Well . . ! I've never done this before; but someone posted an 'Anomymous' comment on my blog the other day which I think deserves consideration : and as it wasn't directly delated to the post to which it was a comment, I have removed it, and am discussing it as a separate post.

The comment (I have only changed it by correcting one or two typos) read :

"Sick ! Never have I seen such evil in my life as this 'Papal visit'. Roman Catholicism is pure blasphemy - pure and simple : the idolatrous worship of the RC Pope over Jesus Christ."

Now; as I said, I don't think it was directly related to the post to which it was a comment, which was the post about the external decorations on the London Oratory . . . unless, of course, the commenter was under the impression that the portrayal of Blessed Cardinal Newman was the Holy Father : in which case all s/he was doing was displaying gross ignorance . . . but, as I say, I don't think that was the point.

However : in that case it leaves one wondering just how the commenter thinks that the Holy Father was worshipped . . . idolatrously or otherwise : and I certainly cannot understand how that 'worship' suggested that the Holy Father took precedence over Our Blessed Lord and Saviour, given the obvious reverence which he always showed for Our Lord in every manifestation. (I don't, hwoever, take issue with the expression 'RC Pope', because of course there are other uses of the word 'pope' in other Christian denominations.)

As for the suggestion that Catholicism - Roman or otherwise - is 'blasphemy', I am totally at a loss. I'm not suggesting that it is alone in Christianity in teaching proper respect and reverence for Our Blessed Lord, His Father, and the Holy Ghost; but to suggest that this respect and reverence is blasphemous is merely to display ignorance, surely ?

So : the Holy Father's visit was 'evil', was it ? Well, it would be fascinating to know exactly how . . . but that, of course, is simply another unanswerable (in any meaningful sense) question.

Now : I can almost hear you asking why I am bothering to dignify this comment with consideration; and I agree that at first sight there is not much purpose to it . . . but in fact it's just a peg; a peg on which to hang another, if slightly briefer, thought : my thoughts about the idiotic remarks which have been promoted over the last few days by such people at Stephen Fry and