SEARCHING FOR THE ARCHBISHOP (12.3.1); Re: His Grace and the subject of "women priests"; our analysis finally triggered by matters arising from the Roscoe Lecture, October 2015; this time considering the blurred lines of the Nottingham period from 2002-07; third in a short sub-series; Notes #15

Advice: this post (12.3.1) is the third of a sub-set within a broader Series. It can be read either as a standalone commentary or in the light of the first two parts (Link 12.1), (Link 12.2) 

We pick-up our Series by beginning to concentrate roughly on the period immediately after the confusing events of 2001, as explored in our last post, until circa 2007, i.e. the first half of His Grace's 13.4 years as the ninth Bishop of Nottingham – his first episcopal appointment following his consecration in December 2000.

In theory, this should have been a delicate time for the still relatively new and episcopally inexperienced Dominican bishop given the confusion that, apparently, he knew had wrongly been spread about his views during his first year in Nottingham. For as we later learned (but not until 2008) the disturbing events of 2001, when His Grace was publicly proclaimed to be pro so-called "women priests", apparently stemmed from a misquotation in a botched interview first published in a local diocesan youth magazine and then in the (apparently independent) diocesan newspaper. Therefore, based on the clarifications given in 2008 – when His Grace unequivocally stated that he was against the ordination of females and furthermore that he had clearly stated as much in 2001 only for the complete opposite to be printed – it is a reasonable retrospection to say that, from 2002 onwards, he would have been keen to ensure there were no further erroneous perceptions about him spread around.

SEARCHING FOR THE ARCHBISHOP (14); Re: "Some Catholics in a second marriage for example will be disappointed that the recent Synod of Bishops did not ask the Holy Father to allow such people to receive Holy Communion"; Pastoral Letter for the First Sunday of Lent, 2016

• This expedited post is another that is not part of our ongoing sub-series (Link 1, Link 2) concentrating on the issue of His Grace and the matter of women priests, the next part of 

which (note for our monitors' attention) will appear this week.

It was just one letter (Link), with only eight paragraphs and barely over 1000 words.

Yet it served as a perfect microcosmic example of the concerns and the conundrum – perceived by a fair few in this territory – surrounding His Grace The Most Rev. Malcolm McMahon OP, ninth Archbishop of Liverpool, about where he truly stands in regards to the Church's tradition and teaching.

Basically, it managed to both please and disturb at the same time.

In anticipation of any accusation that, in stating the above, we have evidently missed the point of the letter – "Whoosh! It was all about mercy but that obviously sailed right over your heads" – well, we really haven't (but we'll make a very necessary point about the overladen emphasis on mercy – and mercy alone – later in this post, just to provide some perspective).

SEARCHING FOR THE ARCHBISHOP (13); Re: overt support for Progressio - supporter of contraception, abortion rights, family planning, general Culture of Death aims and dissent, and all round evil but "mercy-based" weasel-wording uber-feminist con-artists; more new normal; (Notes #14)

• This unanticipated but pathetically inevitable post is not part of our ongoing sub-series (Link 1, Link 2) concentrating on the issue of His Grace and the matter of women priests, the next part of which (note for our monitors' attention) will appear this week.

Less than 50 minutes ago we read in the Catholic Universe (Feb. 11th, 2016) that His Grace, Most Rev. Malcolm McMahon, ninth Archbishop of Liverpool cares "passionately about social justice and Progressio’s work".

Furthermore, he – and the Archdiocese of Liverpool in general – is supporting a Lenten challenge directed towards supporting the most "vulnerable" in Zimbabwe.

N.B. Progressio just loves the interchangeability of words like "vulnerable" and "fragile"...in one sense they can mean people who are starving and poverty-stricken or in another they can refer to girls/women denied their rights to the Culture of Death.

Just as an exercise, it took us less than 20 minutes, simply by Googling a combination of "Progressio", "Progressio Catholic", "Progressio Church teaching", "Progressio abortion contraception", "Progressio planned parenthood" we came up with the following links (at the foot of this post) about this rancid but brightly and florally marketed – always with the smiling black faces – post-Catholic organisation that is yet another of the myriad of "mercy-based" evil tentacles attached to the worldwide Culture of Death.

That's how easy it is.

That's how quick it is.

40 minutes later, we've posted this.

SEARCHING FOR THE ARCHBISHOP (12.2); Re: His Grace and the subject of "women priests"; our analysis finally triggered by matters arising from the Roscoe Lecture, October 2015; this time considering the confusion of 2001; second in a short sub-series; Notes #14

Advice: this post is the second of a sub-set within a broader Series. It can be read either as a standalone commentary or in the light of the previous "intro" piece here. 

