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New York State's grim abortion figures

by Tony | 11/30/2009 in abortion, usa | comments (0)

I have just come across this table (from the Guardian) of figures for abortions in the United States of America:

One figure stands out. For every 1000 live births in the state of New York, a further 507 are aborted. The figure is even worse for New York City: it's 756 abortions for every 1000 live births. That's a 43% chance for every conception to end up murdered.

I don't really want to think about it, beyond praying for forgiveness for those concerned and for the souls of the children whose lives were so senselessly discarded.

Whatever happened to the Hypocratic Oath?

by Tony | 9/12/2009 in life, right to life | comments (0)

This story, linked below, broke my heart.

"Doctors said I'd had a miscarriage and did nothing as my premature baby fought for his life"

Write to your MP. This situation needs to be changed.

There is a 10 Downing Street Petition HERE. Please sign it.

St Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

by Tony | 8/14/2009 in | comments (0)

Maximilian Kolbe (8 Jan 1894 - 14 Aug 1941) was a Polish Franciscan who volunteered to die in the place of a stranger while incarcerated at Auschwitz concentration camp.

He was canonised on 10 Oct 1982 by Pope John Paul II and was declared a Martyr of Charity and patron saint of, among others, drug addicts and political prisoners.

His death came about after a man in his cell block at Auschwitz disappeared. The commander of the camp ordered that 10 men be starved to death in order to deter future escape attempts. One of the men chosen, Franciszek Gajowniczek, had a family and in desperation pleaded for mercy. Maximilian offered to take his place and the offer was accepted.

After three weeks of deliberate starvation, four of the ten were left clinging to life, among them Maximilian. Those in charge of the camp were unwilling and too impatient to let him die in his own time and instead determined to murder him. He was injected with carbolic acid. Maximilian did not allow himself to be taken by force and, instead, offered his arm to his executioner for the injection. An eye-witness described him doing so "with a prayer on his lips." Maximilian was found afterwards, by the same witness: "leaning in a sitting position against the back wall with his eyes open and his head drooping sideways. His face was calm and radiant." The body of the man who had 'disappeared' was discovered a while later.

Greater love hath no man than this - that he lay down his life for another.

St Maximilian, pray for us.

Beautiful Churches of the World

by Tony | 8/07/2009 in | comments (0)

As the beginning of what I hope will become a series of posts, I'd like to draw your attention to a church in Brazilia, Brazil...

It's the Sanctuário Dom Bosco (appropriate since Saint John Bosco is a particular favourite of mine)...

Take a look at http://www.santuariodombosco.org.br/fotos.php

The site obviously isn't in English, but the pictures say all you need to know.

I love the glass panes in various shades of blue: the effect is 'otherworldly' and, to my eyes, it is absolutely beautiful.

Erm... Is this for real?

by Tony | 6/16/2009 in Corpus Christi, sacrament, sacrilege | comments (0)

Apparently this is how Corpus Christi is celebrated in Linz, Austria. And THIS is a "monstance"?

I'm TRYING to believe that this is a humungous hoax. I'm looking for all the possible IT related evidence that the picture is a fake.

But try as I might, the suspicion remains that this sacrilege is genuine.

The Blessed Sacrament being hawked around on a pair of tongs - in the rain and unprotected?

This is just too awful.

Time for a fresh mandate

by Tony | 5/20/2009 in election, expenses, morals, parliament, probity, scandal | comments (0)

I've been keeping schtum about the UK political situation lately but I've now had enough and I've decided it's time to speak (or write) my mind.

The situation with Parliament's handling of the Expenses Scandals is ridiculous and an affront to the British people's right to a fair democracy.

MPs have been caught with their snouts in the trough so far that they seem to be drowning in swill. The Speaker has been ineffectual in dealing with reforming the system and moving to a culture of transparency in MPs public affairs and the Prime Minister seems, to me, to be the worst of the bunch.

This is a man who has no democratic accountability - after all, he achieved his post by effective coronation rather than even an election within his Party. And now he claims that this Parliament, stocked as it is with Members who have been found to be unjustifiably extravagent (putting it charitably) with the Public Purse, should be the same Parliament that fixes its own problems.

