Beaten to the first

Perturbed

I missed an opportunity to capture the anxiety of people on this day but one thing that jumped at me without reading the story was just as imaginable as it was improbable.

The Vatican has become embroiled in morass of clerical child abuse cover-ups that at the weekend the Pope attempted bluster over amelioration by indicating that he would not be hounded over the claims that he did not deal decisively with priests under him who had been accused of the abuse of minors.

Diffident

Now, it would be unconscionable of myself to ever suggest that there was a bit of hubris in the somewhat unchristian of attitude of a church lead by the Vicar of Christ to recognise that the issue is hardly about errant priests but about justice for victims which should include succour for their pain exemplified by a touch stance against child abuse.

Fundamentally, it seems the church considers these sexual "sins" moral issues rather than societal criminal acts which need to be passed on to civil authorities rather than mollified with in the clergy.

Trying to reach the priesthood with that very fact of criminality along with the emotional and other consequential damages to the welfare of the victim has been hard and nigh on impossible but activism and outrage from outside the church.

Disturbed

So, who would not have thought it true when I read this morning that the gathering storm of discontent with the attitude of the church had lead to an unsustainable confidence in leadership that in the quest for all that is good natured and Christianly for the sake of grace and peace - the Pope, Benedictus XVI, the Vicar of Christ and the Bishop of Rome had resigned.

We can be thankful that the first 12 hours of April the first are given to us to ponder the imponderable, excite controversy and offer opinions too atrocious to contemplate - but sometimes, you do wish the news was really the news.

One reality remains for today, every occurrence of this day, many happy returns to she who was born this day.