–

Heard the one about a future Pope, a future archbishop, a botched youth magazine interview, and an inexplicably incompetent diocesan newspaper?

No, we didn't "get it" either.

Anyway, we'll have another stab.

To try to understand, that is, just how it transpired, in 2001, that His Grace The Most Rev. Malcolm McMahon OP, now the ninth Archbishop of Liverpool, since 2014 – but back then having not long since been appointed the Bishop of Nottingham – was twice reported to have been firmly in favour of female ordination...only for the truth, apparently, to have been emphatically the opposite (as indeed it should have been and should always be).

Thankfully, as we later learned, the future Pope Benedict XVI had the matter clarified to his satisfaction just 12 months later in 2002.

However, as far as we can ascertain (caveat), the rest of the Catholic world didn't discover for perhaps as long as another (almost) eight years that His Grace had been dangerously "misquoted" (his word) and that his actually stated views in 2001 were, apparently, diametrically opposed to what they were erroneously alleged to be.

So, as far as we can tell, this mind-bending story which has bounced around the Catholic media and blogosphere for many years – but often very short on detail and seemingly never really examined under-the-bonnet – is a five-fold-farrago comprising the following elements:

i) what His Grace's true quotes were in 2001;
ii) an apparently completely distorted youth magazine interview;
iii) a "diocesan" (our emphasis) journal that later compounded that error by republishing it;
iv) the relatively swift but (seemingly) unpublicised assurances given to Rome in 2002; and
v) a very belated but necessary public clarification possibly as late as 2008...denouncing the "misquotes"

You couldn't make it up, as they say.

Except that, apparently, a gang of kids did exactly that!

We interrupt planned proceedings...

...to advise you to go straight to the fearless Torch of the Faith (TOF) blog which, sadly, has some pretty depressing news.

ACTA acting up again it seems - with more episcopal blessing; natch (we've always thought it rather fitting that ACTA has a capital C in its acronym and it doesn't stand for "Catholic"!).

A Cancerous Tumour Attacks - more like. Other fitting descriptions are available.

SEARCHING FOR THE ARCHBISHOP (12.1) - Re: "Uh, what about it? Yup"; also: "Dogma's tricky – it's there on a page. It doesn't mean much while it just stays as words on a page"; matters arising from the Roscoe Lecture, October 2015, inc.: Catholic dogma and women priests; Intro to short sub-series; Notes #13 (update: footnote added on Feb. 3rd, 2015)

Advice: this post takes roughly 30 minutes to read (i.e. on a flat basis, which we initially recommend, without following the accompanying and specifically titled "Key Links", of which there are 23, all of which are clearly marked and numbered, presented in as coherent an order as possible, can be returned to later but most certainly should be perused). The whole piece has been structured as something of an information portal, and presented as courteously as we could manage for the reader in order to enable him to return to it easily and at leisure.

–

1. BACKGROUND

The 134th Roscoe Lecture (series founded by Baron Alton of Liverpool KCSG, KCMCO; hosted under the auspices of Liverpool John Moores University) was delivered by His Grace The Most Rev. Malcolm McMahon OP, ninth Archbishop of Liverpool, at the Brittania Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, on October 28th, 2015.

Our ears noted two potentially disturbing, at the very least ambiguous, snippets uttered by the Archbishop during the Question and Answer session that followed his, otherwise well-recommended, if more than a bit "Seventies Lefty", and certainly endearingly gentle talk: The Common Good (and Catholic Social Thought).

We immediately provide for your consideration the verbatim and salient extracts from each instance (but fuller, more contextualised versions will appear later):

EXCERPT 1:

(A female audience member, commenting to His Grace on the shortage of Catholic priests):

"...what about your, I know this is very difficult, what about the idea of broadening your recruitment to women?” 

[laughter, general hearty audience applause]

(His Grace):

“Uh, what about it? Yup." 

[even more - and this time clearly knowing - laughter]

EXCERPT 2:

(His Grace, responding earlier to another female audience member who touched-on issues of tolerance, compassion and Catholic dogma):
"...dogma's tricky because it's there on a page. It doesn't mean much while it just stays as words on a page. Doctrine is always something that you have to live out as a person..."

We'll revisit those nuggets later.

THE MOST REV. DEREK WORLOCK CH, SEVENTH ARCHBISHOP OF LIVERPOOL - d. FEBRUARY (8th) 1996: REQUIESCAT IN PACE