Item one: priests as employees
Last week in The Catholic Herald, the government of Great Britain decided that priests were employees of the bishops. This has horrible repercussions in many areas of Catholic Church life. This means a diocese is responsible for all the actions of their priests. I disagree with this. Each priest should be responsible, and be seen as an "independent, self-employed person." This ruling complicates tax laws, and of course, relates to the sex scandals.
My home diocese was brilliant in 1910 creating a situation where every parish was a legal, independent charity, separate from the diocese. Personally, as a small business and small charity supporter, I think this is a much better arrangement. The dioceses are too big and too unrelated to what happens on the ground for this type of law. Is the general or the entire military responsible legally for one soldier or naval officer?
Item Two: suppression of schools
This week, in the same newspaper, the government stressed that free Catholic schools, (which I am against on principle that state curriculum is not Catholic curriculum), must allow as many as 50% non-Catholics in these schools. When will the British stop giving into the government on education and abandon these truly non-Catholic Catholic schools? A Catholic ethos cannot be maintained under these circumstances. This rule means that the schools MUST accept these quotas, turning away Catholic parents who want to send their children to a Catholic school.
It is obvious that this government is against Catholic education, as this law, and the secular curriculum forced on the schools undermines Catholic teaching and culture.
Wake up, British Catholics, and take matters into your own hands.
Item three: the Blairs strike again. (And, I cannot get this extra enter line out!)
In the same issue, July 27th, yet another article on Tony Blair reveals, (as if we did not know), that he is not a practicing Catholic. In fact, did you know that we faithful who follow the teachings of the Church regarding abortion, contraception, and homosexuality are "doctrinal ideologues"? Tony and Cherie should just be quiet. They make theological statements and doctrinal statements revealing not only their ignorance, but their arrogance. See my earlier article on Cherie. What a couple...not good advertisers for the Catholic Church.
They cause scandal.