Here in Yorkshire we’ve a word – ‘blether’ – for arguments which as so obviously barmy that only the person making them can think they sound anything other than plain odd. Now, as an old-time Baptist, I’m not expected top be a fan of Pope Frank, and as it happens, not for that reason, I’m not. But when I hear someone calling himself a Catholic telling me the Pope is a heretic and that he can’t be the Pope, and that if the rest of the Catholic Church thinks he is, they’re wrong, and only the person saying he isn’t (and those who agree with him) are right, then I know I’m in its presence.  Those who dislike the Catholic Church will be delighted, and over the moon itself we others to take this view; the Catholic Church could collapse into sects accusing each other of heresy and we could have half a dozen self-styled ‘popes’ all citing Paul IV as the reason for saying that they are right and the other lot are barmy.  I”d have thought Bosco might even do whatever the Calvary Chapel equivalent of lighting candle might be (throwing cement doves?). Each of the little ‘churches’ could claim to be ‘the’ church, and indeed, the smaller they were, the fewer members they had, the ‘purer’ they’d be, and so everyone else could fall about laughing at a bunch of men (and why are most of these people men? because women have far too much commonsense to lend themselves to such blether) dressing up in dagon fish hats of various sorts hurling anathemata at each other.  How edifying, that was surely what Jesus came to earth to achieve.

And what’s all this stuff about worshipping with Jews? If the Catholic Church really says it is heresy to work with Jews, then Jesus and all the Apostles were heretics, and we are, again, through that looking-glass. If some Catholics can’t get over centuries of anti-semitism, then shame on them/

Fortunately, with the exception of a few nutcases, no one gives a fig for such antics, and the Catholic Church will get on with its mission. The Catholic Church, of course, being the things we all know and see on the high street and in the news – not Pope Michael in California, or Pope Joe is wherever. but the man elected by the Cardinals. Ah, but, we are told, they too are apostate.  So who isn’t?  What’s that, you say you aren’t? Oh well, that’s fine then – nearly a billion people are wrong; if must be like the old joke about flies: ‘eat cow pats, millions of flies can’t be wrong’. That clever men can spout such stuff and not see that to the rest of us they are a laughing-stock is one of the marvels of the solipsism of human nature.  Everyone’s out of step save me; of course – have you thought to visiting your doctor?

So, on one side we have the blether that the fellow everyone says is the Pope isn’t, and on the other we have Bosco proclaiming we must knock on the door, but having no answer to the question: ‘what do we do if we get not answer’. Again, common sense suggests that there are as many ways of jesus talking to us as there are people, but no, the blether-mongers insist they, and they alone, know what is right – and if that means everyone else goes to hell, so be it.

So, here’s the commonality, the bletherer claims that they have some insight denied to the rest of is. The early Church called in Gnosticism, and so do I. Bosco and QVO are Gnostics, and I know, because the Spirit told me so, and I, and I alone, having become a Gnostic myself, have a unique insight.

Now, I’m off to the doctors to get in queue behind Bosco and QC. In the meantime, can we get back to normal round here, because I can speak only for me, but really, it is getting tedious. I admire Chalcedon’s patience, and that of my friend Servus Fidelis – but even thy must feel that they’ve done their best with the Gnostic fringe?