The papal visit moves ever closer and what an event it promises to be! Firstly because this will be a moment of historic and cultural significance, it being the first time since the reformation that the holy father travels to England on the invitation of the State. Secondly because a central figure to both Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism is to be venerated and honoured. Thirdly because it allows the nation to ponder the contribution and role of faith whilst acting as a moment of great joy and encouragement to the many faithful Catholics who reside on these shores.

But that is not to say that the event is without controversy for a strange and unholy alliance is forming in opposition to the visit made up of ultra-protestant fanatics of the Ian Paisley variety and the well organised gay lobby led by the likes of Peter Tatchel. The former group have always loathed all things papal mainly through ignorance whilst the latter have come to realise that perceived homosexual rights will never be fully accepted within Europe for as long as Catholicism remains opposed. Naturally the protesting minority play into the hands of a media who thrive on tension and controversy and thus we can expect some unwelcome fireworks.

The rather noisy minority stirring up bad feeling and whinging about misuse of tax payer’s money would do well to remember two facts. Firstly the Pope is here due to government invitation. It would be incredibly rude for any family, national as well as nuclear, to invite a guest into the home whilst refusing them hospitality. And secondly the cost of hosting visitors to the UK is not something out of the ordinary but a normative thing that also extends to truly shady characters such as Mugabe, Gaddafi et al. How disingenuous people look when they get incensed at the visit of a global faith leader but remain silent at the visit of true despots. Just how inconsistent can people be?

And yet complain and protest they will because there is an anti-Catholic prejudice which runs deep in the subconscious of the British people. It is a residue of the reformation that refuses to go away and is fuelled by our island mentality which is automatically suspicious of all things foreign. How else do we explain the reason why, in a nation that claims to value fairness and equality, Catholics are still barred from marrying into the Royal family and we still burn ‘Guy Fawkes’ on our bonfires every Autumn. I am not averse to the fireworks tradition but why is the guy STILL robed in papal vestments in Lewes each year?

Such anti-Catholic sentiment has been inflated by the media in recent time who have unfairly singled out the Catholic church as scapegoat for all crimes paedophilic. I have written on this before demonstrating clearly that the problem is no worse amongst Catholic priests than in any other institution with access to children. But despite this fact, which has been verified by impartial children’s charities, the accusations remain shrill and we still hear nothing about notorious public schools of the same period nor of children’s homes or Anglican organists. But then what is a little perspective when it comes to selling papers? I do not want to reopen that debate but we must accept that this singling out of the Catholic church has undoubtedly cast a huge shadow over the visit of a man who, in all truth, did more than any other to tackle the problem within Rome.

And so when Pope Benedict XVI sets foot on British soil we can expect drama, joy, devotion, excitement, turmoil and antagonism and for this reason the visit rests on a knife-edge at present. Will the visit catch the nation unawares as the Pope brings a message of genuine joy, hope and encouragement? Or will the cynicism and anti-religious sentiment of our modern media ensure the joy of this visit is undermined by gossip, scandal and silliness? I honestly do not know but remain convinced that if Britain remains deaf to the message the holy father brings then it will not be to his detriment or loss. History will prove him a wise, holy and inspiring theologian but what will it say of our nation at this time?

My plea to you is this. Do not be led by the nose and allow the media to form your opinion. Do not let your own views on the papacy close your ears to the message he brings. Listen carefully to his words and judge him on that message. And those of faith, please pray for him that he might remind a nation abandoning its heritage and faith that religion brings blessings to life.

I think there is a good reason that ‘being nice’ is not a Christian virtue. Not that I am suggesting we should be nasty, it is just that ‘niceness’ rarely combats evil or deals with moral problems effectively. Rather it leads to us becoming fearful of conflict and can rob us of the passion needed to build up a spiritual life effectively. How do we put on the armour of Christ if only ever being ‘nice’? One might battle the devil by being pure or noble but can we do so being ‘nice’?

Niceness demands that we say nothing confrontational when a friend admits to an affair. It demands that we are silent on moral issues lest we offend people and become judgemental in our attitude or intolerant due to our belief. Niceness ensures that only those who look the other way and do not comment occupy the seats of honour at many a dinner party table. I fear that niceness is a plague on our faith.

