Pope Joan and 'The Natwest Three'

There was a very entertaining programme on Radio 4, I think yesterday, on the way to work. I need to research it, but there is a new book out retracing the Papal line back to way back when (I told you that I need to research it!).

Anyway, the main subject of the programme was Pope John, whose dates of reign I can't say at the moment. He turned out to be a woman, Joan, and, oops, gave birth in public view. This, of course was a huge scandal and was much documented, although I think it was said that there is no concrete proof of her existence.

What really made me chuckle was that, after Pope Joan, there was a chair made for the ordination of subsequent Popes, with a hole in it. Allegedly, the Popes-to-be had to sit butt neckid on this seat, and an official had to reach beneath the hole to feel for testicals...when testicals were felt, the official cried out to the expectant crowd, 'He has testicles!'.
Whereupon, the crowd would respond, 'God be praised!'.

The comment made on the radio to this was, apparently Pope Alexander the ?th, who had fathered many children, was also supposed to have been in the time when this was practice.  It was remarked that, it was difficult to imagine that he had had to be subjected to such undignified groping...Classic.

This morning, in 'On the Ropes', John Humpries gave one of the 'Natwest Three' a good grilling. The guy has written a book.  This was almost transparently done to overcome huge costs incurred by employing lawyers to fight his case before and during the imprisonment of the three (who were implicated in the fall of Enron). Excellent stuff and well worth a listen. I had to give it to the 'grilled one', he took it on the chin and only once started to get really defensive, which was swiftly fielded by JH.

Pout for all you're worth!

A busy and pleasant Sunday. After getting back home mid afternoon and rushing round to put dinner on, my 5 year old son was extremely quiet upstairs. 1% of the time this happens he is asleep in bed but only after a massive tantrum. Usually the quiet gives me a feeling of impending doom...Anything could have happened up there, usually taking up to an hour to clear up. Last time he'd emptied all his moon sand all over the carpet and bed.

I took my sorted washing up to his room and hesitated outside...no noise at all.
I peered expectantly around the door at the bed, but it was flat. not much mess either..I felt a bit worried so hot-footed up the other side of the house and heard a little noise from the bathroom. As I peered round I was shocked..there he was in his altogether with what appeared to be red stuff all around his mouth, and all over everywhere else!! I gathered myself to realise that he had rummaged in my make up bag and was experimenting with my coral coloured lippy. I was so releived to see it wasn't a horrific accident with the nail scissors that I laughed. He laughed too, relieved that I hadn't gone hairless. This is why I get some of my stuff from the £1 shop!

'How do I get it off from round my mouth?', he asked..He'd been trying to tidy up his lip job which had been generously applied all over his face. He's also applied it thickly under his armpits, a la roll on deoderant.

Funnily enough, my 19 month old is also very interested in my make up. I will have to get them both demonstrating on my Avon lady round...

Things that puzzle me about the Church

At Mass several weeks ago (a big traditional Church with the 'Head' priest and two others) it was announced that one of the priests was entering Holy Life in his 60's. This is very unusual at this age, normally it's younger. My immediate thought was, ' The man is a priest, surely that means he already is in Holy Life? Apparently not, this man is going into a Monastry. Now that surely is Holy Life. I saw the big Cahoona priest in Tesco the other morning and honestly, if I'd not known him I would not have thought, 'Oh, a priest', as you would exprect.
He was just wearing a ski jacket, no dog collar in sight, which is fair enough but led me to wonder if priests think their job ends at a certain time like office hours.

I'd always thought not, but then you wonder about this huge problem of child abuse in the Catholic church. I've asked my originally C of E mother, 'Why do you not hear of this problem in the C of E? Is it because of the choice of marriage there?'
This is doubtful to me, as I can bear witness to many stories of married or partnered men abusing their own and other children, so how could this be the case?

My mother thinks that, as the C of E is much smaller and, of course, is the national Church, you may not hear about it as freely.

