Seeking after truth

Lying awake at 4-30 am earlier this week, it was instructive to listen to Stephen Sacker interview Archbishop Nicholls on the World Service. In addition to the usual issues about celibacy and child abuse, there was quite a discussion about the relevance of the Catholic Church in the modern world. 

The Archbishop made great play about the role of the church, "In seeking after truth." Even at that time of day, this grated. This is the very same church who went to great lengths to not only deny the abuse of young children by its priests, but also then created an elaborate cover up which further shamed the victims and denied them justice. "Seeking after truth' was the last thing that was wanted. A more concise definition of evil would be hard to find.

And then, there came the news from Northern Ireland…..

The programme had been recorded before it emerged that a Catholic priest had been involved in an IRA bombing in 1972. Correct. A Catholic priest had been involved in a bombing. Collusion between the Government, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Catholic Church meant that a priest who was instrumental in a bombing which killed nine people was moved across the border into Eire where he apparently continued his terrorist activities. This defies belief. This defies the rule of law. This defies any strictures from the Holy Roman Church about being a bastion of morality. It also defies the 'seekers after truth.'

So then, all you catholic 'seekers after truth.' What do you think of the way your church has colluded with the abuse of children, engaged in an elaborate cover-up and denial; and has now been revealed that it helped protect a terrorist? 

Perhaps you ought to let Pope Benedict know what you think…and perhaps you might also let Archbishop Nicholls know too. He is clearly in need of a reality check. Perhaps he needs help about how to define 'truth' too.

And all of us who value the 'Rule of Law'? We need to remain eternally vigilant so that political expediency does not overcome the Rule of Law. Our countries recent history: Iraq, Rendition, Torture, Afghanistan, Civil Liberties; shows there is much to be vigilant about. And when the next Minister for Humbug is on the media banging on about this or that atrocity bear in mind these recent events. 

And question, question, question.