Churches were open today under Covid restrictions. Fine, but the real test will be when they open for the first time after Mass attendance is made obligatory.

Undoubtedly the Roman Rite in Scotland has taken a pounding over the years – eloping bishops, paedophile clergy, embezzling priests, etc. Every old car mechanic used to say to amateurs ‘If it’s working, leave it alone.’ Perforce, the engine has had to stop . Not merely the couple of generations who have pretty well abandoned it , but even its mostly senior followers must be wondering what will happen on the first real Sunday . The fright effect of Covid-19 may bring back some. But it has also targeted some ageing regulars. Others may have found the break welcome. Who knows ?

It could also have been just the thing to let the Scottish bishops begin a whole new relationship with the Flock as a splendid way of winding down the Roman Rite, since new ‘rites’ will undoubtedly have to be created, like those initiated by StJP” in 2010 and Pope Francis in 2014. But- yes, you’ve guessed- its not as easy as that. Not here, anyway. And two individuals are involved.

Surely anybody would be entitled to imagine that we were finished with the priest , suspended by his archdiocese and under police investigation for a relationship with young people , the phenomenon which brought about the end of the Roman Rite in the first place, disgusted and scandalised millions, and had an Oscar winning film made about it. Apart from anything else, surely we were finished with the so-familiar response from non-Catholic friends and fellow workers ? Surely now in particular, in 2020 with the future of the Church locally on a razor’s edge ? Now, cut off from religion apart from TV shows? Surely? No such luck. And how could it possibly have happened again ?

The other individual is that a week or so the UK received a new Apostolic Delegate. (I’ll go into the word ‘apostolic’ another time) .He is Archbishop Gugerotti, who will bring to his task in Britain all the benefits of his work in Armenian, and in the Ukraine. In the Curia in 1885, well thought of by StJP2 and Pope Doppelganger, but that was all a while ago. Who knows? He is here as part of the quite unnecessary level of Vatican bureaucracy which selects our bishops, and apparently there are several ready for the brothpot in England.

Just think how wonderful it would be if the Scottish bishops restarted Mass in the new era with General Absolution for all attenders. As we know, Canon Law , published in 1917, said it was possible only for grave reason, without knowing what a pandemic was like until Spanish Influenza in 1918.For what it’s worth, in my humble way, I think Covid-19 qualifies. But a new Apostolic Delegate ?

Will the Scottish bishops take the risk ?

What risk, you may ask. We shall see.

Occasionally, I feel like reminding people that the Church has 24 parts in 2 sections, all are ruled by the Pope and almost all the time he is talking about the Roman Rite, the biggest.

At the recent Amazon Synod Pope Francis was expected to accept that if the Eucharist is to be provided for the world, and not almost exclusively by secular priests, it would have to be by ordained parishioners. But he didn’t. He said celibacy was a gift to the Church. I know, I know.

1. Pope Francis is 83. Believe me, I felt old then. It is tiring, this age thing.

2. He has tried to do too much. He should know that St Ignatius was against Jesuits killing themselves with work. It’s not practical, and it does affect clear thinking.

3. No other Pope in history has ever had a dozy old doppelganger dressed like him following him round the Vatican. Even if you were never an executive of any kind, think about it !

4. He had a motley crew of opponents snapping at his heels with his every word.If that ever happened before, it wasn’t for long. Just saying, not condoning the bad old days.

Having said all that, what is it about this celibacy thing ?

1. Has anybody ever seen any cogent explanation of how it is a gift to the Church for a secular priest? Giving oneself a pat on the back , yes. Let’s not ever confuse it with the religious orders and their triple vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. This is a real dedication of the entire lifetime experience to God. Don’t compare it.

2. Is it to gain respect for the secular priesthood ? Respect for restricting the Eucharist’s provision to a select few ?

3. Functioned because some were afraid of women ? Let’s not forget Augustine, St Jerome and co. here.

4. Kept going because it’s a Masonic type thing. All brothers together with a shared bond those lay folk don’t have ?

5. Orders is orders if you want to get on ?

6. Cardinals McCarrick and O’Brien were celibate. In their way, of course.

7. Pope Francis knows the Roman Rite is defunct. Charity will always define his papacy. Is he simply being infinitely sympathetic to all the old men of the Roman Rite who lost family and companionship and suffered all the problems which celibacy unnecessarily brought ? They did their best with the only game in town at the time. This may be the only thing which makes sense of his endorsement of celibacy .

