Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham's press officer Mr Peter Jennings has described the security measures for
Cofton Park as "draconian".
Mr Jennings said: "I think the security's draconian. But I can't question the authorities on security.
"They're in charge. The government is in charge of the security and they have to make the decisions."
In a statement, the Cabinet Office said: "A very good job is being done in Birmingham towards organising the event with dozens of organisations involved.
"The government is working with local authorities and the police and has to balance security whilst working with the church to secure a good experience for pilgrims."
Does this mean that it is the government to blame for even babe's in arms being charged twenty-five quid to attend a Mass celebrated by the Vicar of Christ?
13 comments:
Fr Ray.......................
Well my girls are scared of being shot by Muslim extremists! Am I joking? sadly...no! So I would have thought the more security the better.
Re the money..is it not going towards the Church?
We have several benefactors..ie those who can afford to sponsor a child or person in need..is that not what fellow Catholics do?
They do up here in Brum!
Now then Fr Ray..we've had a good moan about the Liturgy, the music, the money, the security..err what's next?
Perhaps the intention is to have maximum security and zero risk by discouraging everyone from attending?
Unfortunately if you read this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1530337/Muslim-accosts-injured-Para-in-hospital.html
you may imagine the depths to which the dregs of society might go, given an opportunity.
I believe that someone has to pay for the financial mess which the previous government has left Britain in.
JARay
Last Sunday I spoke with a priest friend who has a more than modest role in Church affairs within the Vatican.
He told me that Mgr Marini is totally fed up with the way the E & W Bishops have behaved over the Papal visit.
Perhaps this is the means by which the Holy Father is made aware of the sorry state of Catholicism in this country.
Draconian? 'Draconian' is where you see a sign that reads:
'HALT! WER WEITERGEHT WIRD ERSCHOSSEN.'
According to the Vatican, "People cannot move freely on foot to where the three major public events will be taking place. They must use arranged transportation and all the seats must be allocated to an extremely precise number. This isn’t how people usually travel to take part in the major events during the Pope’s journeys. So this must be taken into account and this is dictated by the security needs of civil authorities."
“Also with regard to access for the media and journalists – there are checks and restrictions that are quite demanding, more so than in other trips. This does not depend on the Vatican and neither does it depend on the local Church.”
So yes a lot of the blame is with our over-the-top 'security experts'.
Good old Foreign Office?
I cannot recall a single example of a girl in this country being shot by a Muslim extremist. That is not the way Islamist extremists operate. The security is completely over the top for the Papal visit, not because it is necessary but because we have had 13 years of Stasi type government, and because the powers that be know that Catholics by and large are compliant and desperate to see the Pope, and will put up with more or less any obstacles that are put in their way. Documentaries from the Pope's visits to other countries show him mingling happily with the faithful - sadly the only people he will get to mix with freely here are politicians and faux-catholics like the Blairs. I should think the only bit he will enjoy will be his meeting with Her Majesty the Queen - even she is not kept from her people in the draconian way he is being separated from us.
On the face of it, the security measures do seem OTT. But I believe that of all the countries the Pope has visited England presents the greatest threat to his safety; a veritable Daniel in the lions' den.
The virulent opposition comes not only from those of other faith but, significantly, those of none. Don't forget that our counter-terrorism branch will have been listening in for months to mobile phone conversations and will have a pretty good idea of the strength of opposition to the visit.
This is a very different country from the one JPII visited in 1982. No longer are we a nation of live-and-let-live
Despite the severe restrictions there is nothing to stop determined opponents acquiring tickets through parishes and disrupting the Mass. You only have to take a peek at some of the gay websites to get the sheer hatred and calumnies being spewed out towards the Holy Father and, as a group, the gay lobby is very well organised.
I pray that the turn-out of faithful Catholics will be so great as to show those who despise us that we are not dead and we won't lie down.
There is a serious plot afoot to sabotage the Papal Visit .It is State Visit which means an invitation by HM Queen Elizabeth through her Government.
We are being led to believe that anything instigated by the Labour Party was a criminal waste of money and has to be dealt with properly by the "Brokeback Coalition".
All the nutters & ne'erdowells like Stonewall &CWO have been given free reign to voice their nonsense through the rabidly anti-Catholic Garbage-Press and BBC.
The latest garbage about the troubles in the North of Ireland is just more of the same
On the subject of the visit I see from the Guardian website that there is now a 'Catholic Voices of Reform' to counteract 'Catholic Voices.'
Sad - especially as non-Catholics are going to find this as amusing as the 'People's Front of Judea' and the 'Judean People's Front' from 'The Life of Brian.' And guess which organisation will be interviewed by the BBC for their views on the Papal visit?
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