St Scholastica: She who loved more, did more

It often occurs that saints come in sets, or families, probably because they influence each other or have loving and devout parents. St Benedict, patron of Europe and Monasticism, had a twin sister, St Scholastica, who was equally, if not more saintly than he was. Pope St Gregory the Great covers the lives of both Ss Benedict and Scholastica in his famous Dialogues (Book II). One story, above all others, is known for its beauty and simplicity as an example of love overcoming the little obstacles of life. It is the short tale of St Scholastica’s final visit to her brother.

Once a year these holy siblings would meet to discuss the religious and spiritual life. Scholastica lived, as abbess, in a convent at Plombariola - about five miles from Monte Cassino, where Benedict was abbot. She was known for the wonderful way she guided her nuns in the life God had called them to. Her brother directed her, in turn, – even though some suggest that she was the one who first guided him into the religious life.

A few days before St Scholastica’s death, she went to visit Benedict for their annual conference. Being a woman she couldn’t enter the abbey, so they would meet in one of the outbuildings owned by the monks. St Gregory tells us that, “They spent the whole day in the praises of God and spiritual talk, and when it was almost night, they dined together.” As the clear night descended St Benedict prepared to leave for the monastery – for he never spent a night away from its compounds. St Scholastica, possibly sensing her need to spend as much time with her brother as possible, begged him to stay with her, that they might spend the whole night talking about the blessings and joys of Heaven. There was no changing Benedict’s mind, though – he insisted that he must depart for the sake of his brethren. Out of sheer desperation the holy woman:

“…hearing this denial of her brother, joined her hands together, laid them on the table, bowed her head on her hands, and prayed to almighty God.”

Within minutes a most frightening storm broke out across the sky, and such a torrential rain began to pour that St Benedict was unable even to put his head “…out of doors.” St Scholastica’s tears transformed the sky into rain, thus making it nigh on impossible for the poor monk to leave for home! St Gregory goes on to remark:

“The man of God, seeing that he could not, in the midst of such thunder and lightning and great abundance of rain return to his Abbey, began to be heavy and to complain to his sister, saying: "God forgive you, what have you done!" She answered him, "I desired you to stay, and you would not hear me; I have desired it of our good Lord, and he has granted my petition. Therefore if you can now depart, in God's name return to your monastery, and leave me here alone. But the good father, not being able to leave, tarried there against his will where before he would not have stayed willingly. By that means, they watched all night and with spiritual and heavenly talk mutually comforted one another.”

Thus, St Scholastica managed to thwart St Benedict’s will – by pouring her heart before God. The holy Pope Gregory puts it so well with the following words:

“Therefore, by this we see, as I said before, that he would have had one thing, but he could not effect it. For if we know the venerable man's mind, there is no question but that he would have had the same fair weather to have continued as it was when he left his monastery. He found, however, that a miracle prevented his desire. A miracle that, by the power of almighty God, a woman's prayers had wrought. Is it not a thing to be marveled at, that a woman, who for a long time had not seen her brother, might do more in that instance than he could? She realized, according to the saying of St. John, "God is charity". Therefore, as is right, she who loved more, did more.”

God, who is Love, listens to those whose prayer is love – even the simple, yet desperate love of a sister for her brother’s companionship.

St Gregory tells us that three days after they had spent the night together St Scholastica died (it was 543 AD). On that very morning St Benedict, “standing in his cell, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, …beheld the soul of his sister (which was departed from her body) ascend into heaven in the likeness of a dove.”

This is such a beautiful story – even Peter the deacon, whom the author addresses in the Dialogues, remarks upon hearing this tale: “I am wonderfully pleased with what you tell me.”

The first time I came across this story from the life of Ss Benedict and Scholastica was a few years ago. I happened to be in bed, ill with a depressive episode. A friend had come to my room to visit and comfort me. So cheered was I at seeing him that I didn’t want him to leave – though, of course, he needed to get back to his business. As he was leaving I begged him to stay and read me a story – anything that might help me to sleep. Eventually my friend agreed to stay, but suggested I read a story for both of us. Fortunately, my friend and I would often read spiritual things to each other at the time, including sometimes chapters from the gospels. Well, a few days previously I’d visited an Anglican Cathedral, a former Benedictine Priory, and bought a copy of St Gregory’s Dialogues. I picked up this little book, and began to read – as it happens at the chapter that describes St Scholastica’s last visit to St Benedict! The strange coincidence of having this story read to him, and the circumstances involved, convinced my friend to stay a little bit longer! And, my friend’s name – well, Benedict, of course!