Furthermore ‘niceness’ breeds that rather vacuous church in which middle class manners eclipse Gospel truth. Everyone wears a sunny smile, Sunday clothes dazzle, but the pressing issues of life and faith are ever bypassed, lest anyone is offended. Meanwhile evermore energy gets ploughed into the village fete or musical concert programme. Such places often thrive as social hubs, they are pleasant places in which much civic good is accomplished, they passionately buy their fair trade coffee but do they foster living faith? Do nice churches challenge society where challenge is not only necessary but vital?

I fear that ‘niceness’ within the decent people of the Church of England is responsible for having allowed Britain to sideline religion without any meaningful challenge. Over the last few years we have been steadily inched out of the public square and politely asked to worship in our homes as if faith is private. And what has been our reaction? Protest? Petitions? Public statements of warning from bishops? No, we have meekly obeyed and even colluded in the secularising exercise.

Fear of conflict and ‘being nice’ does not only affect Christians of course! It has become a way of life for all middle England and it is extraordinary if slightly depressing to witness how little fight people have in them as our civil liberties and religious freedom are being eroded and as we are turned into cash cows for giant corporations and the faceless EU. It would seem most people are happy to bail out banks, ignore corrupt politicians and hand over ever increasing proportions of income to greedy energy companies just so long as the X-Factor continues to be pumped into their homes.

Part of being Christian means taking an active interest in public life and seeking, through loving example and gentle admonition, to challenge what is sinful in our day. Our lives should enthuse others to emulate us. We ought to be inspiring witnesses to a better sort of life. We should be praying in earnest, fighting poverty and injustice, defending the faith and our right to believe, protecting all life as sacred and challenging those in authority to do what is right in God’s eyes.

In short we should be outward looking soldiers of Christ equipped for the fight by looking inwards and upwards. We should be spirit filled disciples whose hearts beat in rhythm with the saints. But sadly, however nice we might be, I fear we have a long way to go for middle class manners and attitudes are more discernable in our lives at present than genuine Christian zeal.

How then do we rid ourselves of niceness and replace it with genuine holiness of life and active passion for justice and action? This is, I believe, is a vital, vital question for the whole Church in our day.

Two commentators on this site, ‘Jonathan in New Zealand’ and Canon Godsall, have suggested that those who endorse the teaching of the Catechism are ‘living in a bubble of unreality’. The argument put forward is that orthodox Anglo-Catholics, mainstream Roman Catholics (and presumably the Eastern Orthodox as well?) have as little credibility as flat earth supporters in our refusal to accommodate liberal Anglican theology. I thank them for their contribution to this blog and now respond by seeking to expose the very shaky foundation on which this attack on traditional Christianity is being launched.

Which is to challenge the deeply flawed but widely held belief that humanity is somehow progressing and becoming more enlightened and pure. This is, of course, the favoured standpoint of the secular West which believes itself to have moved beyond a need for organised religion and indeed the wisdom of the past and sees in its technological advance and narrowly defined defence of human rights a brave new world unfolding.

At face value this modernist theory of human progression is not only plausible but thoroughly encouraging. How I wish it were true! How I wish we were free from original sin and really could prove to be our own saviours through endeavour and achievement alone! How amazing it would be if we could simply evolve into ever more compassionate and dignified people. Then we would be assured of a glorious future in which evil, sin, abuse and prejudice become bygone memory. At last we could abandon our rotten past and place all trust in secular values. How easy life would be!

But sadly the theory begins to look like palpable nonsense as it leaves the safe zone of bourgeois opinion and confronts reality. For where oh where can we find any evidence? Certainly not in this broken world where the reverse seems to be true. If we are progressing then why has our culture of death stopped producing fruit? Where are the new movements in art, music and culture? Is the foul mouthed Tracy Emin really an advance over Rembrandt or Fra Angelico? Does the X-Factor really eclipse the operas and concerts of yesteryear?

And then consider the brilliant work of Niall Ferguson, professor of history at Harvard University. He has undertaken painstaking research to prove beyond doubt that proportionately human beings slaughtered more people( relative to the overall population) in the last Century than at any other period of history. How can this fact be reconciled with the curious notion that we are progressing as a race and becoming a more peaceful and enlightened species?

