Sunday 25 April 2010

WHAT'S GOOD FOR PRIESTS ISN'T GOOD FOR FCO JUNIORS


The hypocrisy of the Vatican!

I feel I should apologise for blogging on the same subject twice in succession, but I had a quick glance at the papers this evening and I really began to wonder if we’d stepped back in time to All Fools’ Day.

It seems that the Vatican has taken the insulting proposals for the Pope’s visit very seriously and mutterings in Holy See are that the Pope may cancel his state visit to Scotland and England. Apparently the British Ambassador to the Vatican City State was summoned this afternoon to see the Secretary of State, the man in the Vatican who deals with Foreign Affairs and is the de facto Deputy Pope. The matter will now be discussed with the Pope himself.

It appears that this, on top of other matters such as Richard Dawkins’ threat to have the Pope arrested, persuaded officials at the Vatican, that acceptance of the invitation delivered by Jim Murphy on behalf of the Queen was a big mistake.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Senior Papal aides suggested the Foreign Office had not taken strong enough disciplinary action against those responsible for the document.

Now I’m not making excuses for the idiot employee who wrote this rubbish, but what was it that the FCO did to the guy? Oh yes. He was reprimanded and transferred to other duties.

Now then, what was it that these bishops did, sometimes with the good Cardinal Ratzinger’s knowledge when they discovered a priest had been abusing people in his care? Oh yes. They reprimanded him and transferred him to other duties.



See the connection there?

The only conclusion that I can draw from this is that a stupid, childish and disrespectful prank is, in the eyes of the Vatican, on the same level of severity as the hideous crime of child abuse. Would that be about right?

Or is it, to be totally honest, that anticipating an embarrassingly hostile reception when he landed in Edinburgh, and realising that he had only been invited as part of a pre election publicity stunt by the Labour Party, the Pope was desperately looking for a good excuse not to make the visit? And we handed him one on a plate.

Whatever, it’s not looking good for Spud.



Pics: Foreign Office and The Vatican





32 comments:

  1. That wid be the same Vatican Secretary o' State wha said that it's no celibacy that drives priest's tae abusin' weans, but homosexuality. "That's the problem" he said, while pointin' oot the Church door, "Ower there, look, nuthin' tae dae wi' me."

    His other hand wis behind his back and his fingers were well crossed.

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  2. That's the boy... the one that the Vatican had to tell the world "misspoke"... Lol Miss Poke... Oh sometimes I'm just too much for even me... ha blloody ha.

    Anyway, he's a bit of a loser it seems if he got that one all mixed up.

    But you take my point Sophia, they seem to think that that's sufficient punishment for their priests but presumably we should flay our guy till his skin comes off.

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  3. It's funny ye thinkin' it tae be a Huntie Gowk tris. That thought struck me when ah saw that the memo wis written just last month. Was it circulated roon' Whitehall on April 1st ah wonder?

    It's the only sense ah can make o' whit sounds like Toby an' his flatmates fae the Thick o' It gettin' tanked up oan Pimm's an' haein' a laugh.

    Still, if it's scared the Pope aff, then it's a result.

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  4. Do you think all this negativity might put his holiness off coming? Spud will be happy, I notice he has dropped this like a hot brick. Not on his PR radar now!

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  5. Ye're bang on the nose wi' the contrast atween the Vatican's outrage ower a piece o' paper an' their ain continual coverin' up o' thoosans o' cases o criminal abuse. Even aside o' their brutal monsterin' o' bairns, the psychological damage they're happy tae inflict on women who err, on kids who think they might be gay, on anybody who doubts their faith, should really be enough tae have the Pope, his cardinals in red, his bishops an' prelates an' aw his hingers-on locked up for years.

    Sorry. It's aw too much fer me. It's got me feelin' like auld John Knox th'day, an' he's a man ah never had much time for.

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  6. We can but hope Munguin.

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  7. Jist by-th-by, it wis ma pal Jenny that chucked her stool at the meenister when he startit tryin' tae read us the English Bible. Ah kent she wis gaunnae kick-aff when ah picked her up tae go tae Kirk, she wis still half-cut fae the night afore. We had ended up at the Assembly oan the West Bow, so ye can tell whit kind o' a night it wis. Her faither Mr Geddes had telt her she was muckin' oot the cludgie fer a week fer comin' in sae late. The face oan her.

    She wisnae fer talkin' so we sat an' didnae say much. The meenister had got gaun an' ah wis jist aboot droppin' oaf when she suddenly startit screamin', aw that 'Wha daur say mass in ma lug' an' 'Ah hope ye get piles, ye auld fart' (which they aye get wrang, that Evenin' Courant reporter wis staunin' miles awa) an' then she jumps, well ah wis sittin' oan ma stool right next tae her, an' ah ended up oan ma arse. Wi' aw thae hunners o' skirts ye had tae wear in thae days, ah couldnae get tae ma feet, an' it wis aw ah could dae, whit wi' aw the rammie gaun oan an' folk fightin' an shoutin' an' chuckin' things, tae crawl tae the door an' stand up. So ah got shut oot o' the Kirk, an' ah jist went hame, no kennin' that she had startit a riot that went oan till past six o'clock.