To me this is like the gamekeeper giving to the poacher the responsibility to fix the fences. The PM is suggesting that the more-or-less corrupt bunch of MPs responsible for the scandal be charged with fixing the broken expenses regime.

Nothing could be more inappropriate. These are the LAST people who should be fixing the system. The PM with no mandate wants a Parliament that's lost its moral legitimacy to pass judgement on itself. Well sorry, but that's simply not good enough.

If we are going to have a Parliament that is to reform itself it has to be formed of MPs who have a legitimacy given and renewed by the British people - a legitimacy that the vast majority of the general public don't agree that the current Parliament has any more.

We need a General Election NOW. We need to be able to throw out the MPs responsible for this scandal and we need the opportunity to replace them with truly honourable members who will make it their first responsibility to inject moral probity and transparency into an institution desperately lacking in it.

For goodness sake, PM, call an Election and call it NOW.

80 year old Priest arrested...

by Tony | 5/18/2009 in abortion, arrest, obama | comments (0)

on the grounds of Notre Dame (Catholic!) University for protesting against abortion and the visit of Pro Partial Birth President Obama.

Is it me or has the world just turned upside down?

It breaks my heart that a supposedly Catholic institution should instruct law officers to carry off a frail old man who only wants to protect unborn life and protest that that same institution should see fit to honour someone who, despite undoubted other fine qualities, has such a depressing record of support for the destruction of innocent life.

Palpable evil is abroad it seems and speech seems no longer to be free...

Prayer, prayer and more prayer is needed:

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Dear Lord...

by Tony | 5/06/2009 in | comments (1)

I've been trying to give myself to you. Please show me how to do it right?

Mass Tourism

by Tony | 5/03/2009 in | comments (1)

Firstly a small apology. I know I've not been updating for the last week or two. This is mainly down to writers block (it's happening everywhere I look - must be something to do with the nice weather!) but also somewhat down to other things occupying my mind. Nothing dreadful: it just meant that I wasn't really thinking 'blog' much lately.

Anyhoo... down to business!

I normally go to the Saturday evening vigil Mass. This week I was supposed to have been 'on duty' but I'd developed a splitting headache after a long hot journey so I arranged cover and hid in a darkened room instead. Waking up today I decided that I'd try a little bit of Mass Tourism instead by attending Mass at the Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs in Cambridge. And what a treat that was. A full choir, a glorious organ, hymns in a pitch I can sing! There was incense by the bucket-load - indeed it was nice to have a (lady) thurifer who incensed the congregation.

All in all it was a lovely solemn Mass with lovely music and nothing awful in the way of 'abuses'. The only comment I would make would be about one EMHC who I observed over some time and who seemed very keen to deposit not just the Host on the tongue of those who approached him for Communion in this manner but seemed also to be making a good try at inserting his fingers into their mouths as well. Possibly not a good idea for hygiene, especially in these times of heightened awareness. I avoided him.

That observation notwithstanding I left with pleasurable memories of a Liturgy conducted with great solemnity and beauty, exactly as Mass should be celebrated. Obviously OLEM is a very big parish and has the capacity to do this and not every church will be able to replicate the full ceremony (for want of choir, musicians with the required skill, a full complement of servers etc) so it's very nice to experience this from time to time.

I think I might make this an irregular occasional 'thing' now - to experience Mass in different parishes. After all, each parish will have different 'charisms' (I like that word) to draw on and that will come out in the celebration. I think it would be good to broaden my experience of Mass and the differences I find will give me more to think about.

Pope Saves The World!

by Tony | 4/19/2009 in | comments (0)

Far from being just the centre of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican is now looking to ecological initiatives to not only go green, in and of itself, but also intends to use its resources towards dragging Italy with it.

Apparently, there's enough land owned by the Vatican outside the confines of the city state to allow it to go beyond the benefits offered by the recent installation of photo-voltaic electricity generation on the roof of the hall used for Papal Audiences when they're held indoors. Now it seems that the Vatican is going to install a further solar power generation facility that will produce enough juice to power 40,000 households as well as Vatican Radio - allowing the Vatican to actually export electricity. The Vatican might actually get a GDP!

This is fantastic news. The Pope Saves The World! Well... maybe not entirely, but he's certainly doing far more than you might expect for a country as diminutive as his... He's certainly setting a high standard.

