Sometimes you have to laugh. And often, I find, a fit of the giggles comes on just at those moments when it would be highly inappropriate to let them out. But this is not one of those occasions. This time, giggles and guffaws and near-painful belly-laughs are the only sane response.
The man to whom we should give full credit for this cheerfulness on a grey December day is DUP councillor John Finlay of Ballymoney. John has been telling anyone who’ll listen his opinion on the planned visit to our island of “the wonderful and ever so humble Pope Francis.” See what John did there? Irony, it’s called.
Because John is agin a Papal visit. What’s more, he’s shocked that others of the Protestant faith haven’t stepped up to the spiritual plate and shared his objection.
Why does John think they should join him in opposing a visit here by Pope Francis? Because “the Pope claims temporal and spiritual power over the whole earth.” Fair point, John. Nobody in their right Protestant mind would favour the visit of a man with such global ambitions.
But there’s more. John says the Pope “claims to be the Vicar of Christ on earth, but the Reformers and Puritans correctly identified him as an enemy of Christ and the of the Gospel.”
And not just any old enemy of Christ. John knows his Westminster Confession of Faith and he quotes it: “There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Church, against Christ and all that is called God.”
Now, John concedes that some will see the above as “ the bigoted ramblings of a past age”, but he doesn’t care. He stands four-square behind those words. What’s more he calls on “all evangelical Protestants in church and state” to likewise speak out against this proposed visit by the Antichrist.
John, we’re in your debt. It’s easy to slip into an on-the-one-hand-on-the-other frame of mind, on matters political as well as religious. In a world where others get stuck in the muddy fields of compromise, you stride clear to a firm foundation and tell it like it is.
My only misgiving is that mixed in with my admiration of John’s bold stand is a vague feeling of guilt. Because, you see, I’m a Catholic, but I don’t really mind if the Pope comes to Ireland or not. Back in 1979 I passed on Pope John Paul II and I think I’ll pass on this one as well. But I really do hope John Finlay and those of equally high-minded Protestantism get out there and jeer and blow whistles and yell “Go home, you man of sin, clear off you Antichrist you!” Because maybe then the world will know the kind of people we are trying to be reconciled with.
And that’s no laughing matter.
Aah, Christianity, what was it the Romans, pre Pope, used to do with them?
Very funny jude
carrying on the mantle of Paisley, plus ca change…………..
It will be a litmus test for unionism, will they be able to produce another firebrand like Paisley to rally them once more against the rise Catholicism in Ireland or have they resigned themselves to their fate.
What greater way of demonstrating that sectarianism is over for good than the leadership of unionism welcoming the head of the catholic church on his visit to Ireland.
I mean, if they can do that, what is the problem with helping to create a new and inclusive Ireland?
Personally, I don’t believe they will be able to muster anyone with sufficient charisma or sanity to fill a bus never mind stop this from happening.
It will certainly give the catholic church a much needed boost all over Ireland, especially the dwindling number of Catholic priests which they are struggling to find.
“It will certainly give the catholic church a much needed boost all over Ireland, especially the dwindling number of Catholic priests which they are struggling to find”
I think even the Pope knows the solution to this issue is allowing Priests to marry Jessica. There’s nothing in the Bible that says a Priest must not marry, as far as I know anyway. St Peter the Disciple, regarded as the very first Pope, had a wife. I think they should allow Priests the option of marriage or remaining in celibacy. I think the role of Pope will always be filled by a celibate Priest/Cardinal.
that would have to include gay marriage wouldnt it.
“that would have to include gay marriage wouldnt it”
Hardly billy, the Catholic Church opposes gay marriage and gay adoption. They have said they would close every Catholic orphanage if they were forced to allow gay people to adopt children. I doubt very much they would ever accept gay marriage (which is their right) since they still oppose divorce.
Marriage for the priesthood would not help in any appreciable way, if you want to increase the numbers entering the priesthood follow the path of those who follow Traditional Catholicism like the SSPX who have no problem with vocations, just have problems accommodating the numbers joining.
You shouldn’t take advantage of the less fortunate Jude
johns protest could be side lined if social media(facebook) is anything to go by.victims of past and ongoing sex abuse are already talking about protests,maybe he will make a statement before his visit of his intention to apologise.who knows.
BALLYMONEY: HOME of the SILENT COLLECTION
The intellectual intray of John Finlay
Is jampacked with ideas quite outré
Our Fat Harry
Liked to marry
Six times – for the Wee 6, is the way!