Otherwise, everybody knows it’s only a Church rule, because occasionally children of masspriests, those married men ordained only to say Mass, sold off bits of Church land. In 1074, Pope Gregory VII, who seemed to think he was a property developer, brought it in.

The scenario is that in 2020 people can’t get the Eucharist, which is what the Church is for, because in general only secular priests , those who are celibate and supported by a parish, are ‘permitted’ to provide it. Show me the concept of ‘permission’ in the Holy Thursday Gospels. We are in fact commanded to provide the Eucharist. ‘

All baffling at the moment re Pope Francis, who allows the other 23 parts of the Church to have married priests and ordained parishioners. Even more baffling from the Polish Pope and the Doppelganger, who ordained Anglicans with families.

Occasionally one is reminded of Bertrand Russell, one of the world’s greatest intellectuals before his old age . He hailed a London taxi, and the driver said,’Oh, it’s you. What’s it all about then?’

Is the answer just a new Pope with a real chance to get on with things?

The most hated woman in the Roman Catholic Church ? St Peter’s mother in law, of course !

(Remember two things :

1. There are 24 parts to the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite- our branch- is only one of them

2. Canon Law was put together in 1917 (rev.1983)

I once met someone who thought Canon Law was a person-a parish priest somewhere .Someone who does think he is Canon Law has emerged from the Vatican woodwork. Always mindful of the Vatican principle of blinding them with science, he scrupulously follows the routine by not using 20 syllables where 40 is more fun, He is called the head of the Apostolic Penitentiary. A Cardinal Piacenza.

(I’ll let the statutory Italian name and the free use of the word’apostolic’ go just now. There’s a time and a place)

This is what he said the other day :

‘Even in the time of Covid 19, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is administered according to the norm of universal Canon Law and according to the provisions of the Ordo Paenitentiae’

Well ,that’s it. Tough if you’re dying, but Canon Law comes first. Let’s have a look and not for the first time at Canon Law.

As I may have said before, Canon Law was not put together by the Apostles in the Upper Room because they had done all the crosswords and were passing the time. Canon Law was codified in 1917- an instruction from St Pius X beyond the grave- : ‘with a view to put together with order and clearness all the laws of the Church thus far issued, removing all those that would be recognised as abrogated or obsolete, adapting others to the necessities of the time, and enacting new ones with the present needs’ (Among those who put it together was young Mgr Pacelli, who did quite well later on)

Note that these are the words of St Pius X, a pope with all the flexibility of Pol Pot on a bad day. I’ll repeat his words:’adapting others to the necessities of the time, and enacting new ones in conformity with the present needs’.

What is upsetting the Apostolic Penitentiary is the very idea of any change in the matter of General Absolution.

I remind you: General Absolution, according to Canon Law (1917;rev, 1983) insists on conditions about danger of death, plus the ridiculous necessity of confessing later to a celibate pries supported by a parish. There were none of these persons, of course, until the 16th century and these conditions cannot be found in any Gospel account of the Last Supper, the sources of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Given these two circumstances, I say to him:

1. The death roll in Italy and elsewhere in a world with a priest shortage

2. ‘adapting others to the necessities of the time , and enacting new ones in conformity with the present needs’

Why is he going on about the provisions of the Ordo Paenitentiae?

Why is General Absolution not being administered generally, and without any musty and irrelevant inhibitory blethers from him? Does he not know that otherwise sane people are already debating the lunatic notion of absolution by phone- or Morse code, or semaphore flags or hell know what due to him?

When the Roman Rite staggers to its feet again before the overdue realisation that it cannot continue, Cardinal Piacenza may have a place in history, although not one he may want.

The point is it may not staggers to its feet, as the world lives on for the first time since the first Holy Thursday without the Mass being available to us.

I feel oddly glad.I think it’s too late. The Roman Rite is defunct and in particular with regard to the forgiveness of sins .Its right to insist on forgiving sins in its own self-centred, weird power-possessed way- not that it ever had one- was killed off by Covus 19.

