Pree eae gee TG) ri BRC ITS CLR OLa AU aCHea clay Christopher Lamb When John Paul II met Mikhail Gorbachev No honeymoon A tough winter The French for Liz Truss ahead for schools cut the moutarde George Weigel | Julia Langdon Andrew 0’Neill Rose PrinceTHE TABLET GS THE GAMBLER TAKES OVER imbing to the top in British polities demands a degree of sel belief thats almost pathological. Mary Elizabeth Truss, universally known as Liz is certainly not short of sef-belief, But the second conditi that those whose support she needs must share that belief, The Cabinet she is assembling seems to be wholly composed of Liz loyalists, but the rest of the Conservative Part; inside and outside Westminster, is still at the stage of watching and ‘waiting, In their own ballot, when presented with three names, only 32 per eent of Tory MPs preferred her as the party's next leader: The country at large is deeply sceptical: in the opinion polls Labour’ lead over the Tories seems to have greeted her arrival by stretching rather than shrinking, ‘Were Ms Truss to rise to the enormous challenge she now faces with realistic policies that match the scale ofthe crisis, that eould change. Otherwise the Tories could be looking for their fifth leader in six years and itis not inconceivable that it could be Boris Johnson again, So electing Liz Truss is a gamble against the odds, which isnot inappropriate, as her proposals for the British economy are also a huge gamble. She and her new Chancellor ofthe Exchequer, Kwasi Kovarteng, have poured seor on theit Tory predecessors, dismissing them as followers ofa defunct Treasury orthodoxy. ‘Their priorityis economic growth, and their main method, despite the objection that it cou further fuel inflation, is to cut taxes. They will borrow to fund this if necessary, which contradiets the fiscal conservative principe that the country THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARADIGM IS CHANGII the papacy of Pope Francis, butit stil had a sense of competion. “I was elected to reform the Roman Curia?” Pope Francis more or les told the assembled cardinals, “and Ihave delivered, What co you think?” Yet every reform generates the need for another. Ifit is true that each pope corrects the mistakes of his predecessor, itis not disloyal to the ‘memory of John Paul IT and Benedict XV1 to interpret the present Pope’ approach that way. Perhaps this is what the hermeneutics of continuity look like in practice. Insistence that any criticism of the papacy was disloyalty to the Catholic faith, had, under John Pau! Il, a chilling effecton debate both among academics and laypeople. Pope Francis does not mind eriticism. He opposes the idea thatthe pope of the day must have definitive answers to every question, and he hhas made space for his severest critics, including those who think his approach has been a dangerous mistake. His key initiative may therefore tur out to be his making space for alternative opinions through the process called synodality. Ibis not at al surprising that many senior clergy ‘who have spent most oftheir adult lives in the Church of John Paul I are finding this uncomfortable. The idea that the Holy, Spirit only speaks to the Church from the top down isin contict with the dea that the Spirit has other channels of fhe recent meeting of the College of Cardinals in ‘Rome may not have been the concluding eve 2 THETABLET | 10 SEPTEMBER 2022 THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC WEEKLY FOUNDED IN 1840 ‘must live within its means — balancing expenditure with income. ‘Ms Truss’ problem, however is that whether their approach is theoretically sound or not, it offers nothing to relieve the anxieties ofa nation facing astronomical energy bills. That, ‘and arate of inflation in double figures, spells poverty even for those on average incomes. After afew false steps, she has at last heeded the alarm bell. Some form of freeze on energy prices now seems inevitable, though she dismissed the idea when Labour frst proposed it. Bu the likely cost is huge, far in ‘excess of what she was proposing to borrow to finance her tax cet So the short-term prospect for her tenure as Prime “Ministers for her to announce the heading she wishes to steer by only to be blown way offcourse almost immediately. ‘The Prime Minister must be allowed a fair crack of the whip. But gambling withthe national economy means gambling with, people's health and wellbeing, Itean be said in Ms"Truss’ defence that the alternatives are gambles too, and that they have not paid offas hoped for. The national infrastructure, social and material, isin decay, withthe state ofthe National Health Service the most obvious but by no means only example, ‘This summer's political hiatus was a sacrifice on the altar of ambition: the lash of rival egos had tobe resolved before