What is it with the British and the Roman Catholic Church? First, King Henry VIII had England secede from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534, so he could marry Anne Boleyn. All was quiet for a few centuries, but then John Lennon came along and in August, 1966, he proclaimed the Beatles were, “more popular than Jesus.” After that all was quiet for a few decades, but then news came this weekend in a memo from Britain’s Foreign Office suggesting that during his upcoming September visit, Pope Benedict XVI should bless a gay marriage, christen an abortion clinic, and introduce a new brand of “Benedict” condoms.
Via The New York Times,
The leaked memo suggested, in effect, that the visit be used to draw critical attention to the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings on sex and marriage, and to highlight the scandal that has enveloped the Vatican over the sexual abuse of children by priests and child care workers.
Drafted by a junior diplomat, the memo suggested that Benedict use the visit to “sack dodgy bishops,†and that he promote healthy living with a public gymnastics display to include “forward rolls†with children.
A Foreign Office spokesman said the memo had been a foolish attempt to joke about the church’s troubles, and had not been seen by any high-ranking Foreign Office officials before it went out to other departments.
Needless to say, the internal memo, leaked to the media, was an inappropriate attempt at sarcasm. The Catholic Church, The Times wrote, tried to down play the episode.
“The Rt. Rev. Malcolm McMahon, bishop of Nottingham, said that the memo showed “appalling manners†but that it would not trouble Catholics in Britain too much, “as they are getting used to a bad press.â€
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