Hat tip: http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/2009/04/pope-to-pursue-heavenly-power-in.html

Evensong

by Tony | 4/19/2009 in | comments (0)

Today I had the great pleasure to attend Evensong at Norwich (CofE) Cathedral, in the choir of which a good friend of mine was singing.

It was a joy to listen to such heavenly voices and listen to an organ that was played so wonderfully I could feel its vibrations through the soles of my feet. I so rarely experience such things and there were moments in the singing that were so truly those of sublime beauty that the notes must have reached Heaven itself. Fitting then that the moments of perfection were at the instant the choir sang "Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Ghost". That pure beauty and pleasure was dedicated to He who made all things, is in all things and who sustains all things. It was, indeed, glorious and every hair stood on end. I shall treasure the memory.

God died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

by Tony | 4/12/2009 in | comments (0)

Those words are from an ancient homily and are repeated within the Office of Readings for yesterday and are definitely worth meditating on.

Imagine it...

The all powerful God takes human form in the person of Jesus while still remaining complete in His divinity. And that person dies - physically dies - so that God may share in our humanity and in our own suffering. But being God, being the One who created us, who made life, who sustains it, death can have no power over him. This joining of our experience of mortality with God's experience of eternity seals our destiny forever. We cannot be separated from God: we are his people, his children, his eternally beloved.

That the Son of God should voluntarily choose to experience death! That death should be vanquished by His divinity! No wonder Hell trembles with fear. For we only have to choose God and live by that choice and evil can have no power over us. Ever.

Whatever disasters may befall us, whatever nightmares may plague our resting, whatever ills may plague our waking, we will always have God. And what a joy that is!

Christ has died. Christ IS risen. Christ WILL come again!

---------

The full reading to which I refer is at: http://www.universalis.com/20090411/readings.htm It's the second reading. Read it... it'll stop you in your tracks, and if you're anything like me, it'll bring tears of awe to your eyes as well.

Where on earth is compassion?

by Tony | 4/09/2009 in compassion, home alone kids, prosecution | comments (0)

I was dreadfully saddened today to read the account of a mother from Wales who has been prosecuted and convicted for 'taking a holiday' and leaving her children at home.

In bare terms, put like that, it's all too easy to criticise and judge. Bad mother! Heartless! Abandonment! But then, when you look at the circumstances behind the 'crime' you find something very different indeed.

This woman had been working for 16 hours a day, doing two jobs, to support her family and sister who has unspecified mental health issues. And by the sounds of things she wasn't getting any thanks - or help - whatsoever. After coming home one day, dog tired from work, she encountered her children and her sister doing nothing but screaming at her. And her tether snapped. She gathered a few things and walked out of the house. She ended up in Cardiff Airport and just jumped on the first available flight. It could have been anywhere. It happened to be Spain. And she landed there with no money, no accomodation, no nothing. It certainly wasn't a 'holiday' in any sense that I understand the word. After a couple of days she came to her senses and her family - who had stepped in to look after her kids - arranged for her return.

What I want to know is how the authorities decided it was a good idea for this poor woman to be prosecuted. What good does it do - to the woman herself or her family or, indeed, society - for her to be given a criminal record because she ran out of capacity to cope with an incredibly trying situation? Where were the authorities in all this in the first place?

This woman was working 2/3rds of the day. She had no time for herself, barely any time to eat and sleep. It doesn't sound like she's a bad woman from my point of view. To me, she was struggling to do the very best for her family in very bad circumstances and I'm not surprised the pressure got to her in the end. And, being the good mother she actually is, she's reportedly appalled at her own actions.

And the State prosecutes her. And we all know that having a criminal record - suspended sentence or not - is really going to help her get her life back on track, don't we?

I'm appalled. Not because a mother found that her circumstances completely broke her, but that the State thinks that it's a good idea to heap insult upon injury by considering that she needed to be 'taught a further lesson' by means of prosecution. It seems to me that the State should, instead, be offering her assistance in caring for her children... childcare or daycare, financial assistance, medical care for the ill sister, someone to turn to when things get too much.

She should never have been prosecuted. She should have received compassion and care from those who have it within their power to help but chose not to.

