Flintshire

This is a bit of an off topic comment but I feel it has to be said.

The Pope’s visit to the UK has been pretty much a non-event. Considering he is allegedly God’s representative on Earth, not many people seem to be turning out to meet and greet. Maybe it’s because the Vatican thinks the UK is like a ‘third world country’ or maybe it’s because the clergy can’t keep their hands of little boys.

Personally, it think ‘the church’ is becoming less and less relevant in a modern society. I fell out with the church in my early teens when I realised the communion was made up of too many hypocrites who sung the songs and read the words but rarely carried the teachings along with them in real life. This was all as if an hour’s religious workout a week is enough to keep the soul cleansed for a future eternity in heaven.

My gripe with organised religion, any organised religion, is that the dogma and traditions were invented by men for men and the control of men and women especially. This is why I consider myself to be a practicing agnostic.

BUT! Faith is an entirely different thing. There is nothing wrong with faith. It doesn’t matter what flavour of faith you have, it can be a very good path to follow. This is exactly where the Vatican has got it so terribly wrong. Dogma and tradition is first, second and third before faith.

The issues of contraception, HIV AIDS, homosexuality, celibacy and female clergy are all dogmas that are so unimportant. Surely, faith is what counts? I would have thought that you need faith before you can follow a religion, in my humble opinion or there’s just no point.

But on a more positive note. Well done to one of our own, 10 year old Nadia Molinara from Shotton who welcomed the Pope to the UK in Welsh.