the business of governing the country eould resume. But what has not been resolved isthe tension atthe heart of Tory philosophy between self-interest and the common good. Ms Truss’ ‘economic experiments may be about to disprove the dogmatic belief that pursuing the former inevitably benefits the latter. influence, for instance through the voice of the laity. And these ‘two streams have to be made to converge, or they will collide. Its essential that the voice “from below’ should not be blocked or even filtered to make it more acceptable. The discernment between truth and falsehood isa joint enterprise. ‘Some cardinals feel uncomfortable with the message coming through from the global synodal consultation exercise, especially concerning the place of women in the Church. The advice to themis simple. The right answer to a bad idea isa better one. ‘The authoritarian style of Catholicism promoted by John Paul It ‘was not the last word, but nor is anything said by Pope Francis. ‘The mistakes of the Francis papacy ~ and, inevitably, there have been some - can be corrected by the next one. However, Francis has managed to secure atleast an expectation of continuity, by having appointed more than half the cardinals ‘who will lect his suceessor. He is changing the ecclesiastical paradigm, from power to service, from clerical hierarchy to the People of God, even from centre to periphery. Other transformations may lie ahead: from maleness to inclusivity, from asexual ethie of aw to an ethic of lve, for instance. The ‘Church’ financial arrangements may be less of a disgrace than they were, but the Church is still not comfortable with hhow it handles its own wealth. So there isan agenda for his successor already in place. And itis a positive one, full of ‘exciting possibilities. That is his achievement. For more features, news, analysis and comment, visit www:thetabletco.uk‘Tewas as though, Bernadette, hand in hand with the Virgin Mary, had brought us together’ /9 10 SEPTEMBER 2022 || VOL 276 NO. 9468 ins 4 ‘The fires are reinvigorated’ ‘The College of Cardinals reviews the Pope's reforms / BY CHRISTOPHER LAMB 6 | No meeting of minds When Pope Jon Paul met Mikhall Gorbachev By GEonce wesc 8 / The honeymoon is already over Liz Truss has an inbox that is overflowing / BY JULIA LANGDON 10 | The village that conquered fear The story of Oberammergau isa small miracle / BY CATHERINE PEPINSTER Go 12 / Breaking the chains ‘Teaching the dangers of modern-day slavery in Ireland / wy SARAH MAC DONALD 13 | Put not trust in princes ‘The soaring cost of living will be devastating for our schools BY ANDREW O'NEILL 14 | Better together ‘What isthe best model for Catholic schools? / BY ANNEMARIE WHITTLE aww MIKEPOWIS 16 | Breaking down the walls Meditation and prayer in the Scottish classroom / BY GERARD BOGAN cA 27 | The Church in the World / News briefing 28 | Pope beatifies ‘meek and humble pastor’ , John Paul I 30 / View from Rome 31 / News from Britain and Ireland / News briefing 32// Nichols urges Truss: let CST be your guide For more features, news, analysis and comment, visit wwwthetabletcauk Jo SEPTEMBER 21 Ceara inthe medieval Passion Play Oct) (ED / Pace 21 Art John Louis Petit PHILIP MODIANO ‘Music Prom 57: Bach, Mass in B minor; Prom 59: Elgar, ‘The Dream of Gerontius ALEXANDRA COGHLAN ‘Theatre Al's Well That Ends Well MARK LAWSON Radio My Space: The Blackpool Tower DJ-TAYLOR COOL / Pace 24 Anthony Gardner Confessions: A Life of Failed Promises AN. WILSON Julian George Living Pictures POLINA BARSKOVA 2 | THETABLET | 3FEATURES Vatican reform “The fires are reinvigorated’ Pope Francis has told the College of Cardinals that he had tried faithfully to carry ‘out the mandate given to him when he was elected nearly 10 years ago. ‘The result of the next conclave will hinge on how satisfied members are with the direction he is taking the Church / By CHRISTOPHER LAMB. FIER ALMOST 10 years in the job, Francis has just undergone the clos- estthing.a pope has to an appraisal During two days ofintense meetings in the Vatican, the worlds cardinals assessed the landmark reforms he has made to the Chureh’s central government that were a ‘major part ofhisbrief when they elected him. ‘They have also had a rare opportunity tocon- sider whom they might wantto be his suecessor. Although talk about an imminent papal resignation is almost certainly premature, the closed-door gathering involving cardinals, patriarchs and senior officals of the Holy See's Secretariat of State had something of a “pre-conclave” feel. The goal-setting and vweather-making phase ofthis pontificate has been completed; we are now ina phase of ‘implementation and consolidation, spoke to several of those who had been inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on 29 and 30 August about what had been discussed and