A DIFFERENT TAKE.......

I was so interested in the Christmas/New Year messages and addresses given by Pope Francis, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York and the Archbishop of Westminster because all of them did not just dwell on past events that happened during the year.  Instead they talked about situations that are here right now in the world and what we should do about them.  Usually in her Christmas address, Her Majesty runs through the year's happenings, but this year she only mentioned her Golden Jubilee and the birth of her great grandson Prince George.

The eminent clerics I mentioned above all gave addresses and messages that I believe the former Bishop of Woolwich, Dr. John Robinson would have called addresses on "practical Christianity".  That was rather unusual, because so often it is the norm for clergy to deal out theological platitudes that have little or no meaning for the average person who may not be interested in Church matters.   Looking back isn't going to help - understanding why they are happening and then dealing with the problem will help.

Starting here in this beautiful country of Cambodia we have a Prime Minister for the past 30-years who refuses to step down.  What he did not realize was that when the last election (which is believed by all to have been totally irregular with people threatened to vote a certain way, people's names removed from the electoral role and votes bought) took place in July this year a whole new generation of young educated people were able to vote for the first time and they decided they wanted no more of the corruption and nepotism that has been going on for years making the rich richer and the poor poorer.  The Prime Minister and his cronies refuse to give in to any of their demands which has resulted in tens of thousands of people marching in the streets of Phnom Penh every day. Tomorrow, December 29th it is expected that some 1-million people will take to the streets.  We are lucky in that so far there has been little violence, but how long will that last?

Thailand is not so lucky in that respect.  It has been held in a virtual strangle hold by the former Prime Minister the billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra who went into exile after he was ousted in a coup in 2006 and convicted of corruption and fraud.  But he controls the government still and at the last election had his younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra - who had never been in politics made Prime Minister.  That is, in name only as he pulls the strings from his home in exile in Dubai.  Now the Thais are tired of his strangle hold on things and his buying of votes, and everyday tens of thousands of people protest in the streets of Bangkok and around the country.  But there violence occurs and yesterday one person was shot dead and some 70 people wounded according to the reports.   But still those in power are not interested in the will or the good of the people - just in holding on to power.

Move to Bangladesh where rioting has begun ahead of elections this week.  Two very powerful women control things there.  There is the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hassina and a former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.  Both women come from powerful political backgrounds.  Sheikh Hassina and her sister happened to be in London in 1975 when her father, Sheikh Mujibar Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh and the rest of her family were assasinated.  Begum Kalida Zia was Prime Minister from 1991 - 1966 and again from 2001 - 2006.  Her husband Ziaur Rahman, who was President of Bangladesh was assasinated in 1981.  Since all those events, there has been a power rivalry between the two women, and Sheikh Hassina the current Prime Minister only yesterday put Begum Khaleda Zia under house arrest so she couldn't partake in the elections and says she will have charges of treason brought against her.   The result?  Thousands of people protesting in the streets of Dhaka.

Move to Afrca to South Sudan - the newest country in the United Nations only becoming independent in 2011.  The President of South Sudan, Mr. Salva Kiir who is of the Dinka tribe, in July fired his Vice President Mr. Riak Machar who is from the Dok section of the Nuer people, and the entire Cabinet for a suspected coup plot.  Now they are total rivals, and that new country which had  much potential is in a civil war with 17,000 already dying as a result during the past week.

You can continue on this line right around the world citing incidences of power-hungry people causing problems and wanting to hold on to their power regardless of the consequences to the people of their country.  You can go to Turkey, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Mali and indeed even to the United States, although many people hate it when that country is mentioned in such a context.  But the holding back by members of the Congress and Senate of Bills that are necessary for so many Americans, is also nothing more than people trying to hold on to power, like it or not.

So what do we do about it.  I believe dialogue where possible is the best solution.  People have to be shown that it is in their own interests to see for the well-being of their people otherwise eventually they will fall somehow. It is not an easy thing to do, trying to persuade these people to work for the good of their people instead of just for the good of themselves and their families.  People get to a stage where they blot that from their minds.  Nevertheless, that is what has to be done.

Lets hope that in 2014 we will see even a little advance in the right direction.

BILLS CAN BE PAID AGAIN - BUT FOR HOW LONG?

Finally the United States Senate and Congress managed to get the Government back to work and to raise the debt ceiling - if only for another ninety days.  I found it amusing to watch the seemingly never-ending line of politicians rushing to the nearest microphone and camera to tell the world what good work they had been doing and how hard they worked.  I wonder if the people are really taken in by their comments.

But how long will this situation last?  They will have to deal with the question of the debt ceiling again in another ninety days and Mr. Ted Cruz - the decidedly new Senator from Texas who so enjoyed being in the limelight every day, has stated that he will continue causing the Government problems again even if it means shutting down once more and not dealing with the debt situation.  For someone who has made it clear that he has his eye on the White House, it would seem to me rather obvious that he is sinking his own boat even before it starts to sail.   American people are not stupid and I can't see them tolerating that sort of rhetoric for long.

We have been told that the shut down cost the country some $24-billion.  Maybe so and that is not a small amount in anyone's book.  However, unfortunately a great deal more was lost as well that could put that dollar figure even higher.

