Catholic Ragemonkey

Thataway, Cousin!

Most readers know of my affection for all things British (as if the above post didn't demonstrate). Call it a malingering leftover from days of basking in the exploits of Danger Mouse and Penfold while topping it off with a couple of tea while reading Charles Dickens. And let's not even consider the obnoxious role Monty Python et al. play in this question. Case in point: how to recognize a Python fan at a single drop, say this: "I don't care how runny it is, produce it forthwith." You know have a humdinger of a fan if you follow that with: "Oh, I'm sorry, this is abuse; arguments are down the hall." When you add in my father's Welsh heritage (The "Tharp" surname means "from the village" and so probably had a vowel at the end to tag on the placename) and my mother's Irish heritage, those fair isles are a constant friendly beacon to me.

So, once again, I was pleased to see this note in the Telegraph. Apparently, the UK is having some of the same kerfuffle that CC in SF did. So, after Mr. Blair pulled a climbdown (I think that means backed down) and seems to refuse to permit the Catholic Church from opting out of adoptions by same-sex individuals. The potential damage to Labour party politics seem high. As I read the article I was also heartened by the support the UK Catholic Bishops are receiving from the Muslim community. This is another good example of where the truth is praised and loved, there can be common work together. Further, what I like to see here in this consideration that while the Bishops are getting their dander up, the majority of objection is coming from the MPs themselves. That's really super to see; it's a good witness to how faith must play a role in someone's life, even if they are a public servent. This whole "Personally opposed, but my constituents want..." line never washed with me. Happily, it isn't washing there either.

Bully to you, cousins across the pond! Hopefully, I can make another trip to the UK soon. Perhaps someone would like to book a Catholic priest-author for a little time in my homelands.