the dynamie of the debates. Although some resistance to Francis flared up towards the end of the second day, most members of the College of Cardinals gave the Pope’ new constitution for the Roman Curia, only the fourth to have been promulgated since 1588, ‘their approval There was satisfaction, too, with the ‘progress towards a clean-up of the Holy Secs finances ~ another issue that was close to the topofthe todo’ list when Francis took office. ‘The presence of Cardinal Angelo Beccit in the meeting hall only served to underline the dramatic change: Beeciu, once one of the ‘most influential figures in the Curia, is one ‘of 10 defendants ina Vatican corruption trial. It's impossible to imagine a cardinal of his rank being prosecuted for fraud under any of Francis' recent predecessors. ‘So much has happened over the last decade. In March 2013, it fl ike the Churehis central government was in meltdown. The reform of the Roman Curia and tackling the Vatican’s murky and chaotic finances were among the cardinal electors’ top priorities. Francis has produced a new constitution for the Curia and overhauled the Vatican Bank, the Holy See's investments policy and finan~ cial regulatory system, and given the green light to an unprecedented corruption tral. Christoph Schénborn of Austria was among the cardinals who acknowledged that sig- nificant steps had been taken towards finally 4) THETABLET | 10 SEPTEMBER 2022 Pope Francis has produced a new constitution forthe Curia and overhauled the Vatican Bank setting the Vatican financial affairs in order. In his opening remarks at the meeting, Francis referred back to the pre-conclave ‘meetings in 2013, telling the cardinals that hehad tried to follow through on the reforms that had been called for at that time. He ‘encouraged his brother cardinals to speak freely. They were broken up into 12 different language groups tohelp open up the discern- ment, and then reconvened for plenary discussions in the Paul VI Hall. Francis made sure he was at the morning sessions early so ‘that cardinals could speak to him individually, and he greeted everyone personally: Cardinals ‘Timothy Dolan of New York and Wilton Gregory of Washington DC, and retired Cardinals John Onaiyekan from Nigeria and Michael Fitzgerald from Britain, served as rrapporteurs for the four English-language groups. ‘Slightly fewer than 200 of the college's 226 cardinals gathered overa sweltering hot and ‘humid two days ata time when the Eternal City is mostly populated by tourists. There ‘was asession in the morning and another in the ate afternoon following lunch and a siesta; the two days of meetings ended with a papal ‘Mass in St Peter's Basilica. Things proceeded smoothly aside from a bit of drama on the first day when seven women dressed in ear dinal red and holding serlt umbrellas stood near the Vatican to protest against the bar on ‘women from ordained ministries. They were detained by police for not having a permit to protest and released several hours later. ‘Thebulk ofthe discussions inside the hall focused on Praedicate Evangelium CPrea the Gospel", the new apostolie constitu ‘onthe Roman Cura, nine yearsin the making ‘and drafted by the Pope and his Couneil of Cardinals in consultation with bishops'con- ferences across the world. The new constitution, the Popehas stressed, isa reform in the spirit ofthe Second Vatican Council, ‘opening up leadership roles to laypeople and placing the Curia at the service ofthe local ‘churches. The Roman Curia should not bea Dureaueracy that exists for itself ut instead shouldbe thereto support the Church evan~ _elising mission The reform has been eultral as well as structural: several cardinals ‘expressed their appreciation for how bishops ing Roman Curia offices are now more el to fel they are being listened to rather than reprimanded or micromanaged. “THE GENERAL impression isthat the major- ityofthecardnalsare supportive of Predicate Evangelium,” Cardinal Fitzgerald, a former sceretaryand president ofthe Holy Seesinter- religious dialogue ofie, told me."A new spirit of services developing, rather than of power” Crucial toallowing the flourishing of thisnew spirits tackling a deeply ingrained culture of careerism, that sees ambitious officals seeking out a patron to ensure their path up the ladder. Under the new rules, priests or laypeople seve fora five-year term — which ‘ean be renewed once ~ and then return to their dioceses. ‘Some cardinals wondered if term limits ‘would prevent individnals building up enovgh ‘expertise toget to grips with their role others argued the new system would encourage pre- viously reluctant bishops to release their mast talented priests to serve inthe Vatican, know ing they would lose them for 10 years at the most. The term limits also allow for those not upto the ob to be sent