What has made Pope Francis a media superstar?

The new Pope, Francis I, must be a PR executive’s idea of a dream.
Since becoming Pope in March, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has dominated the world media. He was named person of the year by both Time magazine and the US gay magazine Advocate. Most recently he appeared on the front cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
The beaming Pope has received the sort of coverage previously reserved for rock and sports stars.
Pope Francis’s achievement is all the more impressive when it is put into the context of where the Papacy stood under his predecessor Benedict XVI.
At that time, its reputation stood at something of an all time low, racked by corruption in Vatican ranks, the ongoing child abuse scandals and the impression of an institution that was a couple of centuries out of date with its attitudes on gender and equality.
Doctrinally there is very little difference between Pope Francis and his predecessor but PR wise the two men are polls apart.
Pope Francis always appears relaxed before the world’s media, even enjoying the opportunity of talking to reporters.
A Jesuit, he has brought his humble way of living to Rome. He lives in a simple apartment outside of the Vatican offices and drives a second hand car.
His rhetoric has also repeatedly addressed the needs of the poor, something that has a greater resonance if living a humble existence oneself.
The new Pope has moved to make change, appointing a permanent council of eight cardinals from around the world to oversee reform of the Vatican.
The Pope has also set up a child sex abuse committee to look at abuse in the Church.
However, it has been more his words than his deeds thus far that seem to have captured the world’s media. He has repeatedly condemned the present form of capitalism, calling on the Church to walk with the poor. This has brought forth, accusations that he is a Marxist, causing some powerful business leaders to pull back from previous financial support they would have given the Church.
The new Pope’s tone of tolerance, extended to liberation theologians, whose take on the Church of the poor Francis has largely adopted. Previous Pope’s such as John Paul II persecuted the liberation theologians, moving to silence and even excommunicate some.
Tolerance has also been evident in the new Pope’s language concerning gay people. In place of Pope John Paul II's claim that: homosexuality was “intrinsically evil” comes: “if a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge.”
What has been amazing is the way Francis has been welcomed across the board from right to left. So in Britain, few would be surprised at the coverage given to the activities of the Pope by the likes of the Times and Telegraph. Both papers have kept up specialist correspondents working on religious issues, with faith (mainly Christian) writ large on their pages.
More surprising is the favourable coverage that Francis has received from liberal titles like the Guardian and Independent. Both papers tend to be at best sceptical about Catholicism and at times downright hostile.
So it comes as a surprise when Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland declares that in place of Barack Obama, “the obvious new hero of the left is the Pope.”
Then there was a Christmas editorial from the Independent: “Francis has refused to tone down his sharp criticism of the distorting effects of modern capitalism, and has championed the cause of the poor in a manner that other international leaders could and should learn from.”
The great media appeal of the Pope means at present that virtually anything he does makes news. Take a recent week, when the Pope made headlines like “Pope Francis peace doves attacked by crow and seagull” ,“Pope Francis tells Francois Hollande: ‘we share a saint’” and “Pope Francis ‘is great’ claim jailed mafia bosses.”
This newsworthiness gives the Pope a free rein to speak about a whole range of subjects. In the past, it has been the cry of liberals in the Church that all the hierarchy wanted to talk about was abortion, contraception and gays. And that was all the media wanted to report concerning the Church. When Pope’s or bishops said something about say war in Syria or the economic crisis, no one was interested. Now if Francis says it, at least for the moment, everyone is interested.
There does though appear to be a struggle between right and left to claim ownership of this Pope. The left look to his various pronouncements, based on the social teachings of the Church, on capitalism, the poor, refugees, war and peace.
The view of the right was best summarised by Catholic Herald editor Luke Coppen who argues that this Pope is a conservative figure who has not moved from the strict doctrine of the Church but there are those on the left taking elements of what he says out of context to suit their own agenda. On the gay issue, for example, Coppen puts Francis’s comments in the context of Article 2358 of the Church’s catechism, calling for gay people to be treated with ‘respect, compassion and sensitivity’. “In simply restating Catholic teaching, however, Francis was hailed as a hero,” said Coppen who refers to the liberal view of the new Pope as “fantasy Francis.“
“Whenever he proves himself loyal to Catholic teaching — denouncing abortion, for instance, or saying that same-sex marriage is an ‘anthropological regression’ — his liberal fan base turns a deaf ear.”
Joe Kelly, the editor of the Catholic weekly the Universe, also takes issue with some Papal perceptions. “Francis isn't coming to advocate any pseudo-marxist revolution - this guy's definitely not an Oscar Romero (the former Archbishop of El Salvador, who was killed in 1980 for his advocacy on behalf of the poor), whatever some might like to think. Yes, he's for a focus on the poor and marginalised, but he wants us to embrace and to feed them, not go off and lobby parliament on their behalf,” said Kelly.
Editor of the online news service Independent Catholic News, Jo Siedlecka thinks he is “a natural communicator in touch with contemporary thinking and able to explain Christianity in an attractive way.
“He is warm. He smiles and makes jokes, that's why he is getting so much media coverage. He has star quality. This may be a honeymoon period but I think the media will continue to cover Pope Francis as long as he keeps coming out with such great quotes. I wish we had more religious leaders like him.” 
What cannot be doubted is that Pope Francis is good business, he sells papers. He is saying things that find an audience internationally, a moral voice, not afraid to speak out. People want to hear what he has to say. A real test will come though, when another scandal hits ..and how he handles it.
The test for many as to whether this Pope is merely a good orator or a true reformer will be whether he attains structural change in the Church. Will he address the issues of an out of date institution that still treats women as second class citizens and gays as outcasts? If he does then there can be said to be real change.
It will ofcourse be unpopular with a large number of vested interests who have done very nicely thank you out of the previous way of running things. It will be interesting to see then how the media persona of the Pope progresses, when there will be plenty from the vested interests prepared to brief against. What does seem certain is that he won’t be able to go on pleasing all the people all of the time, which has been the story of his Papacy so far.