If ever you're asked what is going wrong with the world, then this is a good example.

Chrism Mass

by Tony | 4/08/2009 in | comments (0)

I'm off to the Chrism Mass in Norwich tonight. Oddly enough, in all my 38 years, I've never been to a Chrism Mass, so this will be something new and interesting for me. One thing I'm certainly looking forward to is some decent singing - I don't hear much good singing at Church (this isn't a criticism, it's just that we have such a small congregation that there simply aren't enough voices to make the music swell).

Hoping to meet a friend afterwards as well.

Today has been and looks like it's going to continue as a good day. To the extent that one 'enjoys' something as solemn as Holy Week, I can say that I am. It's meaning a lot to me this year.

Facing East, a thought...

by Tony | 4/06/2009 in | comments (6)

I read quite a bit, round and about in the blogosphere, and I see lots of arguments and complaining about 'Ad Orientem' - that is to say, the priest 'facing [liturgical] east' when celebrating Mass, also commonly thought of as 'his back to the people', and a thought has just occurred to me... (cue fireworks, 'cos original thoughts are quite rare for me!)

The priest perceived to have his 'back to the people' does so because he is offering the sacrifice of Mass on the people's behalf and as part of them leading them all towards the same God, yes? (Correct me if I'm wrong or drawing too succinct a conclusion).

Now a lot of people don't like this: because they can't see what the priest is doing they don't feel part of it. They begin to feel an 'us and them' distinction (which of course isn't there).

So... (and let's leave aside the practicalities of my idea)... if the altar were to be positioned in the centre of the church, with the congregation to the left and the right of it, all - priests and laity - facing the same way, would this alleviate some of the impressions of separation?

The priest has the only faculty for the consecration of the host and the wine, but perhaps in such a physical arrangement the lay people would feel the priest was *amongst* them in carrying out the consecration - i.e. his faculties but 'our' community.

I appreciate that this doesn't work in large congregations or where the layout of the church doesn't support it, and there are probably all sorts of other incredibly important and real reasons why this wouldn't work, but it's just an idea and I float it out there to see how quickly it gets shot down... Free free to take a pot shot!

Reminders of mortality in Holy Week.

by Tony | 4/06/2009 in | comments (0)

Today brings news of a deadly earthquake in Italy, only 60 or so miles from Rome.

Lives have been lost and buildings - including, according to reports, churches - and possessions have been destroyed. It is so tempting to give in to despair in such situations. When all seems apparently lost and that loss seems so senseless, who can blame anyone for feeling hopelessly alone? Many might wonder where God was during this cataclysm.

But let not the message of Holy Week be forgotten.

Buildings and possessions can be repaired or renewed. They are simply things, replaceable products of man's ingenuity and skill. Lives, on the other hand, are products of God. The message of Holy Week, culminating in Easter, is that lives too are renewed and repaired. Those living are renewed and repaired by the sacrifice Our Lord made on our behalf. Those dying are renewed and repaired by admission into Heaven that we are promised due to our hope and our belief in the salvation offered by Christ.

Let us pray for the souls of those who have died in such anguish, that they may swiftly be forgiven of their sins and may enter into the fullness of the joy of being with our Risen Lord. For them, Easter has come early. May our prayers also gain for us the grace and the determination to work, in this life, for the salvation of all in our world, to relieve suffering and bring about peace, and by these works may we also gain the joy of being with Our Lord whenever our time comes.

Eternal rest, Oh Lord, grant unto those who have died. Let your perpetual light of love shine upon them. May their sins be forgiven and may they rest in peace in your loving embrace forever.

(Image from BBC News: story here)

The Cathedral of the Sea, Talking to Our Lady.

by Tony | 4/02/2009 in Ildefonso Falcones, Mary, Our Lady, Star of the Sea | comments (2)

I have just begun reading Ildefonso Falcones' epic novel 'Cathedral of the Sea' - I am not even a fifth of the way into it yet - but I just have to take a moment to rave about it!

The story is set in 14th Century Spain and, so far, revolves around the life of a young peasant boy, Arnau, and his father as they struggle against the iniquities of the feudal system and the injustices meted out upon them by vicious overlords. The story will, according to the book jacket, chronicle Arnau's life, his trials, triumphs, setbacks, etc.