home. Francis made itdear there was seope fr discernment within the constitution’ parameters. ‘Asubstantial amount of discussion focused ‘on the declaration in the new constitution For more features, news, analysis and comment, vist wwwithetablet.co.uke‘that “any member ofthe faithful” -a woman ‘ora man ~ could lead a department. This is ‘a novelty: the previous constitution, issued by,John Paul IT in 1988, ruled that only acar- dinal or an archbishop could run one of the ccural offices. How would the salaries of lay officials be paid? Would ithe better to appoint more laywomen and -men as board members ‘of Vatican departments before putting then in chargo? Which specific offices will have lay leadership? Paolo Ruffini, a former Italian TV executive, is the first lay leader of a Vatican office (the dicastery for communications), and the ‘Vatican department overseeing culture and education is regarded as one that would benefit rom lay leadership. However, the car~ dinals envisage that the key dicasteries of bishops and of clergy and the Chureh’s supreme court would continue to be led by bishop or a cardinal Behind these practical concerns lies aseri= ‘ous theological issue about church governance. ‘The cardinals wrestled with the relationship between sacred power (sacra potestas) and the Church’ hierarchy: The eminent canon lawyer Fr Gianfranco Ghirlanda argued when Praedicate Evangelium was leased that the power of governance inthe Church does not come from ordination but from having received a “canonical mission’. Ghirlanda, 80, took part in the meetings ~ he had been among the 20 new cardinals ereated by Franeis ‘wording of eanon law (129:1) on governance. ‘While most cardinals who spoke supported the new constitution, some opposition was ‘expressed to the changes made to lay gover- nance. Direct criticism of Francis vision for a more synodal Church was also voiced towards the end of the meeting. One cardinal argued that the definition of synodality was too vague and needed a clearer definition. In response, another cardinal pointed to the International Theological Commission’ in- depth document on synodality which was published in 2018. The final part ofthe dis- ‘cussions focused on the less controversial ‘topic of planning forthe Jubilee Year in 2025. A SMALL MINORITY of cardinals remains hostile to the direction of travel of the Francis, pontificate. With their well organised and ‘well funded supporters, they have for some time been working on how to secure one of, their own as the next Pope. Over the ast cou- ple of years, a number of articles and several books on who could be the “next pope” have been written and distributed with the aim of ‘trying to bring about a different outcome to that of the 2013 eonelave, ‘As I walked across piazza in central Rome, I spotted one ofthe cardinals who isreported to be less than enamoured with the Francis Papacy. He was sitting down for dinner with some friends, one of whom I knew and who waved me over. "Did you enjoy the last couple of days?” I fon 27 August. The cardinals askedthe cardinal. “Twould’t Ghirlanda’s case is built estled wit ‘go that fi,” he replied laughing around the argument chat WFeStled with the Bese aaing that hel ban anyone who holds positon _-_-‘Telationship —_inthe meetings out ofa sense of authority in the Roman Curia ~ be they a cardinal, bishop or layperson ~ has it delegated to them by the Pope, Nevertheless, his argument about lay governance goes beyond the current provisions in canon law which state that a layperson ean only’ “co- ‘operate” in the power of governance which rests with those who have “received saered “orders”. Some cardinals are calling for the ‘current Code of Canon Lav to be updated, Cardinal Mare Ouellet, the leader of the Holy See’ Dicastery for Bishops and an internationally respected theologian, made hhis ease by drawing from a long article he wrote for L'Osservatore Romano in July, in which he had pointed to historical prece- dents, such as the authority given to abbesses, where governance had been sep arated from ordination, But Ouellet also wanted to develop Ghirlanda’s argument. Tewasn’t enough, he said, to argue that “the canonical mission entrusted by the Holy Father is sufficient to establish the power ofjurisdiction of every authority exercised inthe dicasteries” as tis isan overly legal- istic view of the Church. Instead, Ouellet argued, all power must be seen as coming from the Holy Spirit, and any mission giver to an individual by the Pope should come after the “discernment of a charism’. The cardinal has also proposed a change to the between sacred power and the Church's hierarchy of dy Forthoselooking fora can- idate to take the Church in different direction to that set by Francis, some names are emerging. One of them is ‘Cardinal Péter Erd6, the Hungarian