Sunday, May 24, 2009

Interview with Archbishop Nichols


The Times is still misquoting the Archbishop over his remarks about Irish abusing clergy needing courage to repent. I think it is interesting that the papers that followed that line were the ones who journalist's were sworn at by Peter Jennings, the Archbishop's present (or is it former) press secretary Mr Peter Jennings for reporting that some Bishops were not entirely happy with the Archbishops appointment. I think it was payback time.

Dominic Lawson has a typically hostile Times interview but there are one or two interesting bits and pieces.

Adoption agencies

“We have been pushed out unnecessarily. There are 400 adoption agencies in this country and all but 11 – the Catholic ones – would accept same-sex couples. I don’t think it was appropriate to push out those 11 – who had a record of placing the most difficult children successfully. It was a disproportionate response [by the government] and the victims are the children, not the church.”


What does Nichols think about Blair lecturing the church in this way, so soon after joining?


“I think it was extraordinary. I also think his political instincts, which are very strong, are not a good guide to the teachings of the Catholic Church, and a bit more reflection is needed as to the relationship between political instinct in general – and certainly his – and the nature of the truth that the church tries to put forward . . . Maybe he lacks a bit of experience in Catholic life.”

2 comments:

I.P. said...

MPs are extraordinary people, some see the removal of dry rot in their boyfriends house ,or the provision of a dog bowl ,as expenses incurred in the course of their parliamentary duties, and others join organisations which have clearly defined principles which they are required to accept to join and when safely inside proceed to declare that they do not accept those very principles. Mr Blair did that with the Labour Party, perhaps he sees Christian traditional moral teaching as the religious equivalent of Clause IV of the Labour Party Constitution.

Many of us do not have that degree of mental elasticity.

Fr PF said...

An indication of Dominic Lawson's own very interesting opinion on the Government's treatment of the Catholic adoption agencies can be seen his recent article in the Independent.

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