The problem the Catholic church faces has crippled it's growth, although not the faith of the Catholics. It's a total shame. I always think, how can even a 'normal' bog standard bloke even think of looking at a child in such a way, let alone abuse. It's so frightening. But a priest....I mean, it's not that easy to get into priesthood, and surely you must believe in the teachings, so how can they go so totally opposite to what they are supposed to stand for? Are they evil or just extremely weak people?
I pray that this Pope all those in power make some choices that will obliterate this issue.

Allelu, Alleluyah!

I went to the school Church service today. It's C of E and we're Catholic, so having not been in a C of E Church since, well I can't remember a service although I must have at some point. Lovely Church, very austere inside and the whole, albeit small primary school attended.

It was really lovely. The Head (who is a Canon) prides the school on being a big 'singing' school. The hymns were sung without hymnbook and as I was at the front with my row of infants, I was scared I wouldn't know any of them (wondered if the hymns would be different to Catholic), but it was such a lovely transportation back to my own childhood, I soon remembered the words and of course the music is unforgettable. Those children sung their hearts out! His teacher has a lovely singing voice and sang harmony to 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of God'. It made me so glad that my son can experience this with his peers, and not just with his 'ol Mum.

Teaching the faith is an important integral part of life for me. I think I'm the only one of 5 children who has leant on and enjoyed my faith, and even if my children disregard it as they get older, I want them to have the wonderful grounding they can always go back to at any time.

Ash Wednesday

It was lovely to be able to go to Mass today, I havn't been on this day for many years. I can remember the teacher crying, 'No, don't rub off your ashes', as our foreheads itched and I wanted to feel the texture of the gritty stuff under my fingers.

At the end of Mass, the priest said that normally he wasn't bothered about biscuits and the like, but that morning, on a day of fasting and abstinence, he'd had a craving for a biscuit.
The devil in the guise of a rich tea biscuit!
I felt sad that my older son, who can now understand some of the teaching, couldn't attend as he's in C of E school. I can't understand why they don't celebrate the Holy Days, I didn't think there was so much difference.Instead, I've settled for helping to walk the little ones over the road to their church next time they go, which is some consolation.

Thought for today

Just a thought that struck me yesterday whilst listening to a Radio 4 interview with Sara Brown, the wife of the ex Prime Minister, Gordon. She was describing being called over to meet George Clooney who had an appointment with Gordon. The interviewer asked how gaga she went during the short meeting, and Mrs Brown replied that she didn't go gaga, the person who she really went gaga over was Barbara Streisand.

This reminded me of a survey I read about some time ago, where men (with partners) were put in a room with an attractive available woman, and their reaction was documented. It was noted that the majority of the men flirted with the female and/or denied being attached to someone, then openly admitted to being attracted to the female.
The females put in the same position, however, largely protected their partner and denied being attracted to the males. Interesting, and this situation illustrated it perfectly.

Frustrations of the day and fulfillments

I'm a big listener of Radio 4 ...I remember dull childhood memories of it and now I'm glued. Wonder if my sons will feel the same? Love 'Midweek' with Libby Purves on my way to work, 99% of the time I end up an emotional wreck on arrival at work 35 mins after completing the school run. Sometimes I Google the programme to learn more about the contibuters. Worthy people with life stories to tell in the books they are promoting. On eve on the way home from work was a programme about St Joseph's Hospice in a southern uk location. My Dad, recently departed was a contender for the local St Luke's Hospice but passed away before this happened. The man focused on in the programme was educated and humble. In another programme today, John Snow, the newsreader told of his experiences in disaster zones, and he interviewed very well as a decent, humble and educated man.

In contrast, for 2 days now, we have a woman married to a speaker in the Commons? Who is very vocal about feeling how 'sexy' it is living underneath Big Ben (uh?, Sexy?) and dressing in a sheet then my husband tells me she has isued a statement saying that both her and her husband have had loads more attention from the opposite sex due to her husbands promotion in politics, hence power is 'sexy'. I really wonder why we have any confidence in these people who 'run the country'. I've absolutely no patience with this shallow stuff that becomes headline news when, as John Snow says, they have to censor filming people in disaster locations screaming out of windows for their lives. I feel disgusted and disappointed at this culture that promotes such rubbish and gives air time to stupidity.