Talk to any of the poiticians or diplomats from the countries in this South East Asian region and you will quickly realize that their faith, trust and reliance on the United States is eroding at a rather quick pace.  What a pity...... but it is understandable.  Mr. Obama for the past two years has said that it is his intention to have a greater U.S. presence in the Pacific region, and to that effect he has stationed some troops in Northern Australia - much to the concern of some countries.

Mr. Obama was forced to cancel his visit to Asia two weeks ago when he was supposed to attend the APEC meeting in Bali and then the ASEAN Summit in Brunei immediately afterwards, as well as visits to Malaysia and the Philippines.  Instead the Secretary of State - Mr. John Kerry - took his place.  Mr. Kerry is no Mrs. Hilary Clinton who was his predecessor in that job and who is immensely popular and respected in this area.  A couple of Mr. Kerry's remarks made in speeches did not go down well...... especially one where he said that they were not to worry about the shut down in Washington as that was just a sign of how strong democracy is in America.   Several comments were made asking if being a democracy meant you could shut down and not pay your employees whenever you wished.  Some politicians in the area said they did not want their country to follow that route.

As it turned out, the President of China - Mr, Xi Jinling took over Mr. Obama's position of being the key person at both meetings - something that must have really upset Washington.  Mr. Xi was the centre point of all the meetings both in Bali and in Brunei cutting deals and treaties with all present.  America lost some great points and opportunites there and it will take some time to replace.  The Chinese news agency Xinhua even suggested in an article last week that perhaps the region should consider "de-Americanizing" itself and turn to a different currency than the dollar.   That is not possible at the moment as there is no alterntive.  The Chinese Yuan - the only possible alternative - is not yet in a position to take over.  However, that is a sentiment that has been buzzing around here for a while.

In this day and age, you cannot just think of the dollars lost at home in a situation like this.  You have to look at the wider field and its international repercussions - especially when you are a big country and considered to be a leader in the world. 

Unfortunately the folk in Washington are more concerned with being in front of a camera and a microphone than working for the good of their people and country.  Hopefully at the next election the people will make sure they vote for senators and members of the Congress who really are interested in working for the country and people and not for themselves.  If that happens - then America will regain its top place on the world stage.

SHUT THE DOORS!

It is two years - or maybe a little bit more - that Greece got into mammoth problems with its budget.  After weeks and months of "back-and-forth" discussions with officials in the European Union, it was finally agreed that the EU would offer a bail out for the country.  Whereas that wasn't something that immediately cured the problem, it did help, and in spite of the many protests in Greece from the general populace over the many cut backs that had to be made in the budget, progress was made.

A short time later Ireland got in the same boat.  The country was about to go bankrupt, and once again the EU came to the rescue.  Although the Irish Government put into practice many austere items to bring the country back to viability, there were not too may protests from the people.  Slowly but surely the financial situation in the country began to become stable again, although they still have a way to go before everything is back to a balanced budget again.

Spain and Portugal both followed the same route as Ireland and Greece, but they have not been quite so successful in getting back on track although they are trying once again with the help of the European Union bail outs.  If you look at Europe as a whole, you will find that other contries are also facing difficulties there and in time may also need a bail out.  The economic crisis has affected so many.

But that is across the Atlantic in Europe.  It is not America.  However, having said that what I find so interesting is that all the time that Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal were negotiating with the European Union, and Mrs. Angela Merkel of Germany was shuttling hither and thither trying to find solutions,  the members of the U.S. Senate and Congress - as well as President Obama were making decidedly strong speeches saying that the countries in Europe had to be responsible and get their financial things in order.   They were being very "high-handed" in what they were saying back then.

Fast forward to today and what they said then has become the subject of jokes by comedians the world over.  The United States itself cannot get its own house in order so why shout at other people.  The fact that the U.S. Government is now as I write in "shut down" is not just laughable, but it is also pathetic and somewhat immoral in my humble opinion.

We are told in all the media that some 800,000 people are sent home without pay with no likelihood of getting that pay loss refunded if and when the Government finally gets back to work.  That situation has got to be more than scary for those 800,000 people.  To lose all your income when you have a mortgage, to pay as well as other every day expenses, is a frightening possibility.

The members of Congress get $174,000 a year, and people like Mr. Boehner, Mr. Reid and Mrs.Pelosi get quite a bit more.  Although the ordinary workers will have to forfeit their pay, all members of both Houses will still receive their considerably substantial pay cheques.  Is there not some moral issue in here some where?

These people were elected by the people for the people and therefore should work in the interest of the people.  But no - they obviously work just for themselves and have little or no consideration or care for their every day constituents who struggle to make ends meet.  

Something is drastically wrong there.  A few weeks ago and indeed just last week when he was speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr. Obama referred to the United States as being "exceptional".  He was right.  I cannot think of any other country - especially one that prides itself as being a rich, powerful, democratic country that cuts off the funding of its people.   That has only happened in the U.S., which makes it exceptional.

Albeit three members of Congress said they will donate their salary to charities - lucky charities - and I am sure that makes them feel good, but if they are truly interested in and working for their constituents, then they should all request that their pay cheques be witheld and returned to the Treasury.  