* Published - British Journalism Review - March 2014

12 years a slave deserves more acclaim

The film 12 Years a slave has received acclaim, winning the best picture Oscar and Bafta

Chiwetal Ejiofor won the Bafta for best actor, while Lupita Nyong’o won the Oscar for best supporting actress.

It was surprising though that director Steve McQueen and supporting actor Michael Fassbender did not receive either Oscar of Bafta recognition for the excellence of their work.

The film tells the story of Solomon Northup, who in1841 was a free man in New York. He was a renowned musician, performing in high society. Everything turned sour though when he was tricked by a couple of con men who effectively sold him into slavery. He then disappears into the southern slave plantations of Louisiana before finally being liberated. Solomon wrote his memoir in 1853, though the story did not become public knowledge until the late 1960s.

The majority of the film is about Solomon’s struggle to regain his freedom. Brilliantly acted and directed, the drama manages to capture the brutality of this period of American history. The slaves were regarded literally as non-people or pieces of property. When Solomon is initially being sold, there is the scene when the prospective white buyers are inspecting their potential purchases, checking teeth and potential physical strength – it is very much the scene of the meat market.

Solomon, played brilliantly by Chiwetal Ejiofor, struggles to obtain his freedom, having to hide his previous educated life. The slave owners played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Fassbender offer views of a more reasonable man and a religious fanatic on the edge of insanity for much of the time.

Fassbender really captures the manic nature of his character, with a sadistic wife he is seemingly on the edge all of the time. The view of the slave as property is constantly reiterated.

The rightgeousness of the slave owners position is backed up by a strange religious fervour. The Cumberbatch character is seen reading from the bible to his slaves, while Fassbender blames his slaves for a caterpillar that comes to decimate the cotton crop. The slaves have upset God, so have to go away until the caterpillar disappears.

