Day: March 14, 2009

“Don’t cry for me , Argentina,” nor let readers of “Eleison Comments” coming from any other part of the world cry for me, because you may have thought that the last two months have been difficult for the Eleison Commentator, but actually his condition is, as usual, rather better than he deserves. “Use each man according to his deserts,” says Hamlet, “and who should ‘scape whipping?”

When the media onslaught broke out some two months ago with the Pope for its main target, I was myself well protected inside the Seminary of La Reja. Journalists prowled round and around, but they did not get through. I only regret having had to leave La Reja and Argentina in circumstances that left me no chance of correctly taking leave of many Latin American colleagues and friends. Let priests, seminarians and layfolk in Argentina all accept here the expression of my real gratitude for the five and a half happy years that I spent in their midst. Let everyone praying for me also accept my sincere gratitude. I will celebrate from tomorrow a novena of Masses for all your intentions.

For the Society of St Pius X did not let me down either when I landed in England. The District Superior in England had contacted the right friend of ours in London for there to be a little police escort sufficient to see me straight through the pack of “gentlemen of the Press” lying in wait for me, and ever since then I have been waited on hand and foot in the Society’s house in London. No work. No responsibilities. Who could complain?

Moreover the rest-cure looks like it is going to be prolonged. In a recent interview with the German weekly “Der Spiegel,” the Society’s Superior General is quoted to have said amongst other things, perhaps under pressure coming through the media – who missed their next onslaught on the Pope travelling to Africa, because he objected to artificial means of birth control? – “If Bishop Williamson is silent, if he stays out of sight, that would really be better for everyone . . . I hope that he drops out of public life for a long while . . . He has hurt the Society and damaged our reputation. We are definitely distancing ourselves from him . . . “

Therefore the future is in God’s hands. I wish I could say that I object to being reduced to silence, but if the alternative is being reduced to saying only those things that the “gentlemen of the Press” do not object to, then I think I prefer the silence. As far back as 1985, the year of publication for “Iota Unum,” Romano Amerio’s famous analysis of Vatican II changes, the Italian Professor was anticipating that a time might come when there would be only silence left . . .

Kyrie eleison.