By far the most frequent question asked of me nowadays is: “How are you getting on; are you coping?” It is asked with great sincerity, and, as often as not, with a pitying look. I don’t mind that. It is nice that people are concerned, and I appreciate their support. If the context is such that a conversation can take place, the questioner usually follows up with something like “What do you miss most?”
The attempts to clean up the Vatican bring home the extent of the corruption that has informed the Catholic Church’s administration.
The Italian bias in the way the church has been organised has led to its involvement in Italian politics and power, including connections with the Mafia.
Pope Benedict did not know what hit him when he was first confronted with the venal set-up in the administration of the church; it all seemed to be out of his reach, ending in his resignation.
I am currently reading, and greatly enjoying,Gabriel Daly’s book, Church, Always in need of Reform. It is both erudite and very readable. The following extract gives a flavour of the book. It is part of a chapter on ecumenical relations, and here he is reflecting on the Protestant Reformation:
“When in the sixteenth century western Christians became divided from one another, it was not only mutual love and unity that were damaged.