Solomon is eventually rescued but only after a number of twists of fate. Director Steve McQueen brings his own unique skills as an artist (he previously won the Turner prize) to the film. This is particularly clear in the scene when Solomon is being punished by his first owner, hung and left twisting in the breeze for what seems hours. Then later the lashing of Patsey (played by Lupita Nyong’o) which graphically shows the effect of each lash on her back.One of the great values of the film though is in bringing to life the true horror of slavery. It tells of a period that happened almost two hundred years ago but today there is still slavery going on across the world. Sex trafficking is a particularly virulent form of modern slavery, which it must be hoped that films like 12 Days a Slave will help highlight and bring to an end

Priests back Cardinal Nichol's claims over suffering being caused by welfare reforms

Cardinal Vincent Nichols recently declared that the welfare safety net had been removed and that the punitive use of sanctions, often cutting people off from support for weeks, left many dependent on foodbanks to survive. The Archbishop described the situation where in an affluent country, so many people are being forced to use foodbanks as “a disgrace.” Archbishop Nichols received backing for his claims from the parish where he served in the late 1970s in Liverpool. Father Peter Morgan, parish priest at St Anne’s parish in Toxteth, declared: “the situation is appalling, the most extreme I’ve seen. There are more and more calls at the door.” He recalled the case of a lady who had her disability benefit cut off last November. “She has not had any money since and has been surviving on hand outs,” said Father Morgan, who told how “people make mistakes filling in forms and they are cut off. Many are terrified of filling in forms.” “People are having their housing benefit cut off, so they are running up huge debts. The implementation of the bedroom tax is also affecting a lot of people in Liverpool. A lot of people are looking for places with fewer bedrooms but the accommodation is just not available. When benefits are being assessed and they are just cut off there is no safety net.” Father Shaun Smith, parish priest of the Sacred Heart, Hillsborough, Sheffield, tells of a growing number coming every day for food and help. “They are very much in need. Some have had their benefits sanctioned. Some come from prison and have no support at all,” said Father Smith. “We run an informal food bank at the church here. It is supported by donations. We get a lot of people in genuine need coming, who need referring onto agencies. We are at saturation point. There is a delivery from the supermarket each week, which is funded from donations.” St John Vianney church in Tottenham hosts the Haringey Migrant support group. The capacity is for 50 men, women and children. There have been so many people turning up that the door has had to be closed. “There are solicitors and trainee solicitors coming to help people work through the immigration procedures. The cases vary from asylum claims to the undocumented and students overstaying on visas. This is all part of the parish outreach work,” said parish priest Father Joe Ryan. “We have the regular soup runs going out and there are more people knocking at the door for food. They are given vouchers and go round the corner to the local café that does all day breakfasts. “There are people slipping through the net and we’re trying to help them with the basic food support. At the moment we are getting around 10 a week coming to the door. The numbers though are going up.” An east end priest who wished to remain anonymous believes the problem is the implementation of the welfare reforms. “We are seeing real suffering on the ground. There was a case here of a single parent, who had her money stopped because someone had rung up maliciously, saying that someone was living in her house. They weren’t but it took three weeks to sort out. If she had not been in touch with the church she would not have had anything to eat. There are real people at the sharp end feeling the effects of these reforms of the welfare system. People are slipping through the net,” said the priest. In another case there was a family of five, mother, father and three children, granted indefinite leave to remain. “People in this category have no recourse to public funds so are dependent on being able to work in order to stay out of destitution. In this case the husband dropped dead at work. The woman collapsed at work, finshing up £8,000 in debt. The family was evicted. A Catholic charity helped the family, raising £3,000 so the family could get accommodation. After months, the local authority finally decided to help the family- they were not allowed on benefits,” said the priest. “We are getting the reports of doctors and hospitals seeing the effects of food poverty. I’ve been a priest a long time but I am now seeing absolute poverty and a form of destitution.” Father Tim Byron SJ, chaplain at the University of Manchester, recalled how the first student-run foodbank was opened last October. “It is not a drop-in service, rather we have built up 56 referral agencies which range from local headteachers, charities, the probation service, council run family services, mental health service, job centers, housing associations, local churches etc,” said Father Byron. “These referral agencies hold and distribute vouchers which are necessary to access the foodbank. In our first five months we have distributed 2,300kg of food to 464 people (252 adults and 212 children). 31 per cent of the vouchers were issued due to benefit delays, 28 per cent due to low income, 8 per cent due to benefits changes, with homelessness, domestic violence, unemployment, debt, sickness and 'other reasons.'” Father Byron believes that “as the welfare state is being rolled back, as the tide is going out, those who do not have the support of an extended family to rely on are being left stranded and without support. “We supply emergency food boxes to the local hospital for discharged patients and recently we have seen a rise in demand for 'kettle packs' i.e. food that can be cooked for those without access to cooking facilities. Some of these are being requested as people cannot afford their gas bills and so are having to choose between keeping their electricity on but switching the gas off which can have a drastic impact on their heating. “Some students are referred to us. normally during the end of the semester, by student services - as they are too embarrassed to be helped by their peers, we allow them to come out of hours when they can get food more discreetly. During half term - or more extended breaks there is a spike of families who come, who normally rely on free school meals.” Father Jim McCartney, parish priest of Sacred Heart Church, Blackburn and founder of rehabilitation centre THOMAS (Those on the margins of society) testifies to seeing increasing numbers of people coming through the centre. “They are struggling to live and survive. We are seeing increasing numbers of East Europeans and some students looking for help,” said Father McCartney. “There is a need to address some of the underlying problems that have been around for the past decade or so. The workforce need to be better equipped for the jobs market. There are people taking advantage of the benefits system, that cannot be swept under the carpet and must be taken into account.” Father Raglan Hay Wills, parish priest of Our Lady of Ransom Church, Eastbourne, has found lot of people really struggling, often the kind of people who don’t make a protest but are really desperate. “What is for sure is that every day in Eastbourne there is a hot meal available somewhere and sometimes two. This support network is provided by churches, the salvation army and charities. There is no day on which we could not direct someone to a meal. The need though depends on the weather,” said Father Hay Wills. “The real concern is the person isolated, quietly suffering in desperate circumstances, they are not the people who come to the presbytery door here. It is a worry for those people who don’t have anyone to help them. “

