...to see, in the breakfast newspapers,pictures of the three Party leaders, in this muddling time following the Election, all attending church on Sunday morning. There they were, each so very typical that it was almost a cliche: Gordon and Sara Brown off to the Church of Scotland (lowland Scottish kirk), the Camerons to St Mary Abbotts in Kensington ( liberal High Church) and the Cleggs to Mass (he's agnostic but she's Spanish and the family are Catholic).
Meanwhile the Bogles are deep in the countryside, visiting family...I'm writing this in a small village library, internet available for 20 minutes a time. This morning a glorious walk up through the village to the edges of the moor, past the house where I was brought as a bride. A little brook runs through the garden, and my father-in-law built a small bridge across it, and if you know where to look it's marked with the date and his initials. This Autumn it will be thirty years since that big dinner-party celebrating our wedding - there's a picture in the wedding-album of me sitting by the big fireplace in my wedding-dress, with a golden sash and holding a bouquet of golden and orange flowers...
Down through the village, where the church which has a famous stumpy spire stands serenely and solidly viewing the changes of the past 30 years as it has those of the past 300 and the past 1300, and more, with unchanging stony silence. Here one can feel a sense of stability and sameness: the past thousand years have seen a lot of horrors and panics and wars and goodness knows what, so a hung Parliament doesn't seem to amount to so much...
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8 comments:
Joanna,
You made me smile with such a wonderful description of your weekend visit. I know it's a few months early, but happy 30th to you and your husband. :)
I agree a hung parliament certainly is not a major concern considering what is going on elsewhere around the world was it king Solomon who said 'there's nothing new under the sun'.
I'd like to take the opportunity to say how much I enjoy your series on EWTN -feasts and seasons and also the military orders I've learned so many interesting things -thanks!!
Joanna, forgive this American and fairly new member of the Catholic church in my ignorance, but perhaps you can give some of us perspective.
At this very moment I am watching the Holy Father in Lisbon and the turn out seems very large.
Is there a big difference between the different European countries when it comes to the Church?
I admit when I think of "Europe" I tend to think of one big country more so than a continent of many smaller countries. I know that is wrong.
My European history is pretty weak.
what a lovely description! Joanna, would you ever consider creating a Feasts and Seasons website or blog?
Dawn, it's huge.
Just about every major European country has seen a very serious anti-Catholic movement in modern times. In England it was the Anglican Reformation, in Germany it was Luther and later Bismarck's Kulturekampf, In France it was the French revolution, in Italy it was Italian reunifiction and the dissolution of the Papal States, in Spain in was the Spanish Civil War.
However the distance in time between these events and the difference in causes and outcomes is huge. The French Revolution burned itself out in a few years, for instance, whilst the Anglican church still remains 400 years later. So each country has a very different relationship to the Church.
Joanna is an historian so she'll be able to give a much better reply than I can.
Malcolm,
Thank you. That definitely gives me a snap shot. :) Much appreciated.
Looking back on America's short history, there certainly was a strong anti-Catholic sentiment here too in the early part of our history. Considering we are mostly decendents of largely European immigrants, this makes sense.
I was interested to read that all 3 of your party leaders went to church. Here in NZ, at our last General Election the leaders of the 2 main political parties were asked "Do you believe in God?" and both said simply "No."
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