When the next election comes around, the voters should make sure that they elect people who are really interested in the welfare of the people and not just in making themselves rich.  None of the members of either House are exactly poor, so they are unaffected by the shut down.  What they are doing is making themselves a laughing stock around the world.  What a shame for a country to which so many people in other countries look up and admire.

SAME, SAME, AGAIN!

The world seems to go from one drama to another.  Right now the drama is Syria and the civil war that is going on there.   The situation there has managed to eclipse the drama enfolding in Egypt - something that dominated the media for weeks.

It is two years since the trouble in Syria started.  In that reasonably short space of time over 100,000 people have been killed and many more badly wounded.  In addition, several million are now refugees and living under difficult conditions in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.   Now, during the past week or two we have been told that some 1,429 people including 426 children were killed as a result of the use of chemical weapons.   That being the case, the word "genocide" comes clearly to the forefront of my mind.  The affects of this civil war have spread beyond the borders of Syria.  Jordan is a small country and it is a struggle for the economy there to support this huge influx of refugees.  Western countries say they send aid, but when you see the figures it is far short of the amount required to feed and clothe such a huge number of people who have nothing.

I don't like war - I have seen a lot of it and seen first hand the cruelties that take place during wars as well as the after effects.  None of it is pretty.  Somehow it has to stop and if the powers-that-be really put their heads together, I truly believe peace can be found - so long as they think of the interests of people, and not just the interests of big business and power.  I am not in favour of air strikes on Syria or an invasion - look what happened in Iraq.  I applaud the British Parliament refusing to get involved in air strikes and also the Germans for saying they would not be a part of it either.  I understand from today's news that Australia stated likewise.  There has to be another way although I am fairly certain that Mr. Obama will go ahead and do something dramatic anyway even though CNN reported today that 64% of the American people were against a strike.

Alright - now why do I headline this piece with "SAME, SAME AGAIN!"?  Because it is just that and strike or no strike, the world - especially those who call themselves leaders, be they American, Russian, Chinese, British, French or whatever - have got to ensure there is not another "same, same again" situation cropping up in another few years.

Let me explain, if I can.   During the Vietnam war, America with what has been referred to as the Kissinger/Nixon secret bombing programme dropped more bombs on this small Kingdom of Cambodia (which wasn't even in the war) than they dropped during the whole of World War II.  Towns, villages and people as well as swathes of jungle were eradicated.  At the time, Cambodia was not important to western thinking.  That thinking continued unto the 1970's and when the Khmer Rouge came to power the western powers knew about their plans and promptly withdrew all their people from the country leaving it to the mercy of the Khmer Rouge who managed to kill off almost 2-million people before they were defeated in 1979.  Genocide at its worst.  The French went even further.  Some dozen or so member of the Cambodian Royal Family as well as other people also went to the French Embassy here in Phnom Penh for asylum and protection.   Although the Ambassador and Embassy staff were well aware what would happen to them if they were not pretected, they just handed them over to the Khmer Rouge withut a thought.  None of those unfortunate people were ever heard of again.  The West knew what was happening, but just sat and watched.  When I think of it I find it embarrassing to be a westerner.   Genocide was rampant, but no one intervened.

Remember the civil war in Rwanda?  Almost a million members of the Tutsi tribe were massacred by the Hutus within a space of not years - but just weeks. Genocide at its worst again. The West knew what was happening but just stood by and watched.   Rwanda was not a very important little country.   Remember in the 90's the war in the Baltics and the horrific massacre of hundreds of young men in Serbia?   Admittedly eventually Nato stepped in and bombed thus ending the war, but the West knew what was happening and did nothing until thousands of innocent people had died.   Serbia was not an important little country.  These things must not happen again.   If there is an air strike in Syria, let us hope it is just one and there is not another.

This whole Syrian situation should make the powers-that-be stop acting like they own the world and are better than anyone else.  Situations like this should be acted upon right at the beginning before they get out of hand.

It is time we realized that the world is just one big family.  I have lived in many countries and I have been to every continent except Antarctica and everywhere I have gone I have found friendship and kindness and have never felt "out of it" in the sense of being a stranger.  If I needed help I found it.  So why don't we treat the world as a family?  Are we afraid one member will become more powerful than us - how childish.  In our own families, if one member has something wrong - gets ill or has a problem, other members normally come at once and help and sort it out before it gets too bad.

There will be dramas in the future in other countries to be sure, but it is the duty of the rest of the world to immediately get together and vigoriously solve the problem before it gets to the state of where Syria now finds itself.  The countries of the world and their leaders have a duty towards one another and not just to their own interests.

HALF CENTURY LATER? HOW TIME FLIES!

I have been retired for several years, but I find I am often busier than I was prior to retirement.  That is what makes life so interesting.  For many people, when you retire you simply stop working - but what then?  A round of golf a couple of times a week?   Mow the lawn?  Read the papers, go to a Senior Citizen Centre?  Not for me any of that.  For me the word "retire" means just stopping doing what you have been doing for so many years, and branching out to do something completely different.