St Scholastica is patron saint of nuns, and of all those caught in storms! Her Feast is kept today, 10th February.

St Scholastica: ora pro nobis

[Picture note:St Scholastica's last conference with St Benedict, her brother. An Illustration by Jeanne Kerremans from L'Admirable Légende de Saint Benoit (Bruges, 1948)]

St Teilo – ora pro nobis

Today is the Feast of St Teilo, who is also known as Eliud, Issell and Teilou. He is one of the Saints from that time in the Church’s history here in Britain which is referred to as “The Age of the Saints” (Oes y Saint). This period, from the early 4th until the 7th century, was an extremely productive time for the ancient Church in Britain. Close to annihilation, thanks to the pagan invasions of the Anglo-Saxons, the Church was desperate for courageous and holy leaders to bring it through this crisis, and confirm it in its faith and mission. Through God's grace many holy men and women rose to answer His call – revitalising the Church and saving the old British culture and civilisation.

St Teilo was, like so many British saints, a nobleman of ancient Britain. He was born in Pembrokeshire – an enclave of the old Britons. He was the grandson of King Ceredig of Ceredigion. His father was Prince Ensig ap Hydwn. Another Celtic saint born of royal blood is St Seiriol, whose feast day it was last week. These men, like so many other Disciples of Christ, managed to do what the rich young man in the Gospels was so sadly unable to do – give away their riches, and follow the Lord into poverty and joy.

At the time of St Teilo’s birth, around 480AD, war and genocide were ravaging Britain (or Britannia). The Anglo-Saxons had put nearly all the ancient Britons to death, and the ancient Church, the Church of St Alban and the earliest Christian martyrs of Roman Britain, had all but been destroyed. All that remained of these people, and their faith, was to be found in the caves, marshes and mountains of the West and old North – modern day Wales, Strathclyde, Cumbria, Cornwall and Brittany. Those who had been kept alive by the Saxons, usually as slaves, either had to convert to paganism or saw their faith die with them. It was not an easy time to be a Catholic Christian – and, although the Church remained closely attached to Rome and continental Christendom she was almost left to her own devices. Just as in today’s secular Britain many Christians decided to “join the crowd” – for many, threatened with death, it was easier to become pagan than die for the faith. Others felt great despair, and thought, as the Israelites had done centuries before, that God had abandoned them – had set his face against them, possibly on account of some collective sin. Yet others, thankfully, managed to hold on and fight back – proclaiming the Good News of Christ’s victory even if it wasn’t as popular as it had been. St Teilo was one of these men who refused to let the faith of his people die, and went on to save many a wavering soul.

St Teilo’s teacher was St Paulinus of Whitland, who was also St David’s tutor. Along with two other men, both David and Teilo founded the great monastery of Mynyw (Menevia) – now called St David’s (Cathedral). It was no easy task – for not only were these Britons facing death from the pagan east, but also from the Irish who had settled along the Welsh coast. Fortunately, God took care of the Irish barbarians – thus allowing St David the space and peace needed to found his monastic settlement. After many years of prayer, penance and study Ss David, Teilo and (another friend) Padarn travelled to Jerusalem on pilgrimage. It was during this expedition that, according to legend, all three were ordained to the episcopacy by Pope St Hormisdas, whilst visiting Rome (though some claim this happened at the hands of John III, Patriarch of Jerusalem). It is more than probable that this account of an ordination in Rome is quite true, as many of the Bishops of the ancient British Church were ordained there – such was their desire to remain in close communion with the See of St Peter. It was also practically impossible to consecrate bishops in Britannia due to the effects of the Saxon invasions – which led to general disarray and disorganisation amongst the old Church. On his return home to Britain St Teilo was appointed Bishop of Glywysing and Gwent. He then founded his great monastery, Llandeilo Fawr, to be the new Episcopal See. This monastery would remain for centuries one of the great seats of learning in Britain – well before the abbeys of Ireland, or the subduing of the Saxon pagans. The monks of this Abbey provided the Church with great minds and holy men – and one of the treasures of the place, the 8th Century Llandeilo Fawr Gospels, is to be found in Lichfield Cathedral (where it is known, wrongly, as the St Chad’s Gospel).
This beautifully illumined manuscript is written both in Latin and Welsh, and is well worth a look. It is probably one of our least known, but most impressive, treasurers.