see: Tablet - 1/3/2014

Truth commission needed in Northern Ireland

Interesting to again see the old hierarchy of suffering coming into play again in the Northern Ireland context. The only violence that matters it would seem is the Republican variety.

Contrast the present furore with the lack of interest when the devastating book “Lethal Allies” documenting 120 deaths (mainly Catholic) occurring between 1972 and 1978 was published in the autumn. Or the ongoing struggle of the Finucane family to get an independent judicial inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane in 1989.

One of the architects of Lethal Allies, Alan Brecknell, declared that he had no desire to see the 80 plus year olds responsible for the death of his father appearing in court, however he did want what happened recognised and acknowledged.

The response of the British government then was to not even meet with the book’s author Anne Cadwallader and those from the Pat Finucane Centre responsible for gathering the evidence. Compare such a response to the cartwheels now being performed by Theresa Villers and the British government in order to try to keep Peter Robinson and his chums in the Democratic Unionist Party on board with the peace process.

What the present furore over the letters of exemption and other revelations like Lethal Allies and those of the Panorama programme exposing British soldiers killing civilians demand is the creation of a truth and reconciliation commission. Though lest any party should have any misunderstandings, such a body would be internationally constituted and look at killings on all sides, not simply those that serve the purposes of the British state or either of the communities in Northern Ireland.

