There was some recent and familiar foreboding when an episode of the superlative New York police series ‘Blue Bloods’ began with the arrest of a police chaplain. But- surprise, surprise- it was not for paedophily, and of course it’s not set in Glasgow anyway. He was arrested for drunk driving. The drinking was because he felt he had let down a friend who committed suicide. More interestingly, he felt that his New York police flock no longer seemed to need his ministrations. Perhaps this will be a new media theme for the Catholic priest character, and like all media dramatic themes it must be one which is easily recognised , and therefore part of the zeitgeist. Which makes you think.
We are not to be intimidated by being called ‘anecdotal’- after all this mode is the basis of the Gospels. But we do notice that since the dramatic decline in auricular confession, almost the entire congregation receives the Eucharist. This is, in any case, apparently very common in the UK. Auricular confession is never comfortable, but its decline is considerably easier to understand when one can apparently be confessing to a serial paedophile priest, thanks to the ‘transfer them somewhere else’ policy. This also makes you think.
We repeat again that, when current events give us the chance, this blog is about the dragon in the room, how China will inevitably affect the lives of our grandchildren, or even children, in the next thirty years or so. Last week’s ‘Tablet’ pointed out that there are only 3 students for the priesthood in Beijing. We appreciate that Glasgow has 2 seminarians, but there are 25 million people in Beijing. But we must look to our bishops . With what we feel is the unattractive frenzy of the drowning man, Bishop Yang, rector of the official National Catholic Seminary in Beijing would have us believe that this is for family reasons, and China’s policy of the one child family. Every language has its ironic and dismissive put-down. In Glasgow we say ’Uch, away ! ‘ : how we wish that we knew the Mandarin equivalent. So the celibacy nonsense and the paedophile reputation of the Tridentine priesthood hasn’t really happened , in this age of the internet?
The ultimate vindication of an extension of ordination to the laity and its parishes must surely be the future of the church in China , and consequently the world. China is not going to go away.
Who knows when the title of this blog may be an everyday event? Who cannot hope that it is soon ?