St Teilo didn’t remain in his new diocese and abbey for too long. He had the urge to preach the Gospel amongst other ancient Britons, and also had to leave Llandeilo for a while as the whole of Wales was struck down with yellow fever (in 549AD). Teilo travelled with his monks to Cornwall and Brittany, staying as the guests of local Kings and noblemen. When they arrived at Dol, in Brittany, St Samson, who was at the time Archbishop of the local diocese, warmly welcomed them. He asked them to minister amongst the local population where they stayed, and where they founded numerous churches. This ministry lasted for over seven years. During his time in Brittany St Teilo also planted numerous fruit trees – hence he is patron saint of orchards and fruit trees.

After his mission to the Bretons, St Teilo had a longing for his old monastery and moved back to Wales with most of his monks. On the way back they were guests of King Geraint (Gerron, or Gerontius) of Dumnonia (modern-day Devon and Somerset). The King was gravely ill, and received his viaticum and the last rites of the Church at the hands of the Saint before dying. This King is familiar to any who might have read or studied the great epic poem of Aneurin, Y Gododdin, for he is immortalised in it as Gereint rac Dehau (Gerontius for the South), the one who fought the Saxons in Catreath (Catterick).

St Teilo remained in Llandeilo Fawr for the rest of his life – where he became known as one of the holiest men in Wales, and from where he ran most of the ancient Church in South Wales. He is even said to have consecrated one of his nephews as Archbishop of St David’s, following the death of St David of Wales. After many years of living the “solitary life gloriously” (as his Life, Vita sancti Teiliaui, puts it) the great Saint died in 566AD. He was buried in his Abbey church, though medieval accounts claimed that his body multiplied so as to be buried all at once in various locations! It is far more likely, though, that when Llandaff succeeded as the major Episcopal See for that part of Wales the saint’s body was translated there – where it remains to this day, his body enshrined near the High Altar, whilst his head rests in the South Chapel. There is also a beautiful image in this cathedral of both St Teilo and St Samson of Dol planting an orchard – it’s well worth seeing if you ever happen to pass by!

There are many ancient churches dedicated to St Teilo in Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and other parts of France. He is always depicted as a Bishop and / or Abbot, usually in an orchard with a stag nearby. The stag reminds us of the incident when two such creatures helped the saint move some wood (which he was chopping to fuel the monastery’s communal fire) so that he could hasten back to his prayers! He is patron of horses, fruit trees and orchards.

Sant Teilo o Landeilo Fawr, gweddia drosom ni!

[Picture note: St Teilo riding a white stag, from a 15th church window in Plogonnec, Brittany; Page from the Llandeilo Fawr Gospels, Lichfield Cathedral - please search for other examples on-line, especially for images of the beautiful frontispiece]

The Conservative Party is losing my vote…

…because of a man called David Cameron. Yes, that desperate man, who is willing to reject his own grass-roots voters for the sake of a few liberals (who will probably not vote for him anyway).

In some hopeless attempt to seduce "gay voters" this bumbling fellow gave an interview to some fashion magazine called, Attitude. It’s a pro-homosexual publication that has criticised Cameron in the past for his support of Lady Thatcher’s excellent Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality in schools. This amendment to the law ensured that liberal, sexual, social engineering was kept out of the classroom – a place that should, surely, be reserved for the teaching of Maths, History and English, etc!?