Lord Alton calls for caste discrimination to be made history

Lord David Alton has called on the international community to make caste discrimination history. Addressing an international conference in London titled Christiana responsibility to Dalits and caste discrimination, Lord Alton declared that “caste should be recognised as a root cause of trafficking, of modern day slavery and poverty and unless we raise the profile of the oppressed Dalits nothing will change.” Supported by CAFOD, Voice of Dalits International, CARJ and Migration Bishop Patrick Lynch the conference heard how Dalits make up 200 million of the Indian population (one sixth) and exist in 132 countries. Dalits also make up a sizeable number of Indians living in the UK, where discrimination was outlawed under the Equalities Act (2010). The Global Slavery Index has confirmed that around half of the world’s slaves are in India – some 13.9 million out of a global total of 29.8 million, and that most are Dalits or Tribals. In the Hindu caste system, they are regarded as subhuman—lower even than animals and left fighting a largely unknown struggle for emancipation. “Evidence points to 80-95% of bonded labourers (the vast majority of the 'modern slaves' in India) being Dalits, 99% of ritual sex slaves (the 250,000 temple prostitutes known locally as Devadasi or Jogini) being Dalits, and the majority of those trafficked into brothels or into domestic servitude being Dalits or Tribals,” said Lord Alton. “If you are a Dalit in India you are 27 times more likely to be trafficked or exploited in another form of modern slavery than anyone else.” Lord Alton revealed that it is estimated that every day three Dalit women are raped; Dalit women are often forced to sit at the back of their school classrooms, or even outside; on average every hour two Dalit houses are burnt down; every 18 minutes a crime is committed against a Dalit; each day two Dalits are murdered; 11 Dalits are beaten; many are impoverished; some half of Dalit children are under-nourished; 12 per cent die before their fifth birthday; 56 per cent of Dalit children under the age of four are malnourished; their infant mortality rate is close to 10 %; vast numbers are uneducated or illiterate; and 45% cannot read or write. The peer challenged the aid agencies to change their approach to caste. “In India you can’t make poverty history unless you make caste history. As we examine what has been achieved through the Millennium Development Goals and the plight of the global poor the professional development agencies need to take a long hard look at the way they target poverty. As they think beyond 2015 they need to listen, rather than impose, and develop a cross thematic framework for addressing the curse of the caste system,” said Lord Alton. “Some of these agencies need to radically rethink their mindset and priorities. They will be far more effective in tackling poverty if they tackle social exclusion. The churches, too, need to play a more decisive role in recognising the existence of caste and its consequences – in India but in the UK too, where 50 per cent of our estimated 1 million Dalits are considered to be poor.” Lord Alton cited education as a key way of addressing caste discrimination. “Education is still the best hope for social transformation. Once people are empowered by education, they can begin to address issues of poverty, lack of dignity, discrimination and other dehumanising attitudes,” said Lord Alton.

Environmentalists back Stern warnings on climate change and floods

Environmentalists have supported economist Nicholas Stern’s dire warning that UK flooding is linked to climate change and more can be expected unless drastic action is taken immediately.

Stern, who compiled at authoritative report for the British government in 2006, warning of orbiting costs as well as the destruction of the planet if climate change were not addressed, has claimed things are now worse.

He argues that “four of the five wettest years recorded in the UK have occurred from the year 2000 onwards. Over that same period, we have also had the seven warmest years. That is not a coincidence. There is an increasing body of evidence that extreme daily rainfall rates are becoming more intense, in line with what is expected from fundamental physics, as the Met Office pointed out earlier this week.”
He continued: “A warmer atmosphere holds more water. Add to this the increase in sea level, particularly along the English Channel, which is making storm surges bigger, and it is clear why the risk of flooding in the UK is rising.”
Stern warned things have got a lot worse since his report was published eight years ago and urgent action is needed. “The government will have to ensure the country becomes more resilient to those impacts of climate change that cannot now be avoided, including by investing greater sums in flood defences,” said Stern.

 

Writer, broadcaster and advisor to the Bishops Conference of England and Wales on environmental matters, Mary Colwell pointed out that Stern is not a man given to sensationalism. 

"His warning that the series of extreme weather events since 2000, right across the world, only go to strengthen the claim that the impacts of climate change are now being felt.  It is a warning we must listen to.  It seems the world is de-stabilising and shifting to a new order in line with a higher average global temperature.  It is, quite frankly, scary," said Colwell. "We only have one course of action.  We must immediately reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to put the brakes on the rate of change in the future and we must immediately restore natural systems that will help ameliorate  the worst effects of flooding.  Emitting greenhouse gases is only one own goal humanity is constantly scoring.  We continue to mis-use the land by eroding and/or compacting soils, deforesting uplands, draining wetlands, concreting land, ripping out mangroves, channelling rivers, building on floodplains and many other practices that reduce the ability of the landscape to deal with excess water.

"We also continue to eat meat in increasing quantities.  The meat industry is responsible for 18% of the world's greenhouse gases, by comparison, all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions.  In other words the way western society lives is the cause of climate change and our lack of respect for the natural world is increasing the devastating effects being felt."  

The environmental expert called on the Church to "respond strongly and clearly."  

"It must be a guide to right living and a comfort in times of change.  The stakes are too high for any more hand waving and doubt.  Catholics must practice the 3 Ss - live Simply, live Sustainably and be prepared to make sacrifices," said Mrs Colwell, who expressed her concerns that once the flooding crisis subsides the urgency will also evaporate.  

