| AFTER the explosion, we can hear nothing for a while but the ringing in our ears, and, sometimes, the faint tinkle or crash as something falls down that might have been a story in quieter times.
Bishop Graham Dow, for example, often credited with bringing Tony Blair to faith at Oxford, now believes that the Government is demonic, or at least, illegitimate. How else is one to parse his remarks at a Synod fringe meeting that this Government has moved from being a Romans 13 one to a Revelation 13 one?
As The Times put it: “The Bishop of Carlisle, the Right Revd Graham Dow, told a fringe meeting of the General Synod that the Government was like a demonic beast imposing its morality on the nation.”
The BBC website was more direct: “The Bishop of Carlisle has compared Gordon Brown’s Government with a ‘demonic beast’ from the Bible. The Rt Revd Graham Dow accused the Government of behaving like a seven-headed beast in ‘imposing its morality’ on the nation.”
The Telegraph helpfully gave chapter and verse, at least in its web story: “Chapter 13 in the Book of Revelation begins: ‘As I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the names of blasphemy. . .’
“It ends: ‘Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.’”
Of course, the sort of people who would attend an Anglican Mainstream meeting on homosexuality wouldn’t need this help, since they either know the text by heart, or, if they have been sent by the other side, need only look down to see if they are covered in spots and equipped with large, clawed, furry feet.
Only two representatives of the great beast were present, though: The Guardian and the Press Association. They stood towards the back, and the Bishop didn’t at first notice them. Only after he had compared the Government to the great beast of the apocalypse did he realise that the press was present, at which point he said that he didn’t want his remarks reported.
Was he retracting them, then? No, he wouldn’t do that. He just didn’t want them reported. So they were, of course, and in any other week would have been a bigger story.
IN OTHER NEWS that you could not make up, The Times carried a straight-faced report of a Manga Bible (reported in this paper on 9 March 2007): “He comes to town as a stranger, a silhouetted superhero ready to save the world. He’s dark, he’s moody and he deals in miracles. He is Christ.”
The Times reports that “Siku [The author] admits that these colloquial flourishes, such as when he described Jesus as ‘the “badass” that kicks everyone’s butt’, have caused some problems. ‘I got into trouble with some Christian forums for talking like that,’ he said.”
There is also the obligatory quote from “a Church of England spokesman” who thinks this will appeal to young people, apparently because the lead singer of his son’s band is a big Manga fan.
THE OTHER STORY of the week has only just begun. Austen Ivereigh’s libel suit against the Daily Mail arose from his resignation last year, after he made a journalist pregnant while working as Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor’s adviser and press spokesman.
In his presentation of the case, as reported by the Mail, the paper had dug up evidence from an Oxford girlfriend of his 20 years ago, who now blames him for an abortion she had at the time. He blames her mother. The whole thing is squalid and damaging to the reputations of almost everyone involved. It has the potential to grow more damaging as it continues.
Yet it does highlight one very important point. Roman Catholics nowadays really don’t expect to stay chaste, but can still be anguished about an abortion. It is not disputed by either side that the pregnant journalist intended to have an abortion after Mr Ivereigh decided not to marry her. She claims that he manoeuvred her into a situation where she had no choice.
I am not sure that the Church would see this as a defence of her conduct, especially as Mr Ivereigh contends that he did everything in his power to persuade her not to, short of marrying her. If he wins against the Daily Mail, he will sue The Catholic Herald next. That will be interesting. |
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