In the interview, as reported in The Daily Mail (on-line), Mr Cameron said that gay refugees from Africa should be granted asylum in the UK! This is something that even New Labour has been able to avoid doing! It is well known that many young men have tried to come over here to live by pretending that they would be killed back home for “being gay”. As it’s virtually impossible to prove whether or not these people were “gay” the Government wisely decided that in the vast majority of cases these men should be sent back home and told to keep the laws of their land - or, at least not to make a fuss about their sexual exploits. I’d say this policy was more than a fair way of dealing with the situation. We must remember that there are thousands of more deserving cases waiting to be processed – such as those people who are being persecuted and killed for justice’s sake, or for their faith in Christ (are we still a Christian country?). It seems, though, that any future Conservative government has been advised to give a passport and citizenship (with all it’s privileges) to anyone who turns up at Heathrow or Dover claiming to be attracted to the same sex.Until recently homosexual acts were illegal in this country. Those homosexual lobbyists who overturned the laws here didn’t flee the country, but stayed and fought their (in my view wrong) campaigns for a change in the law here. Well, why can’t gay Africans do exactly the same – stay in their countries and change the laws from the inside? Also, does Mr Cameron seriously think that these characters will be genuine homosexuals? How will he test their story – by seeing how camp they are, or by showing them some male pornography? The thing’s absurd! Also, why hasn't anyone told Cameron that international law seems to suggest that all legitimate asylum seekers must register for help in the nearest safe country – which in Africa could be South Africa or the Ivory Coast, or wherever. It definitely wouldn’t be Britain! This country is already full to the top with bogus asylum claimants – who take the rightful place of those genuinely in need of sanctuary – and we cannot cope with any more! I remember the recent case of a young man from Iran. He claimed that his “boyfriend” had been executed for sodomy back home and that he was next in line if he had to go back (he was in the UK as a student at the time). From what I remember, and I might be wrong, no names or facts were really presented during the hearings and the Iranian Government kept pointing out that they don’t execute homosexuals (expect in cases of rape, etc). Media pressure forced the Government to back down and he was allowed to stay. In fact, as far as I know, people aren’t executed for being homosexual in Iran - though there have been cases of homosexual rapists being hanged (and, sadly one case of an under-age boy being hanged for this offence). The best way to avoid jail, or execution, is not to commit the crime – it’s as simple as that. Why, then is Cameron pledging to give asylum to sexual criminals from other states? Half the world’s nations count homosexual acts as crimes – will all these characters be coming to Britain now?

Anyway, the above isn’t really why I won’t be voting for the Conservatives. The main reason is that David Cameron then went on during this interview and said that the Church should change its policies on gays! I beg your pardon, Dave? It seems that this man’s just as much of a megalomaniac as Tony Blair (who also thought it appropriate to tell the Pope to "get with the times" as far as sexuality is concerned)! Ruth Gledhill, in her blog in The Times on-line, said:

In an interview with the gay magazine Attitude, Mr Cameron said that “our Lord Jesus” would back equality and gay rights if he were alive. He said that he did not want to get into a row with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, but the Church should recognise that equal rights for gays was “essential”

I don’t think this man knows the first thing about Our Lord Jesus, or what he’d teach - as evidenced by the fact that he doesn't know (from the way the article above appears) that the Lord is alive, and is Life itself, in fact! He definitely would not be fighting for “gay equality”. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the Dread Judge of the living and the dead. He said that he came not to change the Law of Moses, but to fulfil it. In fact, Our Lord, seemed to demand more, not less, purity in ethical matters of a sexual nature! He might have shown us the way of compassion and mercy towards sinners and criminals, but, even to the woman caught in adultery he warned, “Now, go and sin no more!” To say that Jesus would be marching down Oxford Street with rainbow flags and so on is just offensive and disgusting to all marked by the Cross of Christ. David Cameron, and the modern Tory Party, might be able to force the Church of England to ditch morality – but it ain’t happening in the real Church, the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, headed by the Successor of St Peter, and commissioned with the upholding of Truth!

According to Fr Tim Finigan, in his blog The Hermeneutic of Continuity, it seems that Mr Cameron also said that a future Conservative Government would do exactly what the Liberal Democrats have threatened to do, i.e. force faith schools to go against their consciences and teach that “it’s ok to be gay”. What has happened to religious tolerance and freedom of belief in this country? We have a Conservative leader acting in the manner of some Soviet Chairman – wanting to force decent and clean-living people to adopt a set of standards contrary to their morality. The secular law, built on the shifting sands of time, is trying yet again to knock down the Laws of God, built on the firm foundations of the Rock of Ages. How Satan would have made an excellent lawyer - but how he is so surely doomed to fail! Of course, we people of faith and truth know that philosophies and human laws come and go – but Christ remains the same yesterday, today, and for ages yet to come.

The big question is, though, what should card carrying Tories like me do at the ballot box? None of the three main parties are representing my co-religionists or myself. The Conservative leadership is even turning against its own supporters in the vain hope that Labour and Lib Dem voters will elect them! Fat chance! So who should I vote for on May 6th? One must confess that UKIP is becoming more and more attractive by the day!

[Picture note: Cover of Attitude magazine, March 2010]

Queen - might she be banned from Britain!? A question of Pope vs gays, again!