church leader, an intelligent canon lawyer known to be theologically cautious. One source told me that Erdi has already picked up support from. Cardinal Robert Sarah, the Holy See's former liturgy prefect who clashed with Francis dur- inghistime in ofice. Another name whispered, is Cardinal Peter Turkson, the chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and of Social Sciences. Although he worked closely ‘with Francis and is an advocate of the Churehis social teaching, he could pick up support from ‘conservatives due to the firmly traditional stances he has taken on moral issues. Rather than who should be the next Pope, ‘the meetings offered a chance forthe cardinals to consider what the priorities for the next papacy should be. The broad-based support for Francis’ reforms suggest that its very unlikely his successor will take a radically dif. ferent course. The synodal journey that has ‘begun will not be abandoned. The Church will continue to accompany spiritually those seeking God while being a prophetic voiee for peace, justice and healing in a conflit- ridden world. Addressing the misuse of power in the Church that has led to spiritual, For more features, news, analysis and comment, vist wwwthetablet.co.uk psychological and sexual abuse must remain at the top of the agenda. Hotly contested. issues such as women deacons, the failure to bring women intoleadership roles, the ordin- ation of married men and the inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics will still be part of the conversation. One topic that the cardinals returned to more than once was the Chu response tothe rapid secularisation of society: ‘While some lamented secularisation, others saw it as an opportunity to reconfigure the Church's mission, and not something that should be fought against. Tewas fitting that the day after the meetings finished, 31 August, marked the tenth anniver- sary of the death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, a prophetic church leader. Martin, who had often been mooted as a Future pope, _guve an interview ust before he died in which he lamented a “tired” Church that was "200 yearsbehind the times’: He called instead for ‘the Church to undergo a radical conversion, to “try new things’, including offering the sacraments to people in need of healing, including those who had divorced and remar~ ried. “How can we liberate the embers from the ash, to reinvigorate the fires of love?" he had asked, A few months ater Martinis death, ‘Jorge Mario Bergoglio was lected, and over the last decade the Jesuit Pope from Argentina has followed rmuch ofthe Martini vision. The fires are being reinvigorated. Discover Seer sea cesetiy cers Pees ete ‘ourses and events ae September 20 Penta ro Cia) eri ea ieee: Ren rey eee eet oy 1o SEPTEMBER 2022 | THE-TABLETTURES Gorbachev and the Polish Pope Mikhail Gorbachev and Pope St John Paul II respected and admired each other, but their relationship symbolised an irresolvable clash between two ways of seeing human nature and human histor y | BY GEORGE WEIGEL No meeting of minds JHE DAY AFTER Mikhail Sergeyevich ‘Gorbachev sueceeded Konstantin Chernenko as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ~and thus de facto ruler ofthe prison house of nations that was the USSR in 1985 = T asked James Billington, a distinguished historian of both Russian culture and eon- ‘temporary revolutionary movements, what difference the new man would make. “You remember that cold, reptilian lookin the eyes of Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko [Gorbachev's three immediate predecessors?” he asked. “They had seen their best friends shot in the back of the head during Stalin purges. That's why they looked that way. Gorbachev didn't have that experience. Thats why he'll be different” Billington was right: Mikhail Gorbachev was different. But the difference was considerably less than the post-mortem hagiographers have claimed. Ibis simply not ‘rue, asso many have claimed, that Gorbachev “liberated Eastern Europe’: The Warsaw Pact countries of Central and Eastern Europe liberated themselves, not least because of a revolution of conscience, led by bold human: rights activists, that changed the polities of the region in the 1980s and provided the key to resolving the Cold War in favour of the forces of freedom, and without mass violence. Ttistrue that Gorbachev did not rol in the tanks to maintain the Soviet Union’ external empire, as his reptilian predecessors had done in 1953 and 1968. It is also true that, within ‘year of his accession to supreme power in the USSR, Gorbachev had told the sclerotic leaders ofthe Warsaw Pact in secret meeting ‘that, should they get into trouble maintaining their authority, the USSR wasn't coming to their aid this time. (The failureto winkle out this epie change