Catholic tastes

I like this comment piece, it makes me laugh. In it Christina Odone argues that Tony Blair's apparently imminent conversion to Catholicism is a good thing. It will stick it to those evil secular liberals! "Isn't Catholicism just an antiquated religion that bans sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, birth control and abortions?" asks Odone. The answer: "Er, no. Blair's jump will force the spin doctor, the telly producer, the Labour councillor to admit that there's more to Catholicism: charity, compassion, self-sacrifice and modesty for a start". Fair enough, but Catholicism DOES ban sex outside marriage, homosexuality, birth control and abortions, to the detriment of millions of people around the world, even if that isn't ALL it does.

She goes on: "Review Catholic doctrine and you'll see that the overwhelming preoccupation is not about condoms or chastity belts, but about helping others. These are the values the liberal establishment pays lip service to. Now one of their own is prepared to embrace them as guiding principles. That is something to cheer about".

Well, all to the good. But Odone writes as if the only way to embrace "charity, compassion, self-sacrifice and modesty" is to embrace the Catholic church with its Papal infallibility, transubstantiation and all the rest of the transparent bollocks associated with it. If Odone wants to be a Catholic, fair enough, I certainly wouldn't seek to stop her. But smugly pretending that Catholics have a monopoly on ethical behaviour is just plain old wrong.