I have really had enough of hysterical pro-homosexualists who have been getting their Dolce & Gabbana knickers in a twist over the Pope's planned visit to the UK! This term "homophobe" is bandied about as if to somehow justify blatant anti-Catholicism. It is a fact that far, far more Catholics have been put to death by the British state than any amount of persons found guilty of "sodomy"! Yet, somehow, many gay rights campaigners seem to think they've been unfairly persecuted and executed throughout British history. They also seem to think that the Catholic Church was behind this - the fact that the first Buggery Law was brought into being by King Henry VIII seems to pass them by! The "gay community" as a sub-section of society was only formed about 30 - 40 years ago, so how can they have been a "persecuted minority"!?

Anyway, someone left a comment on my previous post. Whilst replying to it I suddenly realised that Her Majesty the Queen is the Head of State of several countries, whom she loves dearly, in which homosexual acts are illegal and punishable by imprisonment. So all those who say that the Pope shouldn't be allowed into Britain, even if he is a Sovereign Head of State, because he's a "homophobe", really need to ask whether Her Majesty herself should be allowed to visit her own country!

Here is part of the reply made to the commentator on the last post: -

Here is a list of countries where sodomy / homosexuality is either illegal or condemned by public proscription: -
Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Angola, Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian Territories (Gaza), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu.

That’s 81 countries that proscribe against homosexual sex (let alone anything else, such as “marriage”). There are 192 member states of the United Nations (whose President of the General Assembly called homosexuality “unacceptable” only last year). There are at least a further two countries not represented on the UN (including the Vatican – where homosexuality is legal, for it subscribes to Italian criminal law). This means that half of all countries in the world criminalise the act of buggery / homosexual genital acts. Many of these nations are members of the Commonwealth, and therefore have strong links to the UK and have permanent High Commissioners at the Court of St James. Some of the above states share our Head of State, i.e. Her Majesty the Queen! Therefore, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (and many others) have the Queen as Head of State and have laws making sex between persons of the same gender illegal! So, should the Queen be banned from her own country!?

Bizarrely, the Pope is Head of State of the Vatican City State, which usually accepts Italian criminal law – therefore he is leader of a country that is tolerant of homosexuality. The Queen, on the other hand, is Head of State of several countries in which the very homosexual act itself is illegal and punishable by imprisonment!

[Picture note: Flags of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, and Papua New Guinea]

Catholics – consider boycotting EasyJet

It seems that the cheap flights airline, EasyJet, has made a contribution to the controversy raging in the press at the moment regarding the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain.

Apparently, in a “tongue-in-cheek” statement the airline company offered to fly the Pope to the UK for free. Their statement reads: -

"Following reports, and a Downing Street petition, that the Pope’s trip to the UK is expected to cost the Vatican and the UK tax payer in excess of £20million, easyJet has offered to fly the Pope from Rome to the UK and back for free.

"EasyJet can offer his holiness a choice of routes from Rome to airports across the UK and a whole new experience of low-fares travel. His holiness will be able to check in online, take advantage of the airline’s generous hand baggage allowance, sit back and enjoy the excellent customer service from our friendly cabin crew.

"In addition the airline will also include free speedy boarding, to enable his holiness to be amongst the first to board the aircraft and have a choice of seats."

It appears, though, that this act of generosity is but a ploy by the airline to: a) mock the Pope, and b) advertise itself.

The gay newspaper, Pink Paper, contacted EasyJet to ask why they wanted to help “…the Pope spread his homophobia.” In reply the company told the newspaper, “We are not supporting the Pope’s views, what we are saying is that we are supporting the UK taxpayer, and I am sure you would agree we should not spend £20 million to support a state visit.” After further questioning, in which the paper seemed to compare His Holiness to Robert Mugabe, EasyJet made this comment, “…the purpose of this tongue in check press release is to point out the waste of taxpayer’s money.” So it appears that easyJet is wishing to mock the Pope, and to make a rather controversial and what some would consider anti-Catholic, or anti-Papal, statement. Apparently, according to the airline, we taxpayers of Britain (amongst whom are millions of Catholics!) are wasting our money by being hospitable to a Head of State. Which other heads of state does the company want to mock in this way, I wonder?

Another gay online newspaper, Pink News, is also running this story. At the time of writing this post only four agencies had published the story, and these two were amongst them. A spokesperson for EasyJet told Pink News: -

“It is a tongue in cheek story. Realistically I don't think the Pope will fly with us.

"It's very much to highlight the estimated £20 million costs. It isn't meant to cause offence.”

They then went on to say that if the Pope were to travel with them Pink News would be offered “exclusive interview access”.

