A Spectator's Notebook
rsiOT only Catholics, and not only Protestants, but agnostics, and doubtless atheistic Com- munists too, have mourned 'the death of Pope John XXIII. It is probably true than in projecting his personal charm, this good and wise old man has also created a new atmosphere of tolerance and goodwill among non-Catholics towards the Roman religion; and any lessening of religious hostility must be a Good Thing. But all this hardly justifies the conclusions drawn by Peregrine Worsthorne, who wrote a thoughtful and pre- posterous article in the Sunday Telegraph this week heralding the imminent triumph of Roman Catholicism. The late Pope, according to this reading, has ripened the time when all Christians will move gratefully under the Roman umbrella, because if spiritual weapons are to hold their own against our new powers of destruction, then 'they too, should have only one finger on the trigger.' This is the old don't-rock-the-boat nonsense, of course. Mr. Worsthorne is a victim of the heresy (as we all are occasionally) that everything will be fine if only we have an end to dispute and every- body agrees; with us, that is. Worsthorne is a Catholic. Protestants may (and for the good of their souls they should) feel goodwill towards their Catholic brethren; but the Worsthorne view of ecumenicalism is more likely to scare them off. The lamb will willingly lie down with the lion; but not inside the lion.
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