    Mind, ah'll gie Jenny her due. She still mucked oot her cludgie an' made it tae work oan time oan Monday mornin'.

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  8. Sorry tris, ah went aff oan wan there. Ah wis thinkin' aboot auld Mr Knox ye see. Sorry.

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  9. What an exciting life you have Sophia.

    And yes, I'd agree, locking them up would be a good idea.

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  10. LOL... I think you should take one of your calming pills and have a wee lie down.

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  11. Whit, ye mean sittin' here aw day typin' keich fer ma ain amusement? Aye, mibbe ye've got a point.

    Ah'm no stoppin' tho.

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  12. I'm watching the debate on BBC 1... I'm sorry Dean, David Mundell is absolutely lost in that company. Even Jim Murphy is doing better. Malcolm Bruce is pretty smart too. And my MP Stuart Hosie is playing a blinder. Well done Stuart. I'm proud to be stuffing envelopes for you.

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  13. It's as likely tae be the pills that startit it!

    An' ah cannae lie flat cos o' ma sair back. Ah wid never get up.

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  14. Ah... You maybe need to go for a jog around the block then Sophia.

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  15. Ah'm thinkin' o' runnin' up tae the Scotsman building an' shovin' a mitre up Spud's bahoochie. He's annoyin' me.

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  16. Stuart's playing a blinder though. I didn't realise he was that good.

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  17. Dinnae dae that Sophia, Spud's no worth the bother. Jist hae a wee drap o tea and a digestive.

    If this nonsense stops the Pope coming here then all well and good. We can't afford the road show.

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  18. I watched it to and my God that Jim Murphy....I'd swing for him if I were there and I'm a republican!

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  19. Tea and a digestive? Nah, take a wee drappy gin and a chocolate hobnob. Of course it won't clam you down, but hey who wants calming down.

    Yes SR. Let's save the money. We don't trade much with the Vatican and the security costs will be gigantic because of Ratzinger’s compliance with criminal behaviour. If he wants to come, and he doesn’t he should make it a spiritual visits, in which case the Vatican pays.
    I repeat. This was another piece of brown electioneering that went belly up.

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  20. What's being a republican got to do with it Munguin?

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  21. Everybody knows that we republican are a gentle and sweet natured breed. (Except when cutting off royal heads.) With the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein.

    But Murphy is annoying with a capital A. I think Jim must have gone to a special school to learn to be that irritating and has cultivated that condescending demeanour. I imagine if the Pope did come it wouldn’t take spud long to get excommunicated, he would probably even drive the Rev Dr Ian Paisley up the wall.

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  22. He's aimin' tae be Blessed Spud o'Mawkin', patron saint o' obsequity.

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  23. Ah, thanks for the explanations you guys.... I understand now.

    Lord love us... Spud beatified... beautified would be a good start.

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  24. You would think the Vatican would love any publicity that didn't mention paedophile for a change.
    The FCO letter dumped Jim Murphy in with Wayne Rooney as a bad influence. Scroll to the diagram on this page..

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1268577/Foreign-Office-apology-Pope-condom-slur-mocking-email-storm.html

    ps
    You will have to get a spellchecker fitted on your blog. It's hypocrisy not hypocracy ; )

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  25. First off cheers for the heads up on the spelling gaffe. I write so much in any day that there are bound to be a few that get through. Je m'excuse! It's corrected now. :¬)

    Yes, a diversion from being accused of the most horrible of crimes might have been nice, but their heads are so far burried in the sand we should look for them in New Zealand!

    I notice that Alex Salmond (spelled incorrectly, but who am I to speak?) is also on the list! That's smart as he will be among the first to meet him with the Queen at Holyrood Palace as may Jim Murphy.

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  26. Oh Sophia... I meant to say earlier... it's not just for your own amusement. We like it too. I'm not sure why you don't have your own blog...

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  27. tris ..
    Yes you would think they would get the spelling right for an established politician like Alex Salmond. Obviously a young brainwashed drone still picking his plooks and admiring his bumfluff in the car mirror.
    You're almost there on the spelling of hypocrisy. ( not hypocricy)

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  28. Oh bugger... want a job writing a blog?

    Cheers :¬) again.

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  29. ha ha, couldn't handle all the flak you guys get !

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  30. Och Anon... most of it is great, and every so often you get a great compliment and it makes all the work worthwhile...

    Just occasionally it gets irritating, but that's what free speech is about.

    By this time of night I'm havering....

    Night

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  31. aye night night

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