THE
P RTAL
March 2018
Page 3
P ortal Comment
Trawling the Blogs
Will Burton
Peregrinations - Canadian Catholic Perspectives and
Reflections by members of the Personal Ordinariate of
the Chair of St Peter on 29th January had this to say:
12th February they carried the following:
We are told that ‘fresh information’ has arrived
concerning the late Bishop. From the appropriately
On this 50th anniversary of the publication of measured terminology, it is not a new victim or fresh
Humanae Vitae it is important that we look at the allegation(s), but plainly such information could not
predictive results of this official teaching of the be ignored. Lord Carlile’s recommendation has been:
Catholic Church.
‘The Core Group should have, in addition to someone
advocating for the complainant, someone assigned
A good way to begin is with an article by Mary to it to represent the interests of the accused person
Eberstadt published in First Things ten years ago.
and his or her descendants’.
As Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver observed
on Humanae Vitae’s thirtieth anniversary in 1998,
“Contraception has released males - to an historically
unprecedented degree - from responsibility for their
sexual aggression.” Will any feminist who by 2008
disagrees with that statement please stand up?
The Core Group ‘gave themselves the unencumbered
power to appoint the person who should represent the
accused’. Seeking the opinion of the family was plainly
overlooked. When Desmond Browne QC volunteered
his services to Mrs Whitley, she was no doubt pleased
that her long-dead uncle would have the previously
denied skilled advocate at the table to evaluate and
Yet instead of vindication for the Church, there is challenge evidence, assumptions and conclusions,
demoralisation; instead of clarity, mass confusion; and to make submissions as the matter unfolded. But,
instead of more obedience, ever less. Really, the inexplicably, Mrs Whitley’s choice of advocate was
perversity is, well, perverse. In what other area does denied by the church.
humanity operate at this level of extreme, daily,
‘…the National Safeguarding Team has nominated
constant contradiction? Where is the Boccaccio for
this post-Pill Decameron? It really is all very funny, a man called Donald Findlater’. He is not known to
when you stop to think about it. So why isn’t everybody Mrs Whitley, which is unfortunate enough, but Mr
Findlater is not even a lawyer. That is not insignificant,
down here laughing?
given that it took lawyers understanding these matters
Mary Eberstadt is a research fellow at the Faith and far better than the NST to uncover the deficiencies
of the original ‘Bell 1’ case. Mr Findlater comes from
Reason Institute.
a probation background and is associated with the
Fr Ray Blake at Fr Ray’s Blog - thanks Fr Z for posting victim campaigning group StopitNow! This is an
a video of an interview with Fr James Mawdsley entirely worthy cause. It is not, however, obvious that
of the Society of St Peter. As a young man he was it is the best basis from which to demonstrate either
imprisoned in Burma for 14 months (1999-2000) for independence of thought or the entirely separate
his work for human rights. Whilst at university he legally forensic skills needed to defend the interests
seems to have been fascinated by ‘truth’ and tried to of an accused. That is a perspective notably absent
understand human suffering. In prison he met Christ from his CV.
and, after his release, the Traditional Mass. He was
ordained two years ago and works in Warrington. He
Mr Findlater appears to be closely associated with
speaks so eloquently of The Mass and how it inspires the Lucy Faithful Foundation – one of the handful of
the celebrant to humility and to awe in the presence contractors to provide Risk Assessment services to the
of God.
Church of England through the NST.
The Archbishop Cranmer blog has been concerned
with the CofE’s treatment of the Bishop Bell case. On
We wait for the next instalment.