Memories

Like many people, I was surprised today to learn of the decision of the pontiff to give up his ministry at the end of the month. Just after the announcement was made, I was drawn to a forom on the BBC news page which was being dominated by the views of an atheist mass intent on drawing people's attention to the child abuse which has so dogged the Catholic church in recent years. They also alluded to the fact that the incumbent pontiff had been a member of the Hitler youth in his younger years. Some people were at pains to draw attention to the repeated condemnation of condoms in Africa and pleaded with the church to recognise the health implications of such advice.

Considering their pronounced atheism, it was heartening to see so many people engaging in a faith based debate. As for Pope Benedict joining the Hitler youth in the 1930s, why wouldn't he? I'm obviously not condoning Hitler or his facist regime, but every young person at that time joined the Hitler youth just as many joned the Scouts or Guides in other countries. I think it is to the great credit of Pope Benedict that he has decided to recognise his fading limitations and make way for new blood. It is hard to imagine the difficulty in making such a monumental decision. To be the spiritual leader of any faith group brings enormous expectation and we may only guess at the sacrifices he has made. We will also never know the personal pain he has felt as each successive scandal has emerged to drag his beloved faith through the mire. Nobody can ever change the past but everyone can learn from it if they really want to. Only the strongest of men could face such an onslaught with the humility and dignity which he has shown. I am not Catholic but greatly admire the way in which he has handled the future of both himself and his church. They will do well to procure the services of someday with a fraction of his talents and I pray that the new Archbishop of Caterbury can seek to emulate such a shining example.

The passing of an era is never easy and this will take time. Just as when one of our loved ones passes away, the memories shine brightly for many years afterwards. Today of all days, my thoughts return to our daughter Thea who died so suddenly in 2006. Tomorrow would have been the occasion of her eighth birthday and she is still missed painfully by us all. Unlike the Catholic church, we had no warning of our loss and this arguably makes it less easy to come to terms with. The outgoing pontiff is now eighty-five years old and can look back on a life of fulfillment and great accomplishment. Thea was cut short on her journey at just fifteen months of age to meningococcal septicaemia. Every cloud has a silver lining and I was so happy this year to see that a vaccine for Meningitis B has now been approved. I hope and pray that it is made available without undue delay and look forward to seeing a reduction in cases of meningitis in infants and children of all ages. For all that though, it is still very hard to understand why she was taken from us in such cruel fashion and so we must comfort ourselves with memories and the good times.

If the church is once more to have its day as in years gone by, it needs to reach out to everyone. Only then will people come together as they once did. As I see it, community is sadly lacking in our society today. The press seem fixated at present with the story of horse meat in processed food and I can't help thinking how silly it all is. It is processed food which is affected. When people return to the joys of home cooking being shared by the whole family, the notion of processed food (and whatever the all-conquering supermarkets can get away with putting in it) will hopefully become a thing of the past. If communities re-appear from the doldrums, society will be all the richer in so many different ways.

As we approach Thea's eighth birthday, I am reminded of the song "Who knows where the time goes?". It will forever be synonymous with the matchless voice of the late Sandy Denny and I often think of this song when I think of Thea. We none of us know what tomorrow has in store so must cherish every day. Goodnight all and love the one you're with.