COSTA PACKET DISCORDIA

AN UNUSUALLY FULL SCHEDULE of work over the Christmas vacation, coupled with an episode of enforced absence during which I had to deal with issues involving my property in the United Kingdom, have meant that it is over a month since I have been able to claim what I believe is now called “down time” (although in my student days this expression had a different meaning) and set out some of my thoughts about the state of the world as I see it at present.

IF ONE SENSIBLY IGNORES the hoo-hah over who will be the next Republican Party candidate for elections in the USA against hapless, doomed President Barack Hussein Obama, then it is clear that the only two newsworthy issues at the moment are the fate of the Euro currency and the mysterious sinking of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which by all accounts was set to take its passengers from many countries into a wonderful world of enjoyment based on their sound economic and financial situation and consumer confidence.

INDEED IT WOULD NOT BE UNFAIR to detect a certain symmetry between the two news stories: the “Costa” took a cast of frivolous, carefree folks into a supposedly bright future; little attention was paid to thinking about the course charted ahead; the “captain” of the enterprise was an irresponsible socialite; the whole shebang soon revealed it was on the rocks before it had gathered a proper head of steam; and as soon as everything “listed”, no one accepted responsibility.

BUT THE GREATEST OF PARALLELS among these events of an uncannily similar bent has to do with the underhand activities of some of the people involved in this disaster. Whilst those in charge may by nature be corrupt and mendacious, one does not expect to hear of situations such as that of Father Massimo Donghi, an Italian priest who informed his parish of devoted old ladies that he was heading off for a week of contemplation and prayer, but instead joined the luxury liner for fun not usually found at Catholic retreats. Damning is his statement after he found out that his parishioners knew of his deceit: “I will talk to my parishioners in church. The judgment of others is not important to me.” This is the difference between the Protestant north of Europe and the Catholic south.