What has grabbed me most, though, at this early stage in the book, is young Arnau's discovery of the titular church - the very real Santa Maria del Mar of Barcelona. It is described as it is being modeled into THE church for the general public of Barcelona, being paid for by them - in money or effort - rather than lavish endowments by the lords and nobles. Striking is the depiction of the child Arnau's feelings for his mother (or rather the loss of his mother) and his growing love for the Virgin Mary. The book movingly (VERY movingly) describes his search for 'The Virgin' through the city, with each church he encounters not being the 'right' church - dedicated to other saints, etc - and being thrown out of them by unkind priests not willing to suffer a little boy on their premises. And then he discovers, by the sea, the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary whom he as taken to himself as a substitute for the earthly mother he has lost and to whom he has transferred all the love a boy can have for his earthly mother.

In his childlike way, Arnau had trusted the birds of the trees to take his prayers to The Virgin and thereby his messages to his actual mother, long since assumed dead. In a beautiful scene, the writer pictures a flock of birds taking of from a new church - the Cathedral of the Sea - and, at last, Arnau finds a gentle and kind welcome from a priest. Inside the church of Santa Maria del Mar, Arnau finds what he has been looking so hard for: a simple statue of the Madonna and the Christ Child - simply carved, not especially decorated, speaking only to its subject and not about the riches of any benefactor. And Arnau prays simply and freely to the Virgin Mary, in one of the most moving scenes in a book I have ever read.

For anyone who has ever wondered why Catholics are so close to Mary, then I can do no better than recommend this segment of this book to illustrate a little of why we love her so much for her motherly care of Christ and thereby for all of us. If you have ever felt alone or bereft, if you have ever yearned for the love of your mother when it wasn't available for whatever reason (I lost my mother over 10 years ago, for example) let this book, if nothing else, remind you that the Blessed Mother of Our Lord loves us all and is available to all. Talk to her freely, unburden your heart, tell her of your pains and your joys and feel the comfort of her spiritual embrace and her joy in your happiness. It's free and it's as real as any mother's love you have experienced.

'Cathedral of the Sea' could end up as a pot-boiler but it would still be priceless for this illustration.

Our Lady is often called the Star of the Sea: this is because she is seen as a guiding light for us as we journey towards Christ, in the way that a star would guide a sailor. Therefore, since 'Cathedral of the Sea' centres on the Santa Maria del Mar church of Barcelona (shown in the picture) it is appropriate to pray:

Maria, stella maris, ora pro nobis.

Mary, star of the sea, pray for us.

Never go to school reunions...

by Tony | 3/29/2009 in | comments (2)

Well... don't if you're not particularly satisfied with the decisions you've made with your life.

I went to a 'reunion' of my primary school yesterday - this year being its 50th Anniversary. And I have to say that it wasn't exactly the most fun experience I have attended. Interestingly the buildings are little changed, and even the scale seemed to be much the same as when I left, over a quarter of a century ago, despite my being about twice as big as I was then. But that was the limit of it. There were no people there that I remember, no teachers that ever taught me, and no elements within the vast range of exhibits that had been prepared that came from my 5 years there. In short, nothing but the buildings reminded me of my time there.

And talking of buildings, when I left, after a short time, I decided to visit the local parish church - it being the church where I had my First Communion, and attached to which the school was set up (by nuns, 50 years ago). Sadly I was unable to get in. It saddens me greatly that a Catholic church in the London suburbs isn't open on a Saturday afternoon - you'd think that the nearby shopping 'meccas' might contain a few people who would wish to spend a few quiet moments in contemplation. And, since its school was having an open day, it might have been a good idea to have the church open so that past pupils might come in as well, even if only as a one-off. But no, it was very clearly locked up.

So I left London, bound back to Norfolk, feeling somewhat morose. I was reflecting on the decisions I've taken in the last quarter century. Decisions, which, for good or ill, have seen me to the point I am at in my life now. And it's a point I'm not entirely satisfied with. I regret a lot of wasted opportunities and a lot of things I've done badly at (from the 'mea culpa' point of view).

