What a refreshing change to hear a priest using the 'P' word at Mass tonight. It has been years since I heard a Catholic priest say the word 'protestant' in church or out of it. In fact, in England we have been so dominated by the misguided notion of ecumenicalism as defined by our current semi-retired Cardinal Murphy O'Connor that it has become heresy to mention 'heretics'.
In fact the priest, a Holy Ghost father, did not invoke some kind of sectarian hatred but was merely pointing out in a factual way the difference between his Catholic mission to Sierra Leone compared with the other missions there at that time. The simple action of staying with the people (poor people) during the conflict and not abandoning them on some health and safety pretext had set them apart and encouraged the government to support their work. The simple notion of being a 'good shepherd' no matter what the circumstances.
Inspiring, and good to remember that the Catholic church offers a distinct choice; a unique mission. It's reputation may have been sorely abused in recent times and misrepresented but, in my view, the desire to 'fit in' imposed upon us by Cormac's daft ecumenical creed has done more harm than good.
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