Of course, the Vatican already uses Alitalia for Papal visits and also MistralAir for specialist chartered flights to Lourdes. It is most likely that the Pope will travel to Britain with either one of them, and not, thankfully, with EasyJet.

I, as one Catholic, will now be very weary of using EasyJet. Fortunately, I’ve never used them in the past – but, even if they are cheap, I have no intention of giving them my custom in future. I would assume that many other Catholics, Christians and people of faith might also want to consider whether or not this company is suited to their needs.



St Joseph of Cupertino: ora pro nobis

[Picture note: St Joseph of Cuperino; source: Wikimedia Commons]

UPDATE:-
a) I made a mistake earlier, as I have in fact been a passenger on an EasyJet flight. I ended up sitting next to intoxicated football hooligans and must have wiped the whole event from my memory!
b) Also, forgot to mention that the EasyJet press release ended with a link to the 10 Downing Street petition asking that the Church covers the cost of the Pope's State visit. 150 have signed. So far 475 have signed the petition set up by Chris Gillibrand, which is in support of Pope Benedict's visit. Link to this petition: -
http://www.petitiononline.com/PopeinUK/petition.html

Pope Benedict XVI will visit Britain with the Truth

It seems that our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, has been instructing the Bishops of England and Wales on the need to teach and uphold the basics of Catholic morality in modern Britain. He has also been encouraging them to stand up to the horrendous tyranny of secularism, which has engulfed the British Isles in the past few years. As St Paul famously wrote to Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, and love, and self-control.” Unfortunately, for far too long some pastors in our Church have seemed intoxicated by the false gospel of Labour’s manifesto (i.e. false equality, and overly apocalyptic concerns about the global environment), at the expense of proclaiming freedom to captives and new life to those bound by sin. Bishops have also seemed to be too embarrassed or weak to hold firm to the truth – however unpopular, or illegal, it might be! Having said that, many of our other pastors have been vocal in their concerns about the way things are going in the UK. We Catholic men and women of Great Britain, we people of faith who would gladly die for the Church of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, welcome the leadership and pastoral concern shown us by the Servant of the servants of God! It’s so good to know that the Church does believe in real equality, which can only be based on, and not be contrary to, the laws given by God, and revealed so simply and clearly in what’s called the natural law.

Of course, I am referring to the ad Limina visit of our bishops to the Tombs of Ss Peter and Paul, and of the news today that the Pope has confirmed his visit to the UK in September. The past week has been an opportunity for the leaders of our Church in England and Wales to make pilgrimage to Rome, and to be renewed in their dread mission – handed to them by Christ, no less. It is the Pope’s duty to encourage them in this task, to thank them for their work, and to advise them on how he would like to see things improve. I am reminded of the words used by one bishop during Mass just before the last ad Limina visit a few years ago – he said about the trip, “it’s a time when the Pope tells us what he wants us to do, and we tell him what we want him to do!”

Today it was reported in the press that the Pope has accepted the Queen’s invitation to visit Britain, and that he had “condemned” the “gay equality laws” being constantly passed over here (which are usually enacted at the expense of Christian conscience and belief). One of the first papers to fire shots at the Church was the Guardian, of course - which is where the above quotes come from. Other media outlets have also jumped on the bandwagon – trying their best to make the Pope’s comments (made in a sensible and relatively short letter addressed to the bishops) sound more controversial than they really were. It’s not like the Pope, or the Church, is preaching a new message! The BBC’s (yes, them again) 10 O’clock news seemed unable to contain its distaste for the Church’s stance on “gay rights”. Many journalists are obviously excited at the prospect of a summer of anti-Pope protests – some because they genuinely dislike the truth which he preaches, and others because they know that juicy stories sell newspapers. Their appetites seem to have been whetted by the idea of having leather-clad men, led by Richard Dawkins, trying their best to disable the Pope-mobile. Mid-September tends to be a quiet time for journalists – so this news item is bound to give some hacks a few more lines to write! Nothing sells more than sex and religion!