It simply doesn’t hold water and that is why I would argue that, despite economic and technological advances, the human condition remains precisely as it has ever been. We are just as prone to sin as Adam and as much in need of God’s grace as Eve. And thus where we work with God, seen in the life of the Saints, we move beyond our fallen nature but where we work against God’s will, seen in the shallow society of today, we all too easily sink back to a position of evil and corruption. This explains why Britain falls apart and finds itself morally, financially and spiritually bankrupt at the very point when the nation has abandoned its faith. And who could possible argue that Britain is not broken in our day?

Furthermore I would argue that the advances many supporters of an ‘enlightenment movement’ might wish to site in retort are not due to progress in humanity so much as fortunate consequence of scientific progress. Would equality for women have been possible before the advent of washing machines and fridges? Would Aristotle have argued for domestic slavery if cookers were available then? My point being that greater prosperity allows us to extend greater favour to others but that this is not evidence in itself for humanity growing in grace.

And finally let us not kid ourselves that technological advances in themselves might therefore step in and replace man and/or God as saviour! Because the truth is that they bring just as much decay to life as health. Consider the erosion of functioning communities since the internet turned us into ‘plugged in’ individuals! Consider how television consumes lives and robs society of both volunteer hours and attention. And consider how the capitalist system has created a nation of wage slaves in which children are so often robbed of meaningful time with their parents.

So to my conclusion. We are not advancing as regards the human condition and neither humanity nor technology can replace our need for Christ. And it is because I find nothing in modern culture to rival the truth of the Gospel that I remain thoroughly unconvinced by modernist theology with its dependence on secular values. We who uphold the Catechism (and thus the faith of the ages) are not ‘living in a bubble of naivety’ but simply trusting in Jesus and the faith of the ages.

I understand why many hope (and therefore claim with certainty) that the whole church will one day cave in to the views of modern liberal Anglicanism. It is because they adhere to the notion of progression and enlightenment as held by the secular West. But I do not agree and think there is a divine reason why it will always be the NEXT Pope who will turn out to be a good liberal! The Gospel is as true today as it was 2000 years ago and it will remain as true in 2000 years as well. Why? Because we humans never change and neither does the Lord Jesus Christ. So I urge you to either work with God and submit to the Gospel or spend your days constantly bewildered as to why your brave new world does not seem to be working!

We Anglo-Catholics who seek unity with Rome find ourselves in a tight spot at present. In many ways we are like a tiny community of people huddled on a tiny raft tossed about at sea whilst a turbulent storm rages. And as we desperately try to manoeuvre away from the rocks and into a place of calm and safety so we are buffeted from all angles by various forces which oppose us at every turn.

We set sail on our raft because our sincere Catholic convictions have left us unable to remain Anglican with integrity now that General Synod has made clear its decision to move the national church in a less Catholic direction. Getting on the raft is not easy as it requires leaving much that we love and treasure behind us. And for this reason, amongst others, we are clearly few in number.

The first wave crashes into us from behind. Our yearning for Rome does not win us friends in Canterbury! There are many who want to remain blind to what is being done to us or who want to pretend that actions in Synod need have no consequences.
Women priests were meant to be a sign of unity within the Church of England and our exodus points to a contrary position. This results in bitterness, anger and shame. How dare we abandon the C of E? Why cant we just accept the decisions of Synod?

And so the more we row on towards Rome, the more these feelings gather strength. What does the inability of certain commentators on this blog to even recognise our problem or say anything positive at all about our theology say other than to bare testament to this fact? In many ways our moving brings ancient divisions to the surface. We re-open reformation wounds with every stroke that we take and this in turn leads to the rise in anti-Catholic feeling and polemic that also bashes us at present. Little wonder we get battered for we find ourselves at the very meeting point between protestant and Catholic faith. A fact which only heightens the symbolism and meaning of our departure and further inflames rising passion.

And then we meet waves from the fore! Alas from Rome’s shore there are those who despise our passion for orthodoxy and tradition. Like their Anglican doppelgangers, these liberal products of modern Western culture, do not understand us or want us with our adherence to the faith of the ages and our delight for the reform of the reform! Again our arrival brings with it a symbolism and meaning which many would want to defy. Those seeking to make Rome more like Canterbury are hardly going to roll out the red carpet and we need to be ready for such rejection.