As I said above, I find I am often busier than before I retired.  I get called upon to get involved in things I would have thought would be way outside my line.   I live now in the beautiful country of Cambodia which is devoid of stress, where people smile and are not angry, where the climate is pleasant 95% of the time and where - because of its geograhical position - it is convenient for visiting almost every other Asian country.  It is also very affordable.  Because of all this I don't always have a lot of free time - not that I need it as I enjoy everything I do here.   However, during the past four or five weeks, things that were out of my control gave me plenty of time to think back over the years.  Things like several long-distance trans-ocean and trans-continental flights of maybe 11-hours to mention but few.

I seldom watch films on a plane for the simple reason they are never films I would want to watch in the first place.  I like to sit by a window and think.  It is a good time for that.

I was on a long trans-Pacific flight just a few weeks ago when suddenly something came to my mind about which I hadn't thought for the longest time and I was quite shocked when I did.   I suddenly realised that at the end of this month - 29th June 2013 (St.Peter's Day), to be exact - I will have been ordained 50-years.   But that didn't seem too bad in itself until the mind went further and I realized it meant I will have been ordained for half a century.  Now that is a different matter.  It made me feel I was all but pre-historic.  It is funny how just a change in words can make a difference.

Since that flight I have thought about that half century and how things have changed in that calling or profession over the years. 

I have been extremely blessed and fortunate in my career as a priest.  It has taken me around the world and been the cause of my meeting some of the most famous and interesting people on every continent.  I have had the honour of being nominated for bishop four times and the privilege of being able to withdraw my name from each nomination.  Being a bishop was never on my list of "must do's".   I was never, am not and never would be bishop material.  I am too outspoken for that and besides I prefer to be "among the people".  I have had the privilege of being able to get the advice and help when needed from some of the world's most notable and respected  prelates such as Archbishop Michael Ramsey of Canterbury, Bishop Riah Abu El Assal of Jerusalem, Bishop John S. Spong of Newark, Bishop K.T. Ting of China, Archbishop George Otto Simms of Armagh and Bishop Desmond Tutu of Capetown.

But things in the church world have changed drastically over those fifty years.  When I was ordained in Ireland it was mandatory for the newly ordained to remain a deacon for at least one full year before being ordained to the priesthood.  Furthermore, the newly ordained had to do a mandatory 3-year period as assistant - or curate - in a parish before being able to be appointed to a parish of his own.  I may be old fashioned but I am continually shocked these days to see bishops ordaining someone to the diaconate then within even a month ordaining them priest having already placed them in charge of a parish.  There is totally no way the newly ordained person can have the know-how to run a parish just because they have been ordained and can wear a clerical collar.  Training is necessary in every profession and Divinity Schools - as they were then called in Ireland - or Seminaries do not give complete courses in the practical side of parish ministries such as dealing with a bereaved family, handling a possible suicide situation or efficiently handling domestic disputes.

As a newly ordained, I had a strict routine to follow.  I could only preach once a month - that one did not particularly bother me.  Every Monday I had to meet with the Rector of the parish - my boss - and go over everything I had done or not done the previous week.  I would be given a list of houses where I had to make a call during the coming week.   Nowadays many clergy only make house calls if they are invited by their more wealthy parishioners to dinner.   Tuesdays and Thursdays were taken up by visiting hospitals.  I would have to be at the hospital - there were two in the parish where I worked in Northern Ireland - at 9.00am and get from the Registrar a list of all new patients who had come in since my previous visit, and they would have to be seen.   Sometimes they didn't want to see a clergy person, but on the other hand if one didn't appear there would be complaints galore.

When I moved to work in Jamaica in the West Indies, it was a different story.  In my parish I had seven churches and mission stations - all of which had to have a Eucharist every Sunday.  So I would start at the main church at 7.30am then go from church to church visiting, preaching, baptising and celebrating the eucharist at all seven before finally ending up at Evensong back at the main church again in the evening.  A long day - but I always enjoyed it.  Seven churches in the one day.  Today I hear clergy complain if they have to preach twice in the one day - even at the same church!!  Every weekday morning was taken up walking through the banana plantations taking communion to the old folk who could not get out to church.  To see the joy on the old peoples' faces when I would arrive to give them communion was a thrill I will always remember.  Today that is not a priority in most places.  I was shocked to hear a priest say one time last year to an old lady - if you can't drive so far yourself anymore, get your daughter to bring you to church.  No such thing as saying "I will bring the Eucharist to you".   Pastoral care and consideration are both fast flying out the door.

Fifty years may have past and I may not preach anymore, but I am still very much a priest and my position as such is very much respected even here in this 98% Buddhist country by every one.   I may not take part in church services and I may be considered an "inactive priest" in diocesan circles, but the work I do with students and other entities here, in Vietnam and in Laos to me is just an extension of my priestly ministry.  I feel privileged to be able to contribute to the people in this part of the world and hope the Good Lord gives me time to do so for many years to come.

NORTH KOREA - WHAT NEXT?

It is almost exactly a year and one week since I last wrote about North Korea - a country that has interested me for a very long time.   I have never been there and don't know if I ever will, but I would certainly welcome an opportunity to go there.  I like to see what is what for myself.

