Look before you leap into bed with Rome
Pastor Dale Morgan
Look before you leap into bed with Rome*
By Cristina Odone
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 20/02/2007
Telegraph
For generations, Roman Catholic schoolchildren in this country were
taught to pray for the conversion of England. Their prayers may soon be
answered: as talk of an Anglican schism grows, a leaked report hints
that the Church of England may recognise a modified form of the papacy.
This may seem an unlikely development in view of ancient prejudices:
Anglicans inveighed against "the whore of Babylon", while Catholics
scorned their Anglican brethren as heretics. But, at a time when both
Churches suffer from falling vocations, dwindling attendance and
depleted coffers, this marriage of convenience may not sound such a bad
idea. Before we strike up the band and get the confetti out, though, we
should ask: do Anglicans know whom they're getting into bed with?
Editing the Catholic Herald in the early 1990s made me realise that the
popular view of the Catholic Church owed more to fiction than fact. The
British saw my Church as an Evelyn Waugh creation steeped in incense,
tradition and heavenly choirs. How they recoiled when they set foot in
their local Catholic church and found a liberal Lefty priest preaching
that raising taxes was part of God's plan, while tone-deaf youngsters
wailed Kumbaya.
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In the same way, those Anglicans who want to break away from Canterbury
over gay priests will be horrified to learn that a great many Catholic
priests are of a similar persuasion. Those who bemoan their wishy-washy
liberal clergy will be shocked to find that much of the Catholic
hierarchy is trapped in an Old Left mentality that regards Neil Kinnock
as dangerously Right-wing. Anglicans who hold up the Church of Rome as a
model for its black-and-white certainties should consider that, even
under a German Pope, Catholicism is about the Italian art of arrangiarsi
- or getting by. Thus, the Church bans birth control, but the majority
practise it; condemns divorce while allowing annulment; forbids
homosexuality, but shields paedophiles within its ranks.
A faith that teaches that even the worst sinner can confess and receive
absolution is immensely appealing, so it would not surprise me to hear
that some Anglicans are flirting with the notion of sheltering under our
umbrella. But let them know the facts, not fall for a fantasy.
Everyone knows television is bad for children. But we didn't know quite
how bad: obesity, a weak immune system, premature puberty - a catalogue
of ills can be blamed on the box, according to new research.
If things had gone to plan, these findings would have been a supreme
vindication for my husband and me. From the outset, we decided to ban
the toddler from watching television. She would grow up uncontaminated
by vulgar culture, crass consumerism and coarse monosyllables. She would
be erudite and innocent, and would look blankly at mention of the
Tweenies or the Fimbles.
Problem is, we could not extend the ban to other households. So while we
congratulated ourselves on Isabella's devotion to her grandmother -
wasn't it sweet, their inter-generational love? - her growing allusions
to Bella, Fizz, Jake and Milo made us realise that Granny was great, but
her television was a big draw, too. The same was true of our daughter's
visits to friends, her uncle and his girlfriend.
We sadly concluded that in a sea of television addiction, we might be an
island of sanity - but our baby was an eager little swimmer.