May it forgive our sins. And then let us also have the Eucharist. That is what the Church is for, and what is the Roman Rite to inhibit it ?

The Church has 24 sections. It can have as many as are needed. The Polish Pope established a new section in 2010, the Macedonian Rite. Pope Francis established a new one in 2014, the Eritrean Rite .

Why can’t the Roman Rite die in a dignified way, and let us follow Christ’s Last Supper instructions by having our sins forgiven and receiving his Body and Blood ?

Why not ?

There are several basic principles underlying this blog.

1.The Roman Catholic Church is not the Catholic Church. It is one of the 24 parts of the Catholic Church. It is the biggest by far- about a billion. It’s called the Western Church. There are, however, about 16 million in the other part, the Eastern Church- Ukrainian about 4 and a half million,Syro-Malabar 3-4 million. Some of the other members are tiny. Think of one of the new giant- now empty- tourist liners, followed by a couple of trawlers, and the rest as rowing boats. Some of them are very ancient indeed. But some are very new indeed. The Polish Pope started one up in 2012. And Pope Francis started another one in 2014. They are called ‘rites’ but this is because of tiny differences in how they produce the Eucharist , which is what the whole Church is for. And this is what it is for, and not to give a lkot of old men with funny hats and spectacles a position of personal power. Sorry if I spoke too freely. Well, not really.

In other words, a Pope can start up a new section whenever he feels like it.!I am not making this up ! Check it out on Wikipedia. But tske my advice and ignore any mob ending in an (x). Life’s too short.

I’m talking about the 24 sections of the Church which function under Pope Francis. Hit Youtube, and you’ll see them functioning at Papal Coronations. They’re ahead of the game beardwise, but some singers !

When I think of Pope Francis, I can’t help thinking of the great statue of Laocoon and sons being strangled by serpents.

But he did blow the chance of transforming the Church by coming out for celibate priests at the end of the recent Amazonian Synod. In other words, stating that the only way we can obtain the Eucharist is through celibate priests supported by a parish. I had a great wee book at school. It was called the Four Gospels. And I’d be greatly surprised to find this concept mentioned in it anywhere, especially in the parts dealing with the Last Supper.

Your Holiness, you blew it. Surprising for a Jesuit. but there you are. So now we have to look to the next Pope.

I propose to dedicate the next parts of this blog to looking at what the next Pope will. do. And the dragon in the room is China, and its millions seeking spiritual assistance.

According again to Wikipedia, there are fifty thousand parishes without celibate priests supported by a parish.

Can we get on with it and Feed The Flock ?

The folk song goes on to add ‘ on the banks of the Boyne in the morning ‘ in case you wondered. Here might be a place to thank Glasgow’s Orangemen whose part in supporting Catholicism in Glasgow must never be underestimated. Would many care without them ?

Feed The Flock !

Apparently in the old days of newspapers, this time of the year was known as the silly season, although the distinction between the press at this time and any other is always hard to see. However.

The Catholic press this weekend produced two crackers, as Frank Carson used to say.

With every appearance of seriousness, an Irish correspondent in the ‘Tablet’letters page actually uses the expression ‘alter Christus’ of priests in the Roman Rite. No, re ally. Is there an Irish Brigadoon ?

I have no theological education, although I hope to devote some time to this later. The concept, I mean. This expression is one I find distasteful. All I will say is that it has been defined , if I have it correctly, as being something said about priests by other priests who did not have the guts to blow the whistle. And I shall not mention my erstwhile curate, done twice for paedophily,`the on-line gambler priest or even Cardinal O’Brien.

There will be an Amazon event in October. If nothing else, it will help the Roman Rite , to which most Europeans belong, to look at itself. I hope the other 23 sections of the Church get a laugh from this; after Cardinals McCarrick, Pell,and O’Brien , I feel they are due one.

But according to the ‘Catholic Herald’ panic has broken out in Rome among some . A Cardinal Mueller says ‘In all seriousness (sic) , in the formation of future pastors and theologians, shall the knowledge of classical and modern philosophy of the Church Fathers, of modern theology, of the Councils now be replaced with the Amazonian cosmovision and the wisdom of the ancestors with their myths and rituals?’