The last time I wrote on this subject I mentioned Kim - not his real name - a North Korean soldier, who was stationed at a border crossing between North Korea and China.  Kim had contacted me via an internet chat programme which he was occasionally able to use through the kind offices of a Chinese soldier, when Kim had to go across the border on business and no one was around.  Sometimes I wouldn't hear from him for weeks but I always checked in to see if he had written to me.  He made it plain that if ever he was caught communicating with me - even to just say "hello" - then he would be accused of treason and shot.  One time Kim mentioned that Kim Jung Il the previous Dear Leader would be going to where he was because they had just received forty new jet fighters at the nearby air base and the Dear Leader was coming to inspect them but it was all top secret.  I was not to mention anything about anything he said when I wrote just in case someone read it even though he was sending from China.  He said he felt getting these new jet fighters was very frightening.  It was never mentioned again, but exactly four weeks later, the White House in Washington announced they had just been informed that North Korea had acquired forty new fighter jets!

Kim told me many things which were released in general information weeks later.  He was always afraid that one day he would be arrested, and one day wrote and said goodbye, that he was being sent "to the front" with South Korea and would no longer be able to communicate.  I never heard from him again.

As everyone knows, North Korea has been doing and saying some crazy things these days.  I have been following things very closely, because whatever the outcome, it will affect South East Asia.

There is no doubt that North Korea is acting totally on its own in every respect.  Little is said in the western media except that some heavy talk has come from Washington but that some of what has been said is now being toned down.  When you look at media from other parts of the world, you find that it isn't only the U.S. and western countries that are concerned and telling North Korea to "cool it". 

It has not been generally reported that the official Chinese news wire  - Xinhua - published a report from its Pyongyang-based reporter which said life in the city of Pyongyang is "business as usual".  According to the report 100,000 Pyongyang residents are preparing for North Korea's most important holiday - Kim Il-Sung's birthday - on April 15th by planting trees throughout the city.  It also said that in the mountainous Chinese region of Kaundian County that borders North Korea, local residents there are accustomed to an influx of troops any time tensions flare up on the Korean Peninsular just in case things spin out of control.  However, this time there are so many soldiers and equipment there the media reports even the most hardened villagers are nervous.  The news agency also reports the Chinese authorities using much tougher language against the North Korean regime than has been reported in the west.

Mr. Fidel Castro is not a person much beloved by many in the west so many may be surprised by a letter he wrote in Cuban State Media this week.   I certainly haven't seen it reported on any of the main western media channels or papers.  Mr. Castro wrote that North Korea had shown the world its technical prowess and now it is time to remember its duty to others.  Words that will surprise many I am sure.

"Now that it has demonstrated its technical and scientific advances," Mr. Castro wrote, "we remind it of its duty to other countries who have been great friends and that it would not be just to forget that such a war would affect 70-per cent of the world's population".  Mr. Castro called the present situation on the Korean Peninsular "incredible and absurd", but said "it has to do with one of the gravest risks of nuclear war since the (Cuban Missile) crisis 50 years ago."

Now that I have seen and read comments by and from countries like China and Cuba who everyone knows have been allies if not supporters of North Korea, it makes me realize even more the total isolation that country must feel.  When I realize that - then my mind starts working and wondering - although I know some will not agree with what I think.

Until now North Korea has relied for support on its very few allies - such as China and Cuba.  Now one can see that even they are "turning off" and not being nearly as supportive as they have been.   The North feels "caged in", and so is getting desperate.   That is what is so dangerous.   If you "cage in" anyone or any animal or bird to the point it feels it is totally trapped, then it will use whatever it has at its disposal to get out of that cage.

I love Korea and Koreans and I go to South Korea a lot - I will be there next month again. I was interested this week when some of my friends there were a little dismayed by the fact that the U.S. made a very public point of telling the world it had deployed F2 stealth fighters to South Korea, and that it had also flown B-22 bombers and stealth bombers over the peninsular to show what power it had.  My friends in Seoul said this upset them as they feared that was "pushing the button" too far.

I suppose I am a pacifist - I have seen and been in too much fighting around the world.  Tough talk is not having any effect now with North Korea - nor are sanctions other than annoying them.  Maybe that is why the Pentagon CNN correspondent Barbara Starr said yesterday that Washington was "dialing down" its rhetoric.   

I am all for talk, talk, talk.  I was told that was the best way many years ago by that great Irish Prime Minister Mr. Sean Lemass.   Why not try that seriously this time?  Mr. Jimmy Carter, Mr. Wen Jaibao, Mr. Bill Clinton and also Mrs. Hilary Clinton and Mrs. Madeleine Albright are all known to be much respected by the leaders of North Korea.   Why not ask them to go to Pyongyang and meet with the leaders there.  I am sure they would get a much better response than flying B-22's around does.  I maybe naive but I am sure a delegation of any combination of any of above would be well worth while.

TWO NEW CHURCH LEADERS

These days the media has a field day saying "this is a first..." whatever may be the subject under discussion.  Well - as I write this, I might as well join the throng and suggest that "this is a first".  I am referring to the fact that within a period of just barely over three months,  two great Christian denominations saw the resignations of their leaders and the election of new leaders.  I am of course referring to the resignation of Archbishop Rowan Williams from the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Head of the Anglican Communion and then the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI as Head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Archbishop Justin Welby

Archbishops of Canterbury usually resign rather than staying on the job until they die and at any one time - including now - there are former Archbishops of Canterbury very much still around.  Nevertheless it was unexpected when Archbishop Williams announced his retirement and said he was returning to the academic field.  This caused a flurry within the Anglican Communion worldwide, and speculation as to who would be his successor went wild - or as the popular term now is "went viral".

