Shepherds

While the politicos continue their posturing and exercising their ingenuity in making expenses claims, and dearly-loathed Beeby See pathetically tries to repair an irrevocably lost reputation, other things have been quietly smouldering in the background. Today, the soothsayers have been alerting us all to the latest Great And Important Issue: this very day is historic in the life of the Northumbrian Church, as its Supreme Council meets to vote on a Very Contentious Issue.

There are those who would venture the opinion that the Church has been far too busy desperately trying to keep up with the latest fads and fancies of the politicos, who are determined to drag the entire Kingdom into its fluffy magic-mushroom-fuelled narrative, where everyone in the Kingdom is equal in status, ability and opportunity, and where even a bat, a cat or a rat is on an equal footing with King Alhfrith, and where the most intellectually-challenged may grasp the glittering prizes and hold a political office (as most already do).

However, this Cat doesn't lean towards such a perspective, and neither do many others. When I asked Caedmon for his thoughts, he told me he was quite happy about the contentious proposition in question. He also told me that his eminent friends Bede, Chad, Aidan and Cuthbert were also positive about it. I also went to Streonaeshalh Abbey to chat with the Abbess Hilda and the monks, to gauge their own feelings on the matter, and they were perfectly happy with the potentially likely outcome of this Great Council, which in their estimation is on an equal footing to those of Nicea and Chalcedon.

The outcome from this Great Gathering is predictable: the time is coming when there will be male bishops. The nay-sayers are going to have to get used to it..