The young employees at the British Foreign Office were actually following a typically English tradition when they sat together a few weeks ago and brainstormed on the subject of "The ideal papal visit". But perhaps the whole thing should not have been publicised ...
It must have been a funny meeting. The Foreign Ministry staff incorporated a good dose of black humour and liberating disrespect for authorities into their thoughts on the Pope's visit.
But then something happened that shouldn't have happened: Someone leaked the results from the flipchart to the press. And so the so-called "condom memo" almost became a political scandal last weekend. After all, it contained, among other things, the proposal to have the Pope distribute condoms.
Pope Benedict XVI is expected on the island in September, and nerves are currently on edge. The cases of abuse and beatings by clergy in Ireland and Germany have plunged the Catholic Church into its greatest crisis. The fierce head-shaking of the British population intensified when Benedict recently attacked the British government. The government wants to protect women as well as gays and lesbians from discrimination in the workplace by law.
It was in this climate that the ministry staff wrote their memo with some very interesting proposals: There should be a new brand of condom bearing the name of the head of the church. He should also bless same-sex marriage and open an abortion clinic during his visit. Various bishops should be dismissed and the Pope should set up an emergency hotline for children abused by priests.
The whole of England laughed, the employees were reprimanded and transferred, and London officially apologised to Vatican City. It was announced from there that no comment would be made - because of the good relations. So there will be no changes to the travel plans of the Holy Father, who is currently the subject of much criticism.
At least Susan Boyle will be happy about that. The singing talent from the casting show "Britain's got talent" will be singing for Benedetto in September, and it will probably be her magnificent rendition of "I dreamed a dream".
Martin Luther King, to whose famous speech the title refers, also once had a dream of a life without discrimination. However, the dream of the authors of the condom memo of a church leadership that arrives in reality will probably remain a dream for a long time to come.
(cs)