Hopefully, if there is a silver lining to be had, I'll come out of this more determined to recognise opportunities as they arrive and to not give in to my own weaknesses. After all, there are some paths in my life I feel particularly drawn to. I must take the lesson of yesterday to heart and not let myself repeat the mistakes of the past. The alternative is simply not worth thinking about.

Uniting my small sufferings with Christ's...

by Tony | 3/27/2009 in penance, sorrow, suffering | comments (0)

Having now gone to Mass and returned, I am in a better mood.

This morning's reading was very appropriate for the state of annoyance I was in.



First reading	Wisdom 2:1,12-22 ©
The godless say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning: ‘Our life is short and dreary, nor is there any relief when man’s end comes, nor is anyone known who can give release from Hades. Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing. He claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a son of the Lord. Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking, the very sight of him weighs our spirits down; his way of life is not like other men’s, the paths he treads are unfamiliar. In his opinion we are counterfeit; he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth; he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy and boasts of having God for his father. Let us see if what he says is true, let us observe what kind of end he himself will have. If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies. Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his endurance to the proof. Let us condemn him to a shameful death since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’ This is the way they reason, but they are misled, their malice makes them blind. They do not know the hidden things of God, they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded, they can see no reward for blameless souls.

I was reminded that those who are Godless refuse to recognise the goodness of God. They wilfully reject it and actively seek suffering for those who ARE of God. As it was for Christ so it continues to be. But I have a consolation those who attack do not have. I have the knowledge of who it was who came from God. I have the knowledge that I am a part of the Body of Christ by being a member of the Church. As part of that Body I suffer willingly the attacks and the taunts because I know they cannot take away my faith. And I am comforted by the fact that I can, in my own incredibly small way, unite my own sufferings with those of Christ.

I offer up my own sorrow at being attacked by those who hate my Church as part of my Lenten penance. May I be purified by this sorrow and seek to become better for it.

Another attack on Catholicism allowed by the BBC...

by Tony | 3/27/2009 in anti-catholic bias, BBC | comments (0)

Watching BBC Breakfast, just a few minutes ago, and in the context of a discussion about removing the anti-Catholic bias in the laws about Royal succession (and also the anti-female bias as well) I was very annoyed (but not especially surprised) that the 'expert' commentator, the well known historian David Starkey, was allowed to get away with a vicious attack on the Roman Catholic Church without any question or reigning in by the presenters. With the benefit of my Sky Plus box I was able to retrospectively record his comment and here it is transcribed, verbatim (my emphasis to match his spoken emphasis):

But there's one body in the world that is more profoundly discriminatory than any other and that is the Roman Catholic Church. It does not allow women to be priests, it is profoundly hostile to homosexuals, it has been abusive - the Pope has been abusive - to Islam. You know, isn't it very odd that we are falling over backwards to - ah - alter our customs to a body which is so profoundly discriminatory?

Well, Mr Starkey (or Dr Starkey, although Wikipedia makes no mention of your Doctorate, oddly)... Isn't it odd that you would seek to misrepresent the Church? You're well known for your views - you're well known for your homosexuality, for example, which is a telling point - 'political homosexuals' (or homosexual by opinion) in my observation are typically far more biased, arrogant and opinionated than any who are simply homosexual by orientation. You clearly have an axe to grind: you're clearly the sort of person who believes that 'anything goes' and anyone who doesn't believe the same as you should be anathema, to you, personally, or towards any concept of equal treatment.

But let's not get into an argument about sexual orientation. This is yet another example of the BBC's editors and producers allowing people to comment without any instruction to the presenters to reign them in when making terribly inflammatory comments about Catholics.

We don't believe in women priests because we don't believe women can be priests any more than we believe that women can be men or men can be women. The Church believes that there is an essential character to the priesthood that is indissoluble. It's not a matter of culpable discrimination. It's a matter of intrinsic belief. But Starkey, et al, are not interested in that. So the BBC let them go on the attack on the basis of an incorrect assumption. And the assumption it never questioned and the attack is never forestalled even when it's not relevant to the discussion upon which the invited commentator has been asked to pronounce upon.

Previously I would be fairly uninterested in reports of the BBC's anti-Catholic bias, but it's happened in front of my own eyes this time. And I am annoyed.