Oh dear …oh dear …where do I begin on this one? What year is it again, Jude? Oh yes…2016….the very 21st Century of the Common Era …also known as 2016 Anno Domini.So we’re heading for the invasion of the Great Satan in the shape of the Anti-Christ from Rome.? Well I’d better keep the door closed on that day in case I catch something like that noro-virus bug the wife picked up in the hospital last week…..no …let’s not go there at all, come to think of it.
I remember writing a piece for the blog some time ago where I thought it would be a great geg to coordinate a joint visit By His Popeness and Here Maj on the same touring-ticket …Yep …both at the same time!…A sort of Cosmic DoubleAct.I’m sure that if they could nail the logistics they’d be able to re-coup all that cash that Arlene has lost up the chimney recently in the great Heating Scandal …and maybe even make a profit from all the tourists and assorted punters by selling assorted Anglican/Vatican memorabilia.
How I’d ever get out of the house when they arrive in tandem and as the tourists invade by their millions from across the world to descend on Armagh at the Ecclesiastical Capital of Ireland, I’v e no i real dea at all…..but I’ll stock up with enough food and wine beforehand in any case!!
No no no Harry, you have to spread them out.
Why have only one influx of visitors when we can have 2.
Its all about the milking of the proverbial teat
Ahh…but think of the billing, Jessica…What a pure sell that bill would be .It would be bigger than ressurecting Elvis!…I can see the posters now ….and the television rights too…
there will be some q at the border that day,passing through the new passport control.ime sure the customs will have planed in advance.
A lot of Irish Republicans, and a minority of Unionists, all say the conflict was about nationality, not religion. On the part of Republicans I think this belief is mostly down to wishful thinking, they don’t want to be described as being apart of a Religious conflict. Only recently have some Unionists started saying the conflict wasn’t down to religion. I think this has more to do with the changing demographics where a Catholic majority in the North is inevitable than any genuine opinion of the troubles.
The truth is religion has played a big part of the recent conflict and of our history here in Ireland. The sectarianism in the North didn’t begin in 1969, it goes back centuries, hence why the recent conflict is regarded as just another mere chapter in Ireland’s bloody history. The blame for that history rests with Britain.
John Finlay and many others are to blame for the religious sectarianism in our society. John Finlay may be simply dismissed as a bigot but he’s a very dangerous bigot. If your going to literally demonize the head of a Church, then logically anyone who takes John seriously will regard all Catholics in the same light as the Pope. Ian Paisley Snr is a prime example of this. Unionist paramilitaries make no secret they targeted Catholics simply because they were Catholic, the fact they played no part in the conflict didn’t make a difference. It was religiously driven. Many UVF/UDA have admitted Paisley made an impact on them, with his anti-Catholic preaching and even referring to Catholics as “vermin”. Paisley received tens of thousands of votes, showing the influence and support he had. Paisley may be dead but you can be sure there’s some people like him still in some Churches preaching hatred and passing it on to another generation, people similar to Mr Finlay.
As George Galloway said on the Nolan TV show when Pastor McConnell preached against Muslims: “There was a time when these same crackpot pastors were preaching that Catholics were the spawn of the Devil”.
Of course the majority of Protestant ministers/pastors have reacted positively to the Popes visit and that’s welcomed. The fact Mr Finlay attacks these people shows what I referred to many times before, that if anyone in Unionism/Protestantism moves towards a moderate stance then they are attacked by the extremists and often retreat. The extremists rule the roost and they do so because they have support.
“Because maybe then the world will know the kind of people we are trying to be reconciled with. And that’s no laughing matter.”
I doubt very much we can be reconciled with the likes of Mr Finlay, religious fundamentalists aren’t exactly the most reasonable people.
But I hold a lot of hope for reconciliation and co-operation between the different Churches here. I don’t hold much hope for reconciliation between political Republicanism and political Unionism, the truth is most in political Unionism simply don’t want reconciliation.
A lot of good work is done on the ground between communities in order to promote reconciliation. Many ex-Political prisoners, both Unionist and Republican, have done great work trying to help young people avoid trouble at interfaces, get educated and realize we have far more in common than separates us. There’s obviously still a massive amount of work to do but our past needs sorted before this work can be completed.
“The extremists rule the roost and they do so because they have support.”
“The extremists rule the roost and they do so because they have institutional and government support.”
See UDA funding through Charter NI
https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2016/12/11/perfect-storm-breaking-over-stormont/