Pope Francis

With Pope Benedict XVI it was a different matter.  A Pope is elected to the See of Rome as the successor to St. Peter and therefore is supposed to be elected for life.  It is roughly seven hundred years, I believe, since the resignation of a Pope.  Pope St.  Celestine resigned on December 13th 1294, so when Pope Benedict XVI announced his retirement in February it caused more than a little stir.  People didn't know what to do, what to call him or what his future role - if any - would be.  But somehow things worked out and he was given the title of Pope Emeritus.

But then the speculation began as to who would succeed him.   It seems everyone had an idea that they decided was the right one, and so as the Cardinals filed into the Vatican Conclave to elect the new Pope the media went wild with speculation.  Or to use the term again - speculation "went viral".

On both occasions - the election of the new Archbishop of Canterbury and the election of the new Pope - I was out of the country and in a place where I did not have access to news or internet, so on each occasion I had to wait until I got back to Phnom Penh to find out who had been elected.

The Bishop of Durham, The Right Reverend  Justin Welby was elected to the See of Canterbury, and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires to the See of Rome and according to reports, both not "front-runners" for those jobs.

I have never met either of these men and these days I am not well up in church affairs but as I read about them I find interesting similarities apart from the fact that they will both be installed in their new roles next week.  The Pope on Tuesday 19th March and the Archbishop of Canterbury on Thursday 21st March.

Both men have been described throughout their careers as humble, accessible and concerned about the poor and those in need.  Yet both are said to be on the conservative side though both have said they are "inclusive" in their thinking,

Pope Francis apparently lived relatively simply, staying in a fairly small apartment in Buenos Aires (where he cooked for himself) instead of the grandiose official residence of the Archbishop.  He travelled to work each day by bus rather than by the official diocesan limousine and flew economy in spite of the fact the Vatican sent First Class tickets. The difference in fare was donated to charities.  Since becoming Pope he discarded some of the elaborate clothing of the Pope in favour of just a white cassock.  He went on an unofficial and on the spur of the moment trip outside of the Vatican to the hotel where he had been staying to collect his luggage, talk to the staff and pay his bill.  Interestingly enough - and I am sure much to the consternation of the Vatican staff - he did not travel in the official papal Mercedes limousine with the papal flag flying and the registration SCV-1, but instead drove in an ordinary black sedan. He also broke with tradition by receiving greetings from his fellow Cardinals standing up rather than sitting in the Papal Throne as had been the custom to date.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is well known for his concern about the poor and the needy in countries around the world.  He has worked with the poor in Nigeria and Burundi and received death threats for doing so on more than one occasion.  He has worked in Eastern Europe during the Cold War era and smuggled bibles into Romania during the dictatorship of President Ceausescu.  During his time as Bishop of Durham he chose to shun some of the gaudy trappings of a bishop, choosing to wear a simple black cassock and a very plain pectoral cross instead of the purple cassock and huge crosses favoured by so many bishops and he is continuing that as Archbishop of Canterbury.  For five days prior to his enthronement at Canterbury, Archbishop Welby is on a pilgrimage to five different cities in England where he joins with the people as he walks the streets, listening to them talking to them and praying with them.

Whether it is the Anglican Communion or the Roman Catholic Church doesn't matter.  They both have two common denominators - they each have a new leader and they each have a multitude of problems to sort out.  The question of sexuality is an ongoing problem in both churches.  The question of women in leadership roles such as bishops is still divisive in the Anglican Communion and even women as priests is a huge concern in the Roman Catholic Church as well as the question of dealing with the pedophilia scandals.

As I said at the beginning, I don't know either man.  I hear they are conservative in many areas, but then so am I on some matters.  To me the very fact that they go "out and about" and meet with and listen to and talk to the people is a huge step forward.  We need leaders in every walk of life that are accessible and who listen. We have to remember that the Vatican is a sovereign state and the Pope is head of that state - in other words he is on a par with Presidents, Kings and Queens so even if he likes travelling by bus and walking around, wherever and when ever, that really may not be a possibility for him in the future.  There will have to be a certain amount of security as well as pomp and circumstance - and even at Canterbury also.

So even if we wish to see these new leaders making drastic changes, lets just give them time.  They have a lot with which to contend and a lot of traditions with which to cope - not to mention having to deal with those staff members and others who have been around for some time and are used to having their way on certain matters,   It is not easy to change things quickly in these circumstance. Power hungry people are hard to deal with and these two good men will have their hands full.

A FINAL FAREWELL

 

It was on the morning of the15th of October last that the whole Kingdom of Cambodia was stunned to learn that their beloved and much revered King Father Norodom Sihanouk had died suddenly of a massive heart attack in Beijing just a couple of weeks before he had intended to return to Phnom Penh for his birthday celebrations.  A million people lined the streets from the airport to the Royal Palace to watch the return of the King's body two days later accompanied by the Queen Mother and their son the present King Norodom Sihamoni.

