UK media have rounded on Edmund Adamus, Director of Pastoral Affairs for the Diocese of Westminster, for truthfully calling the UK a ‘ selfish, hedonistic wasteland’ and exposing the rampant anti-Catholicism unleashed in the run up to the Holy Father’s visit.
The consistently anti-Catholic paper The Guardian gave its usual platform to militant homosexual groups, such as Stonewall, who called Mr Adamus’ comments ‘gratuitously offensive.’
Homosexual activist Ben Summerskill smugly commented: ”The gratuitously offensive comments being made by the archbishop’s adviser are hardly likely to promote sensitive debate about respect for religion in the 21st century. You would think that, given its present status, the Roman Catholic church in Britain would be slightly more sensitive about wagging its finger at other people”.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Adamus’ comments ‘are likely to cause tension ahead of the Pope’s state visit to Britain later this month.’
Paul Vallely of The Independent indignantly rebuked the uppity Catholic, ‘All this is spectacularly unhelpful on the eve of the papal visit.The Catholic Church has insights to offer the rest of society…But that will not be heard above the indignation generated by Mr Adamus’s incitement to cultural war. He is no doubt about to get a major ticking off.’
Also, Jerome Taylor of The Independent rang round the usual anti-Catholics to give them another opportunity to vent their righteous fury at Pope Benedict and Catholics like Edmund Adamus:
‘Peter Tatchell, a leading figure behind the Protest the Pope coalition, said: “The suggestion that gay equality laws make Britain a moral wasteland is insulting but not unexpected. The Pope supports legal discrimination against gay people. He says we are not entitled to equal human rights.
“[But] to claim that Britain is the centre of a culture of death is absurd. We are a world leader in scientific research to develop new medical treatments to save lives and we make a significant contribution to helping combat hunger and poverty in developing countries.”
In response to the liberal establishment furore the press secretary for the Archbishop of Westminster informed the media, ‘the views expressed by Mr Adamus “did not reflect the Archbishop’s opinions’.
Protect the Pope comment: If people took the time to read Edmund Adamus’ interview in Zenit they would see that he presents a positive message based on Pope John Paul’s prophetic ‘theology of the body’. He also frankly speaks the truth about the causes of the moral decline in this country, and the purveyors of the Culture of Death will not tolerate this. They are attempting to intimidate the Catholic Church into being a mute, impotent force on the margins of public life.
All this fury is being directed at Mr Adamus, like Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue before him, because he won’t go along with the Big Lie that is being endlessly repeated like a mindless mantra, ‘This is a tolerant, liberal country that upholds human rights’.
And what of the comment made by the spokesman for Archbishop Nichols? Last week we learnt that he won’t speak out for fear that it will cause disunity among the bishops. This week we learn that he’s unwilling to stand up for his Director for Pastoral Affairs, when he promotes the teaching of Pope John Paul II.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/01/archbishop-aide-britain-hedonistic-wasteland
‘the views expressed by Mr Adamus “did not reflect the Archbishop’s opinions’
Is that spokesman saying that the Archbishop is a tentative Catholic? I am inclined to believe that the “spokesman” was fabricated to give credence to Paul Vallely, James Taylor and Rizat Butt’s misleading articles. As you say, one really ought to read the full text of Mr Adamus’ interview. And for those who have not come across it, here’s a link to that interview dated 23rd August 2010: http://www.zenit.org/article-30134?l=english
Oh, dear. Rage does make one commit error with names. I meant “Jerome” Taylor and “Riazat” Butt.
This is an excellent article you should post: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100052099/the-bbc-worldview-opponents-of-papal-visit-are-decent-human-rights-activists-opponents-of-new-york-mosque-are-racists-and-loonies/
Being attacked by the leaders of popular opinion of the day also happened to Our Lord, I seem to recall. Faithful Catholics (and I emphasise the Faithful) can only expect to be attacked in our society – and sadly, sometimes in the Church as well.
“Being attacked by the leaders of popular opinion of the day also happened to Our Lord”
Yes, but to push the analogy even further, you’ll recall that those attacks originated from the religious establishment of the day, for whom Jesus reserved some of his most fruity language.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+23&version=NIV
[...] to digest. Adamus was roundly denounced in the secular media, and even hung out to dry by his own fellow Catholics. A Catholic in the Independent, for example, told Adamus to “get out more,” calling his [...]
[...] to digest. Adamus was roundly denounced in the secular media, and even hung out to dry by his own fellow Catholics. A Catholic in the Independent, for example, told Adamus to “get out more,” calling his views [...]