The Holy Father also urged the bishops, “…as pastors to ensure that the church’s moral teaching be always presented in its entirety and convincingly defended. Fidelity to the gospel in no way restricts the freedom of others – on the contrary, it serves their freedom by offering them the truth.” Hopefully, therefore, we will have a concrete leadership from our bishops when it comes to such matters as Church teaching on sexuality and personal morality. It would be good to hear them condemn the greed inherent in our financial services sector, too, as well as the encroaching “culture of death” which seems to make virtues of evils (such as euthanasia and abortion). Of course, it is our duty to support the bishops in this work, and to preach the gospel of life and truth, and most of all love, to all that we meet and share our lives with. Already, the enemies of reason and true love are banging on their war-drums in preparation for the Holy Father's visit. The National Secular Society is already amassing the rag-a-muffin army of “gay groups, women’s groups and ‘pro-choice’ groups” to fight their battles on the streets. There are also some angry comments in the media about the Church’s record on child abuse – of course, everyone condemns the scandals perpetrated by certain men, but what exactly have the sins of a few priests got to do with the unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ or the Pope’s visit to the people of Britain? It seems that every tactic is going to be employed by those who hate God’s laws – we must be ready to stand and be counted, not to be ashamed of the heritage given us by Christ, and to out-do our enemies in love, peace and deep joy.

Laudetur Jesus Christus!


[Picture note: The Bishops of England and Wales, Rome 2010. Credit / copyright: Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk Catholic Church England and Wales, Flickr]

BBC’s Seven Ages of Britain – lacking in research and truth!

I knew before this evening’s programme aired that David Dimbleby would make a hash of things. Not because he is a Dimbleby, but because he works for the BBC. Also, he seems to be no expert when it comes to certain periods of British history, so for him to appear to be one is just asking for trouble! Having said that, I pressed the remote control with an open-mind. I shouldn’t have bothered, as within 20 minutes my blood was boiling whilst listening to the half-truths and nonsense being spouted by this BBC anchorman… Watching The Seven Ages of Britain re-confirmed my notion that it is possible that neither one of the Dimbleby boys would have made it in broadcasting were it not for the reputation of their esteemed father, Richard Dimbleby. One wonders what he’d make of this travesty of dumbed-down high-brow broadcasting!?

Were to start? Well, there are a few things that need to be mentioned, or corrected. Firstly, David Dimbleby spent far too much of the programme concentrating on the Roman idea of Britannia – as the female embodiment of the British Isles. He seemed to think that this figure was the basis for the concept of “Britain” as a geographical place that lends itself to an identity. He even travelled to Rome and Greece to marvel at depictions of the conquest of Britannia by the Roman Empire (and specifically, Claudius). In Greece he even read about the event, in Greek – though seemed to point at the wrong places within the text whilst doing so! This, apparently, dated the notion or concept of “a Britain” from the mid-1st Century. Well, what about all the references made to the British and to Britain from before the Claudian invasion? There is ample evidence to suggest that the Greek geographer Pytheas had explored the islands of Britain in the 4th Century BCE. The Greeks referred to the Pretanoi (cf. the modern Welsh Prydeinwyr) of Brettaniai or Prettanike (British Isles). Also, One wonders what Dimbleby would say about Julius Caesar’s attempts at conquest, in the mid-1st Century BCE? The details of these campaigns lead one to the simple conclusion that the Romans definitely viewed the Britons and the main island of Britain as a geo-political area, defined by common language, customs, kingdoms, tribes and religion well before Emperor Claudius. So why, one may ask, did David Dimbleby begin his Seven Ages at the moment of the final, and mainly decisive, Roman invasion – as opposed to the flourishing pre-Roman “Iron Age” period?

The whole tragic episode of the abandonment of Britannia by the Romans, and the subsequent fall of the south-eastern corner to the Anglo-Saxons, wasn’t dealt with clearly. It amazes me that so many Englishmen are still unable to relate to history as it actually happened. David Dimbleby mentioned the invasion by the Saxons in such a way as to make it sound that the whole former province of Britannia then became “England”. He even said that, as barbaric as the Saxons might have been, at least they gave us “our language”. One wonders whether he is oblivious to the fact that the ancient British language (now called Welsh, an unfortunate term deployed by the Saxons) is still very much alive and kicking? It seems that at this point in British history most Englishmen, especially those still rather embarrassed by their Empire building recent past, enter into historical denial. They just cannot bring themselves to swallow the one last remaining bitter herb of their history – namely that England is not “Britain”, and that the Britons, once persecuted in a rampage of genocide by the Anglo-Saxons, are living in that far-off and distant land called Wales (Cymru). Dimbleby’s history of Britain suddenly became at this point a history of England, with bits pertaining to Scotland!