If you don’t know what’s worrying him, neither do I . A less charitable writer would have commented on the absence of good Italian restaurants on the Amazon. After all, some ultra-dynamic young Pope will transfer the admin centre of the Church to some Indonesian island perhaps, and why not in geocentric terms. The panic has started !

Interestingly,Amazonian Bishop Krautner- the only bishop with guts enough ever to say to a Pope- ‘What is the score here? People aren’t getting the Sacraments’ has commented adversely on the nonsense of ‘viri probati’. Atta boy!

I remind you that the average age of To Feed The Flock is about 86. Are bouncy castle Catholics going to return to our churches every Sunday to be faced with some senescent for Mass ? Or will they come to receive the Eucharist and General Absolution from a parish-elected thirty year old taxi owner ? I know what we think.

I leave you with this for the moment. No actuary will give you the odds on To Feed The Flock being alive to see this. You never know, of course, but while we’re here we’ll try.

All we ask is the Eucharist for ourselves, our children, and their children as Our Lord asked at the Last Supper. And for a billion Chinese.

Once again we have a controversial statement about Cardinal O’Brien from Archbishop Cushley of St Andrews and Edinburgh, this time on local television. He did not of course introduce the subject of Cardinal O’Brien, first of the 3 great disastrous cardinals of the present century, but was asked to comment. What a great chance to take a stand against them – Cardinal Pell is still supping porridge, as they say in Scotland.

But what does he say? That O’Brien divided opinion. Many still see a division of opinion about Stalin, after all- you can still buy the Daily Worker in my local supermarket !

But to be serious, what kind of division . If your’e going to say something as daft as this on television, some kind of quantitative- nay, qualitative as well- must be added. Never a good mathematician, even I know that a division postulates two sides. One side is constant and refers to a hypocritical sexual adventurer who betrayed thousands of Catholics who looked up to him. It’s the other side that is intriguing. Who can they be, and is their opinion worth considering ? Ulsterman, physics teacher- I cannot imagine either group standing by him. Patter merchants will have long ago withdrawn the hem of their garments. People who didn’t mind their church collections being used to buy him an expensive house or houses ? This must be surely a statistically negligible group, should it in fact exist.

Of course, one of today’s great mantras is ‘It’s not fair’. One of TV’s great programmes is ‘Can’t Pay-They’ll Take it Away’. This is the almost universal response to the demand that rent for accommodation should be paid. It is now becoming now the almost universal response to anything that doesn’t suit. My favourite, from one of those fascinating programmes about railway stations, was from a lady whose train was delayed. That too was not fair. ‘It’s not fair’ she complained. When this mantra is extended to medical complaints, then truly the NHS will be threatened.

Does the other leg of Archbishop Cushley’s proposition feel that O’Brien’s end was in some way not fair? That in a country so sharply divided in terms what he did was fair ?

The Italian concept of campanalismo, or that my church steeple is better than yours, is to me childish. But is this just an Edinburgh thing? I know no one in Glasgow who feels that O’Brien was treated unfairly, and if they exist they’ve been very quiet.

Seminary education, ever since the Council of Trent, has ultimately proved disastrous. I give you Cardinal McCarrick and the rest. When I say that I doubt Archbishop Cushley has ever done a day’s work in his life, I an not applying some early 20th century Marxist apparatchik litmus test.I am simply saying that he has never had to go to work in 21st century Scotland , work at any level, work in which a Catholic is viewed at best with puzzled amusement, or at worst with quite inexplicable distaste.In the nicest possible way- and there are many, many other ways of putting it- he simply does not know what he is talking about when he says that opinions about O’Brien are divided. But the implications of what he says are to be lived with daily in the workplace. Think about it.

I have assumed that the opinions to which he refers are Catholic opinions. The opinions of others are, I am afraid, interesting but irrelevant.

I had thought of establishing an entirely different title than ‘Feed The Flock’ for this website. The title considered was ‘Nonces and Nuncios’

I am taking this at the moment under advisement, as the judges say in TV crime shows. But it is tempting.

Meanwhile, let us hope that Archbishop Cushley reconsiders his approach to the Cardinal O’Brien scandal.