Since that day, His Majesty has been lying in state in the Royal Palace. It is a tradition here that on the death of a King or Queen, their funeral and cremation does not take place for about three months.  To a westerner that may seem strange, but there are many reasons for it.  Such a funeral and cremation takes much preparation which cannot be completed in a matter of days.  Also the time allows people from all over the country to come and pay their respects to the late monarch.

Since the passing of King Sihanouk in October, hundreds of thousands of people have come from all over the country to pray and pay their respects outside the Palace.  It was not unusual on any evening, to see two or three thousand people sitting there.  On occasions there were some 30,000 monks there. Such is the love of the people for the Royal Family and in particular for the late King Father. On several evenings during this time period, Her Majesty the Queen Mother as well as King Sihamoni would come out from the Palace and mingle with the crowd and talk with them.  It was not unusual to see the Queen Mother sitting on the road itself, talking to some old people who had traveled many miles to be there.

Over the past three months, a most impressive crematorium was built in a park next to the Royal Palace, together with some six or seven pavilions to accommodate the Royal Family, foreign dignitaries, invited guests and members of the Government.  It is a dignified building and one fitting for such an occasion.

On the morning of February 1st, The gold coffin containing the late King's body was brought from the Palace on a big golden float.  Some 1-million plus people lined the route to watch the procession and among the silent crowds, tears were shed as the float carrying the coffin past them by.  Twenty thousand people took part in the procession that took almost four hours to complete its route back to the cremation compound next to the Palace.  Apart from the armed forces and the police and government officials, representatives were there from all the different people that make up the population of Cambodia.  The seventeen ethnic tribes from Mondolkiri and Rattanakiri provinces in the north were there in force marching in their traditional costumes.They were followed by a large contingent of the Chinese population as well the Islam population.  Cambodia had never seen such a procession.  The last King who died was King Suramarit, who was King Sihanouk's father.  He was popular but not as popular as his son, and his funeral was less dramatic.

Their Majesties The Queen Mother and King Sihamoni did not take part in the procession but waited until it returned from its route around the city and passed once more in front of the Palace before stopping at the cremation compound.  At that point both the King and the Queen Mother came out of the Palace Gate dressed in their traditional white silk mourning wear and walked from the Palace to the cremation compound acknowledging the crowds as they went.

The King's body lay on a big pedestal in the crematorium for three days, then on Monday 4th February the cremation took place.  It was a dignified four hour event that could not fail to move any who were present and watched.  Many dignitaries from around the world came including the Prime Ministers of France, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam.  HRH Prince Akishino of Japan, the Vice Premier of China, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei and many others were present.  

At 6.00pm Their Majesties the Queen Mother and King Sihamoni entered the crematorium and after prayers they started the cremation fire.  It was a very private and personal moment and no cameras of any kind were allowed to be present at that time.  Some western people were anticipating being able to see a huge cloud of smoke arising, but nothing of the kind.  At the moment of starting the cremation, all around the compound pyrotechnic operated smoke - such as you see on some variety stages - shot into the air for just a few seconds and after that nothing could be seen except what looked like steam coming from the very top of the crematorium. At the same time a 21-gun salute was fired to honor the life of a great statesman who loved his country and people, and a huge firework display went on over the Mekong River as a celebration of his life.

The next morning, following the instructions of King Sihanouk himself, some of his ashes were taken on a Royal Barge to where the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers  meet in front of the Royal Palace, and they were scattered there.  The remaining ashes were taken in a golden urn to the Royal Palace where they will be placed in a stupe there next to those of the King's daughter and also his son who died in 2004.

My personal feeling is that this was indeed an extremely fitting tribute and final farewell to a man who lived his life for the good of his country and his people.  A man of tremendous personality who brought independence to his country from colonial rule and then finally brought stability and peace. He was a fascinating person who loved to sing, dance and tell stories.  He liked nothing better than to be out and about among his people whether in the country in the small villages and farms or in the city. He will be greatly missed by all here, but he will never be forgotten.  

A CHILDHOOD MEMORY

I have been told over the years that as you get older your memory fades and then eventually you get to the stage where either you remember nothing at all - or else you remember only those things from way back when.   Things that happened in the recent past you cannot remember.  I am both happy and thankful to be able to say that as of now, my memory seems to be working fine both for things from way back and things from the recent past.

One of my most vivid memories in my lifetime goes back to when I was aged eight or nine.  An impressionable age.  At that time, my mother had a weekly 30-minute radio show on Radio Eireann in Dublin called "Saints We Have Loved".  It was broadcast live in those days every Saturday evening at 8.00pm - such a difference to now when everything is usually pre-recorded, edited, chopped and changed before being broadcast.  Each week the show would highlight the life of a saint - some well known, some not so well known, but it must have been a popular show for it ran for over two years.  I have no idea if they ran out of saints or if the show just stopped!  Many of the well known actors and actresses of the day who passed through Dublin - people like Orson Welles, Dame Sybil Thorndyke  and Sir John Gielgud - would take part in the programme.