And finally there are holes in our raft which means water assaults us from within. Many Anglo-Catholics do not want the Ordinariate to succeed for a variety of different reasons. It does not suit them and so they rail against it. This little raft puts a focus on people’s faith and integrity. Our departure impacts on their identity and purpose. Oh that it might not be so! But it is and we cannot avoid the pain of an inevitable separation from those who would reject our journey and chosen direction.

And so we are buffeted by many different waves that gather momentum from many different sources. But still we must row on and not take our eyes off our captain. We go because we feel God is calling us to go. We do not wish harm of those who stay and we do not want to insult those who remain, though we might feel hurt by their actions. Please continue to pray for this rag-tag group of pilgrims…God knows, we need it!

There has been a disturbing change in British society in recent years as regards the place of Christianity. The atheist voice is growing louder and there is an increasing intolerance within government and press towards Christian doctrine and understanding. This is fuelling a desire to move faith away from the the public square and into the privacy of the home. A move which we Christians must resist at all costs lest we become a persecuted minority whose voice is silenced.

A brave new world is being constructed then in which secular values trump Christian ones and in which the faithful are rarely embraced or even wanted. Just note the aggressive tone of Philip Pulman speaking about the Roman Catholic church: ‘I hope the wretched organisation will vanish forever!’ How can he be so hostile to an organisation which freely offers so much charitable work and which brings meaning and purpose to myriad lives?

This hostility is something I have commented on before and I do not intend to go over old ground. I simply want us to face the reality of what is happening in our day. For evidence consider nurses and school secretaries sacked for saying prayers, a registrar struck off for refusing to officiate at civil partnerships, an air hostess disciplined for wearing a tiny cross and now doctors being criticised for refusing to offer euthanasia to the elderly. Once again Christians are asked to leave their faith at the doors of the workplace, as if our beliefs are a garment worn in the home and not the very makeup of our being.

But there is a curios inconsistency in the attitude of the secularised press and intelligentsia especially amongst the left leaning. For whilst they seem quite content to attack Christian belief and refuse to accommodate Christian freedom they remain coy if not silent when dealing with other religions, Islam in particular.

Why is this? Why is it now reasonable to lambast Catholic position on family life, marriage and the perceived rights of the unborn and dying but not reasonable to criticise a decision to build a mosque near Ground Zero, lest you be labelled a racist? I find this perplexing as it would not be anti-Celtic but sensible to to criticise a move to rebrand the ‘Horse and Groom’ in Guildford (pictured) as an Irish theme bar? what we realise is that rational criticism is not allowed in the one case but irrational prejudice is acceptable in the other.

What a curious society we live in and how hypocritical people are. When Muslims want a mosque the press cry ‘support religious freedom’ but when Christians request permission to practice their faith with integrity they hit an ever growing wall of hostility. Which is why the very people who scandalously label the Pope a criminal say nothing about those Muslim clerics who hold truly fundamentalist and dangerous opinions, especially as regards the place of women and homosexuals.

And so we face the bewildering situation in Britain where Christian prejudice is actively encouraged but criticism of Islam is xenophobic and intolerant. Where is the logic?

Yesterday afternoon I had an invitation to visit Jessica, a faithful member of our congregation, in her new home. Jessica has just left her school and is preparing to begin the ‘Open door’ college course in September. Her accomodation was really pleasant and she shares it with three other young ladies, one of who I had the pleasure to meet. A care worker visits the girls throughout the week to ensure that they are looked after and I think the setting is wonderful. This will be Jessica’s home for a long time and I really hope and pray it becomes a place of warmth, happiness and safety for her. Not that it is her only home, mum lives around the corner and she is able to pop between the two.

Jessica congratulations on your new home! The cup of tea I drank was made by Jessica. I awarded her an 8 out of ten: one point docked for lack of biscuit and one point docked as the bag had been left in the cup! More tea vicar?

One of the great strengths of Anglo-Catholicism is the emphasis it places on worship. This is seen in the commitment to daily mass, the use of daily offices, the recitation of the angelus, rosary and daily ejaculatory prayers, devotions before shrines and the passion for ensuring liturgy is performed well. All combine to ensure that our faith is practised regularly so that it is quite common for newcomers to Saint Barnabas’ church to comment positively on our practice. As one parishioner put it: ‘my last church was nice but it only really encouraged Sunday only worship but I really love the way S. Barnabas’ encourages ‘every day worship’. It has really helped me to understand the need for commitment in faith’.