Environmental writer Edward Echlin said: “The unusual damaging weather is how climate scientists warned climate change would happen. Politicians, business leaders, and news media should have listened and acted. All must now respond. We suffer climate change that is human induced through human emissions and flora destruction. Moreover we need mitigation on climate damage as well as immediate adaptation. Alternative energies are available. House, churches, schools and other roofs, should generate solar energy through PV solar panels. This is true, genuine growth.”

Environmental writer and activist Ellen Teague said: “Columban Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation would certainly agree with Nicholas Stern that the current extreme weather is not a one-off, but part of a trend.”

 

“Britain has become twice as stormy in the past 50 years as climate change has forced the deep depressions that used to hit Iceland further south. Heavy winter rain will become more frequent and therefore the threat of flooding more serious. Sea level rise is an issue too, with more extreme tidal surges and storms predicted. The number of homes affected by coastal flooding in Kent, for example, is expected to triple in the next ten years,” she said.

 

Another development has seen  Pax Christi, Christian CND, Movement for the Abolition of War, (MAW) Columban Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) all sign a petition calling for the government to cancel renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system and use the money for flood protection. "We urge Her Majesty's Government to cancel present and future spending on  another Trident nuclear weapon system (estimated at £100 billion) and to spend some of the  money saved now and in the future on coastal protection and  inland flooding defences," says the petition.

Review of the film The Invisible Woman

The film an Invisible Woman about the relationship between Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan is entertaining.

Abi Morgan’s screen play, taken from Claire Tomalin’s excellent book of the same name, extracts a number of scenes to create a microcosm of the original work.

The focus is on Ternan looking back 13 years after the death of Dickens, when she is living in Margate, having married the clergyman George Wharton Robinson. She then has two children of her own.

The recall starts from when she first met Dickens, brilliantly played by Ralph Fiennes, at the dramatisation of Wilkie Collin’s play the Frozen Deep in Manchester. Further events follow, as the relationship deepens.

The brutality of Dickens toward his wife shows through when he has a barrier built in the house between his and her part and in a letter to the Times practically disowning her.

I’m not sure really whether the relationship between the Ternan family (mother Frances (Kristin Scott Thomas) and sisters Fanny (Amanda Hale) and Maria (Perdita Weeks)) and Dickens is done as well as it might be. In her book, Tomalin gets the sordid tone of the relationship, namely that Dickens wants Nelly and in exchange is prepared to support the other Ternans to a degree as well.

There is the suggestion in the book that Nelly’s sister Fanny plays a little on the relationship to exact certain rewards in terms of her own writing career. In the film, the deal seems to be purely that Nelly is not much good as an actress and has few other prospects..Dickens offers the best option.

What actress Felicity Jones, who plays Nelly, does convey well is her sense of being a tortured soul. She wants to tell about what went on with Dickens. In the film she ends up revealing some of the history to clergyman William Benham, though what is not told is that he later proves a less than worthy confidante.

The element of Tomalin’s book that does go missing in the film is the desire of Nelly and most of the Dickens family to protect the reputation of the great man. This went on while he was alive, so there were almost two lives going on the public and the private. Nelly then continued this, with others such as Georgina Hogarth (Dickens sister-in-law), playing major roles. Georgina gets but one mention in the film. The one family member who particularly resented the caricature of Dickens as the Victorian family man was his youngest daughter Kate, the same age as Nelly, who later said to Bernard Shaw: “If you could make the public understand that my father was not a joyous, jocous gentleman walking about the world with a plum pudding and a bowl of punch, you would greatly oblige me.”  

It is this secret and lies approach that later tears Nelly’s son Geoffrey apart when he only learns of his mother’s life as Dicken’s mistress, long after she died in 1914. The film though ends with Nelly revealing some of the story to Benham and going on with her own life.

The Invisible Woman is certainly well done, the screen play a skilful take on the original book and the acting superb. But as with many dramatisations, those who have read the original book first can end up disappointed, they shouldn’t because film is a different genre. However, if you want to avoid that disappointment maybe watch the film then read Tomlin’s excellent books the Invisible Woman and Charles Dickens – a life