We stood outside the Council House again, with the same banner as last time. And the time before that. And so on. This time I held the banner with a Muslim. OUR COUNCIL TAX FUNDS THE GENOCIDE. We were there to confront the Council and their investments in weaponry. Some councillors came among us, smiled and took photos. It was because elections are approaching, someone said.
I thought of those who have slipped away into the darkness by the roadside, as Rahner puts it. Some who walked the same road while they could. Some who were there from the start, as the early Church emphasised. It’s a long road, though, and it takes its toll. I ought to pray for them. They have done me good.
Most of those companions, present or departed, wouldn’t set foot in a church if you paid them (and some despite their Baptism). And yet ‘companions’ are those ‘sharing bread’. I share bread every week with many who are not my companions on this road. This is confusing.
Too many of us don’t believe any more that the Devil exists, we were told last Sunday at Mass. These companions I’m talking about, though, would be quite happy to call genocide devilish. And arms-dealers. And the politicians who give the orders and sign the cheques. Demons all. A manner of speaking, you may say. But at least they speak, name names, say something, call a spade a spade.
Hope is much spoken of these days. St Thomas calmly points out that Hope is to be oriented to one who is willing and able to provide the outcome we desire. This seems to rule out our councillors. They are zealous for the repair of potholes, but indifferent to the destruction of lives. And our money pays for both.
Paul McGowan – 27th February 2026