It is not unusual for our liturgical passion and dedication to public devotion to be misunderstood. Some assume we are too churchy and, where Anglo-Catholicism is unhealthy, they have a point! For when a dedication to devotion does not come from the heart, and is not leading people to a genuine relationship with Jesus, Anglo-Catholicism fosters religion, even religiosity, at the cost of living faith. A strange ‘church-moth’ is created in the place of a disciple; one who loves mass but rarely sees beyond the externals to the life changing message of the Gospel. This danger being real, the Anglo-Catholic must guard against closing hearts when falling on knees.

Another criticism of our dedication to public devotion is that we are too inward looking and precious. Again this warning might have substance in places where a worshipping community have become completely out of touch with the people that they serve. I have certainly met one or two horrific examples of clergy who genuinely seem more concerned with the correct length of lace on their albs than in evangelism, mission and fostering faith in others. Such people need to remember that worship exists to ‘send us out in the power of the Spirit’. They should also reflect on the fact that Corpus Christi processions once involved taking Jesus through every street in the parish! Looking inward is healthy and important but only if it leads to us looking outwards as well as looking inwards.

So two criticisms exist which Anglo-Catholics must take on the chin, for where we have become disconnected from the living Gospel they hold water. Daily mass, daily offices, the angelus, rosary, ejaculatory prayers and all else are of no use whatsoever if they do not lead us to Jesus. But where this does happen then devotion to daily worship becomes a wonderful, life-giving and life-affirming thing. Indeed I would argue that devotion to worship set alongside living faith is the catalyst for discovering a true life of fruitful prayer. And it is certainly worth noting that most religious communities within the Anglican fold are the product of this type of living Anglo-Catholicism.

Perhaps our dedication to injecting passion into daily liturgy, that we may be sent out into the world, is a part of the ‘Anglican patrimony’ we Ordinariate seekers are pondering at this time. Certainly daily devotion and good liturgy exists in Catholicism as a whole, but our unique struggle in upholding a Catholic spirituality within a largely protestant and hostile institution has led us to be particularly vigilant and faithful. We have had to be passionate and dedicated in order to form a meaningful Catholic identity and this ‘vigilance’ must be bottled lest it be lost! For it would be a terrible irony that in finding a true Catholic home we lost our true Catholic passion…

Well done to Rebecca Wilson (my neice) who is picured here with baby Benedict (my son) and her mother Ruth (my sister). Rebecca received her GCSE examination results today and passed with mainly B and C grades. I was particularly pleased that her extra work on mathematics paid off and that she is now able to sit her A’Levels. We are very proud of you Rebecca- well done!!

I was very sorry to hear today that +Martin Warner, pictured here in his days in Walsingham, has been taken into intensive care having suffered a heart attack abroad. I am sure that you will all join me in praying for his recovery. York Diocese have released this information:

We’ve received the news that Bishop Martin Warner collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest yesterday while on holiday in Florence. The Archdeacon for Italy, the Ven Jonathan Boardman has visited Bishop Martin in hospital, and reports that he is seriously ill and in intensive care, but is being looked after by an excellent team of doctors and has made some progress. We will let you know more information as we’re made aware – please keep Bishop Martin and his family in your prayers.

Harold Brown, a long standing member of Saint Barnabas’ congregation, runs one of the most delightful bed and breakfasts I have encountered. Unlike most overnight accomodaton this establishment is decorated to the highest standard with a Victorian theme in mind. I have visited for tea on a couple of occasions and have always been impressed at how the utmost care is taken to ensure that there is a genuine authenticity to the setting, from crisp victorian bedsheets to the beautiful whistling teapot! It really is a sumptious setting and anyone looking for a romantic or relaxing break in an inspiring setting need look no further than here.

Those wanting to visit England from abroad might also consider staying with Harold. Kent is a beautiful county and is not known as ‘the garden of England’ for nothing. Tunbridge Wells is an equally attractive Victorian town within easy reach of London. And those staying at the Victorian bed and breakfast can rest assured of the very best service for, prior to running the bed and breakfast, Harold worked as a butler to a most distinguished person. That is my plug over for today. But if you fancy a romantic overnight stay, a mini break in Kent or a visit to England then do consider staying at the Victorian bed and breakfast. It really is a treat!