of Soviet poliey was one of the great failures of Western intellige theend game of the Cold War) But why didn't Gorbachev rollin the tanks? IT WAS NOT because he was some sort of ‘exypto-demoerat. Iwas in Moscow fora week in September 1990, 11 months before the USSR imploded, discussing the social and cultural prerequisites for a decent post- ‘Communist society and polity with Russian pro-democracy activists, none of whom ‘thought that Gorbachev was a democrat of any sort. They thought, correctly, that he was fa reform Communist, and that reform ‘Communism was a chimera: a mythological ‘wish projection that was impossible to instan- tate, And, to the end ofthe USSR, in August 6 | THETABLET | 10 SEPTEMBER 2 ene eerste tay ree tee Myon aac ee Sn ey 1991, Gorbachev remained a reform Communist, whose goal was to reform the Russo-centrie Soviet empire, not liberate its colonies (or its Russian core) Gorbachev didn’t rollin the tanks during the Revolution of 1989 because he couldn't. He realised, on taking power, that the Soviet, economiesystem could not eompete with the digitalising West; he also understood that the Soviet economy was being ground down by the pressures to compete militarily created bythe US Strategie Defense Initiative. Western analysts may have derided SDI as “Star Wars" Gorbachey, a not-unintelligent man, knew that ithad completely backfooted the USSR as a superpower, and that some accommo- dation had to be reached with the West ifthe SR were to be saved. That is why ted on America abandoning ‘SDI at his Reykjavik summiteonference with Ronald Reagan; and that is why Reagan, always far shrewder than his critis allowed and a man genuinely committed to nuclear disarmament, didn't take the bat ‘The colossal Soviet bureaucratic failures displayed by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster also made t unmistakably lear to Gorbachev that his priority had to be inter nal, not maintaining the Warsaw Pact external Soviet empire. He imagined that he could reform the Soviet system and maintain the USSR through glasnost and perestroika, “openness” and “restructuring” Buta funda- ‘mentally flawed system could not be fixed or reformed; it eould only be replaced. And that brings usto the question of Gorbachev's rela- tionship with John Paul I. heir two meetings were epic, to be sure; but while the magnanimous John Paul would not have thought of them in this way, they ‘were, in fact, a kind of surrender ceremony. Marxism-Leninism had been brutal, lethal For more features, news, analysis and comment, vist wwwthetablet.co.ukand relentless in its efforts to destroy Christianity in general and the Catholie ‘Church in particular. That fierce persecution created a host of new martyrs and martyr cconfessors; but it had failed, comprehensively. Inthat respect, for Gorbachev to come calling, ‘on the Pope in the Vatican's Apostolie Palace ‘was an act of surrender. John Paul Il espected Gorbachev as a man of principle and moral convietion who would ‘not betray principle in order to hold on to power which was John Paul's basic test forany politi cian, John Paul also had a Pole’ respect for, and gratitude to, the Russian who had agreed ‘to Poland’sauto-lberation in 1989. For his part, Gorbachey, at their first meeting in Rome, introduced John Paul to his wife Raisa as “the greatest moral authority on earth’ ~ and then. added, smiling, “and hea Slay, likeus!” Raisa, ‘who had just been making some eatty, depre= cating comparisons between Michelangelo's ne Chapel frescoes and the art in the Kremlin, seemed unpersuaded, But I think its ‘rue that Gorbachey, by his own ight, believed that of the Polish Pope. And, as with other ‘worl leaders, John Paul certainly tried to be ‘of some pastoral service to Gorbachev. Nonetheless, the two men had two com- pletely different views of why Communism failed. In his 1991 eneyelical, Centesirnus Anns, John Paul Il dedicated an entire chap- ter toa close examination of the rots of “the Year 1989", making the argument that ‘Communism’s fundamental failure was anthropological. By reading God out of the ‘human condition, Communism had distorted ‘our humanity, and no just society, polity or ‘economy could be built on the foundation of, a false conception of human origins, human nature, human history and human destiny. COMMUNISM FAILED because it could not satisfy the deepest, theotropic longings of the human heart. It proposed false gods, taught false soteriology, proclaimed a false ‘eschatology (the “dictatorship of the prole- tariat”) and a distorted morality (most poignantly analysed in Arthur Koestler’s novel Darkness at Noon), in which an Old Bolshevik about to be executed in one of ‘Stalin’ purges muses to himself that it might hhave been a mistake to “cut the old ties... to disengage the brakes of thou shalt not”. And