

The hypocrisy is, of course, that young girls are being influenced and counselled into having abortions whilst the Assembly worries about how many piercings they have or whether they were smacked last night.

The people of Wales deserve much better than their current government. Much better.

This is how to communicate and inspire

I am not a particular fan of Tim Collins, late of the British Army. But his eve of battle speech to his troops is an excellent example of how one in authority should convey the ethos and aspirations of a society that should then be employed in the fight to come.

How I wish that we had a majority of Bishops who could make known (to young people especially) the essence of the Catholic faith and explain why that faith is the only one that will win the battle against the forces of evil.

Given on 19th March 2003

"We go to Iraq to liberate not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their country. We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Show respect for them.
There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send. As for the others I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory.
Iraq is steeped in history. It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham. Tread lightly there. You will see things that no man could pay to see and you will have to go a long way to find a more decent, generous and upright people than the Iraqis. You will be embarrassed by their hospitality even though they have nothing. Don't treat them as refugees for they are in their own country. Their children will be poor, in years to come they will know that the light of liberation in their lives was brought by you.
If there are casualties of war then remember that when they woke up and got dressed in the morning they did not plan to die this day. Allow them dignity in death. Bury them properly and mark their graves.
It is my foremost intention to bring every single one of you out alive but there may be people among us who will not see the end of this campaign. We will put them in their sleeping bags and send them back. There will be no time for sorrow.
The enemy should be in no doubt that we are his nemesis and that we are bringing about his rightful destruction. There are many regional commanders who have stains on their souls and they are stoking the fires of hell for Saddam. He and his forces will be destroyed by this coalition for what they have done. As they die they will know their deeds have brought them to this place. Show them no pity.
It is a big step to take another human life. It is not to be done lightly. I know of men who have taken life needlessly in other conflicts, I can assure you they live with the mark of Cain upon them. If someone surrenders to you then remember they have that right in international law and ensure that one day they go home to their family.
The ones who wish to fight, well, we aim to please.
If you harm the regiment or its history by over-enthusiasm in killing or in cowardice, know it is your family who will suffer. You will be shunned unless your conduct is of the highest for your deeds will follow you down through history. We will bring shame on neither our uniform or our nation.
[Regarding the use by Saddam of chemical or biological weapons] It is not a question of if, it's a question of when. We know he has already devolved the decision to lower commanders, and that means he has already taken the decision himself. If we survive the first strike we will survive the attack.
As for ourselves, let's bring everyone home and leave Iraq a better place for us having been there.
Our business now is north!"

Certainly, in the aftermath of the Irap liberation there is much that we may criticise but, if the Archbishop of Westminster wrote a similar letter regarding the Catholic faith, I for one would be flocking to his banner.