At that stage of my life I had to be in bed by 8.00pm (unlike now when children of any age can stay up until any time) so I seldom heard the show.  However, on one occasion when my grandmother was away in England and had taken our maid with her, there was no one to stay at home with me, so mother had no alternative but to take me to the studio with her.  I have no idea what saint was portrayed that night but whoever she was, was seemingly unfortunate enough to be in Rome at some point during the reign of an unsympathetic Emperor Pilate (played by Sir John Gielgud) and had the further misfortune of coming to a very unpleasant ending by being thrown to the lions.  A thing the Romans of those days did quite often with Christians and other unwanted people.

In those days recording studios - and certainly those of Radio Eireann - had nothing like the technology they have today, so most sound effects were made manually.  For example, I remember the sound of galloping horses was made by hitting two coconut halves together on top of a table.  If someone was talking to someone else and leaving, they just talked while they walked to the other side of the studio away from the one standing microphone so their voice faded naturally.  Nowadays that all sounds so primitive, but it worked well back then and for those listening on the radio at home, it sounded very real.

On the Saturday I was taken to Dublin to the studio I was so excited.  I remember in the afternoon the wife of one of the technicians took me to the Dublin Zoo while my mother, Sir John Gielgud and the rest of the cast rehearsed in the studio.  I am sure it was very kind of the good lady to take me to the Zoo.  I enjoyed seeing all the animals and birds and at that time the Dublin Zoo was one of very few Zoos that had huge open areas done up in their natural habitat for animals and birds rather than having them in cages.  So it made for a very interesting and educational time for both the children and adults who went there.  However, that particular day we were just looking at the area where the lions lived (incidentally, one of those lions is the one that appears on the Metro Goldwyn Mayer logo) when it was feeding time, and the way the lions attacked the bones and meat that was thrown to them both interested and scared me.  They were fierce animals at that moment of time and ones I would not want to meet face to face.

Back at the studio later that day I was equally fascinated and excited by watching the technicians do their job, watching them doing the sound effects. I felt very important just because I was there.  My mother gave me strict instructions that I was to sit on a certain chair in the corner furthest from the microphone, not to move and not to make a sound - otherwise I would have to wait outside until the show was over.  It was probably not such a good idea to have a little boy of that age sitting right in the recording studio, but as I was not about to miss the broadcast, I gave my solemn promise I would do exactly as I was told and sit quietly just watching.

The red light over the studio door went on, the show's signature music started playing. My mother was playing the part of the saint that night and I remember the first scene was my mother and Sir John Gielgud (who was playing Pilate) arguing over something about their differences of opinion regarding Christianity in Rome. All the cast which was about twelve in number I think - the others included the Irish actors Eileen Crowe,  Rita O'Dea and Patrick Bedford - were assembled around one big single microphone in the centre of the studio and whenever Pilate said something they didn't like everyone - including the main characters - would at the same time stand back from the microphone and go "blah, blah, blah, blah" which when they all did it, gave the sound of discontented murmurings.

Finally Pilate decided he had heard enough and sentenced all the Christians to death - including of course, my mother - the main one.  I was not quite prepared for that and as I was totally involved in watching and listening to everything, being so young it suddenly seemed so real.  I remember well, I began to quietly cry.  I remember heavy music being brought up to signify a change of scene, and then being faded out.  Now the scene was in the Colosseum.  The cast cheered as Pilate apparently appeared and gave a long speech, had conversations with his fellow Romans and several other cast members also made speeches.  I didn't understand much of it but I listened intently.  Then finally at the end of the show, Pilate made another short speech and ended by giving the signal for the Christians to be martyred.  I can still hear Sir John Gielgud's voice shouting "Throw them to the lions".  My mother was standing beside him right beside the microphone and being the main character was, of course the first to be "thrown to the lions".  A recording of lions roaring loudly came on which immediately brought back to my mind the frenzied feeding time at the Zoo I had seen earlier in the day.  I was scared once more.  To illustrate what was happening, my mother let out an unmerciful scream as she was supposedly thrown to the lions,  But in order to give the impression of falling into the lions' pit, she continued to scream as she ran to the furthest end of the studio, so her scream faded as she got further away and turned away from the microphone.

That was just too much for me.  I remember jumping up from the chair, running over to Sir John at the microphone and yelling as I cried "Don't kill my mother, I hate you" and thumping him as I did so!!!!  I was not a popular child at that moment in time!  Those listening on their radios must have wondered what was going on.  The saint concerned was a virtuous, chaste, virgin-like woman who now suddenly had a son that was never mentioned anywhere before, who was yelling after her - as my goodly mother reminded me many times in the years that followed.  

Is it worth even mentioning that my mother never brought me to the studio again for the rest of the run of that series?  As a further punishment I had to go to bed at 7.00pm for two weeks instead of 8.00pm.  My grandmother, when she returned from London where she had listened to the show merely said that she thought it "incredibly touching" that I could be so worried about my mother.  I don't think Radio Eireann viewed it in the same light.

That whole incident came back to me so vividly just this evening when I switched on one of the National Geographic channels on the TV and it was relating an incident somewhere in India where last year a tiger had eaten a person from a village as they apparently do from time to time.  It is strange when things are brought back to you like that.

Those times back then were both fun and interesting - except for hearing one's mother being thrown to the lions!  People have often said I had a weird and unconventional childhood and upbringing, but in actual fact - I would not want to have any of it changed.