because of those built-in flaws, Communism ‘created untold human misery, with the death ‘count in the tens of millions. For his part, Gorbachev remained, to the end, a great admirer of Lenin, He seemed ‘unable to think beyond the possibilty, which ‘was really an impossibility, of fixing, struc- turally and technologically, the system that Lenin created. He tried, and the effort simply accelerated the systems disintegration, because the system was rotten to the core, ‘and thus irredeemable. Gorbachev was, in truth, a more humane ‘he Tablet gives me a Catholic framework within whi Fiesta a coe een Ne) eee re ee ieee while The Tablet takes an independ its fine array of v eae leader ofthat system, aman with a conscience (and impressively in love with his wife until her death). But when he met John Paul IT, he was in the role of the somewhat shabby: high priest ofa false and destructive religion, while John Paul II was the embodiment of ‘truths of Christian faith ~ and the “greatest ‘moral authority on earth He had been elandestinely baptised by his ‘mother asan infant, and the family kept sur- reptitious icons in their home, Gorbachev ‘once admitted. So he was, in his own fashion, ‘amember of the communion of saints. like to think that the canonised Polish pontiff he admired gave him a hand as he completed ‘what John Paul oncedeseribed as everyone’ "Passover", It would have been entiely in character for John Paul II to have done so, and perhaps in character for Gorbachev to accept the offer of help. We must pray that Gorbachevhas been cleansed of his delusions, and now knows the full truth of the faith that ‘animated the man to whom he symbolically surrendered. George Weigel’ two-volume biography of ope St john Paul Il, Witness to Hope and The End and the Beginning, has been translated, Into the principal world languages. His new book, To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy ‘of Vatican Il, will be published by Basic Books in October to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the opening of the Council h Besa PSE TOy eee er Seo Sener eRe of local and international church news is unmatched for oT me Gea This year, we invited some high-profile readers and friends to reflect on “What The Tablet means to me. The response has been a reminder of how much The Tablet is loved and appreciated, and we hope their enthusiasm will inspire you to contribute to our development fund, which makes possible initiatives such as internships and. improving access to our 182-year-old archive of back issues. There are three ways to donate to The Tablet Development Fund 2022 eee corre Recenter aia) ere Pec ees teat ie LI Peze sand me infrmston sot ang ny dnston an / rating ve areplr ‘endosea cheque ajablet The Tabet Trust Development urd [e180 [e100 [£50 Clotheréamountohlp The Table rath more readersthecughout th wr The Table Pblaing Comper ding Suet Csr, Cian Wal London WEOGY, UK 6208748 Be ombeubltcouk a deabletstheietcouk ‘The Tablet Trusts repre hay No: 1173924 | Toren ou pry pole pase ek worhetaleto.oterpa9 poy For more features, news, analysis and comment, visit wwwthetablet.co.uke 10 SEPTEMBER 2022 | THE TABLET | 7JATURES Liz Truss The honeymoon is already over ‘The widespread doubts that the UK’s new prime minister has the authority or the policies to address the looming cost of living crisis could create a dangerous political situation / By JULIA LANGDON laugh outofthe old joke about the “Three reat Lies" of modern life because although cynicism is sometimes cruel, itis also often funny. In the most common version, those three les are as follows: “OF course I'l still respect you in the morning’, “The cheque is in the post” (which we ean now re-write as “Tl do the bank transfer on my phone in a minute” and, “Iam from the government and Iam here tohelp you." That third message is the undertaking we have heard from Liz‘Truss echoing across the long ‘weeks ofthis endless summer and effectively consolidated with the announcement on ‘Monday of her election as Conservative Party leader. She is now required, as the new Prime ‘Minister, to show what that means. ‘The problem, however, is that nobody is finding political eynicism funny any longer, nor there much to laugh about inthe state of our national affairs. There is widespread disbelief out therein the British electorate ~ ‘as opposed tothe Conservative Paty electorate which chose her for the job ~ that Truss is {going to be able to do anything to help. ‘The emergency package intended to individuals handle the cost of living er ‘which was due to have been revealed withi this frst week following her eleetion, is at least a recognition that her previous "no hand- outs” poliey could not be sustained. Ifthe «details of her approach as PM that are emerg- ing continue to be a imprecise as her promises