This leads me to the next catastrophic presentation of history – even the more catastrophic seeing that it was delivered to the nation, on BBC1, by someone who is meant to be learned and trustworthy! David Dimbleby announced that Christianity arrived on British shores (in Scotland, no less) in the mid-500s! It was at this point that my mug of tea nearly went flying towards the television screen! To be fair to Dimbleby he did mention that Christianity had come to the Islands during the Roman occupation - though he then went on to claim rather foolishly that this experiment didn’t last. His Anglo-centric (with a few concessions to the Scots) world-view seems oblivious to the fact that Christianity was alive and well in that part of Britain now referred to as Wales as well as the other lands of the ancient Britons (Cornwall, the lowlands of Scotland, Cumbria and Brittany). In these places the ancient British Church was very active, and was, in fact, experiencing a resurgence during the 5th and 6th Centuries – mainly because of a need to gather round a common philosophy, or religion, in the face of the pagan threat posed by the Saxons. It was the British Church that sent missionaries to Ireland (i.e. Patrick) in the 5th Century in order to bring them to the Gospel. According to Dimbleby, though, Christianity came to Britain through the endeavours of Irish missionaries over a hundred years later! How can a supposedly reputable broadcaster peddle such nonsense on our screens, on state TV no less? The simple fact of the matter is that by the 6th Century the northern parts of the old province of Britannia had been invaded, and settled, by the Irish. This part of Britain then became known as Scotland – which means the land of thieves, as the Romano-Britons saw the Irish as people who had stolen it from them as bandits (Scotti had been the generic term used by the Romans to describe Irish raiders / pirates). The Irish missionaries were basically going over to “Scotland” (not yet defined as such at the time – rather, it was regarded as an Irish colony) to convert their own people. They were not coming over to convert the modern-day Scots, or the ancient British! This failure to represent the true history of Britain was rather disappointing to say the least – but, unfortunately, it is nothing new. Of course, Dimbleby then went on to make it seem like the southern part of Britain (i.e. England) became Christian a bit later, with the arrival of St Augustine of Canterbury, whilst the north had been taken care of by the Irish missionaries. The Welsh, and the British people and Church, were conveniently airbrushed out of history – maybe for being too embarrassing, or problematic? Not even Bede, the British Church's harshest enemy, was that callous in his biased rendering of history.

Before I tire myself out with my corrections of David Dimbleby’s programme – and there are many things to be corrected – I’ll mention one last thing from tonight. When he went on to talk about the Norman Conquest David Dimbleby seemed oblivious to the fact that William the Conqueror was Edward the Confessor’s cousin and (many would say) legitimate heir, and that they were both Danes or Scandinavian. The Normans were the Norsemen who had settled in a part of modern-day France. The invasion of William’s was not as radical a thing as once thought – or as radical an event as portrayed in the documentary. In fact large parts of modern-day England hadn't really been Saxon or Anglian for quite some time and Harold was only a minor earl prior to ascending the throne! Yes, William did bring about an architectural revolution (though Edward the Confessor had been a great builder, too: i.e. Westminster Abbey!) – but that was mainly because he brought stone with him. England, as flat and as damp as it is, is not known for its stone. William the Conqueror found it much easier to bring stones from Normandy, as well as other places, to build the types of buildings he was used to, than try and quarry building material from the south-west, or unconquered Wales or Scotland. Of course, he gave “jobs for the boys” from Normandy, but they were often related to the ruling classes anyway (just as he himself was)! One important thing that William gave the English, though, was England itself - as it can only really be identified as a state from his time. He also gave the English their love of class - and many of the middle and upper-middle classes of England remain, on the whole, Norman by descent (even if they claim to be long lost sons of Alfred). Isn't is strange how the modern English like to revel in a sense of victim-hood when banging on about the Norman Conquest (which comprised a couple of battles and a few skirmishes) and make it out to be some mass slaughter…yet fail completely to mention the mass genocide of the Britons at the hands of the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th and 6th Centuries? Far worse, modern English historians have tried their best to pretend - contrary to the evidence contained in historical documents, archaeology and even genetics – that the Saxons invaded without the shedding of blood at all!

It’s about time that the English, personified by Dimbleby, begin to re-evaluate their history… It will, no doubt, be a difficult process, as it might waken in them the realisation that their nation is founded on blood and tyranny, on lies and half-truths, and that they are the least British of all the inhabitants of these Sacred Isles!

[Picture note: Penmon Priory, founded by St Seiriol in the early 6th Century - someone needs to let Dimbleby know about places like this!]