the Brits in silly season

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Sep 08, 2010

With just over a week to go before Pope Benedict arrives, some British rabble-rousers are making a slight concession to reality.

But leaders of the Protest the Pope coalition now admit that the Pontiff cannot be arrested as Britain acknowledges him as a head of state, granting him sovereign immunity from criminal prosecution.

It’s true; the Pope won’t be arrested, despite the pleas of fervent atheists. Sovereign immunity is certainly a consideration. The absence of evidence of a crime could be a factor as well. The Protest the Pope campaign has gained one objective: publicity. Its second objective—action—will remain unfulfilled. Still there remains the possibility that Scotty will beam them up.

Meanwhile another group, Catholic Voices for Reform, is so fired with love for the faith that its members are calling for radical changes in the Church. (Isn’t that always the way: that the lover wants his beloved to undergo a dramatic change?) The Catholic Voices for Reform argue, among other things, that the Church is “too monarchical.” Perhaps they will be inspired to take up this complaint with the Pontiff just before he visits with Her Royal Highness the Queen.