SEPP BLATTER'S MISTAKE

Sepp Blatter may well mock our reproachful attitude to John Terry's alleged infidelity, but in doing so he disconnects himself from the heartache that such choices cause.

A cavalier male attitude may be to see such playing away as fair game for the potent sportsman, but in our more enlightened times, the consequences of action are always kept in view.

A wife may have been betrayed, the children's security placed under threat, trust compromised, embarrassment brought upon family and friends, unwelcome headlines distracting from his job and leadership and his own heart left torn in loyalty, mired in deceit and confused in direction.

Affairs may be joked about with bravado but on reflection, it is clear that an affair is more often, nothing other than a disaster for all involved.

SIKH DAGGERS

The problem with Sir Mota Singh Q.C.'s argument is that it promotes the unenlightened subservience of reason to tradition in matters of religion.

The minority communities have been allowed to muddle archaic views with race relations and get away, at times, with the possibility of murder.

As a young priest I promoted good inter-faith relations in the parish and established a group which hosted a variety of events.

It was a shock when the news broke that one Sikh priest had stabbed the other priest with his Kirpan.

It defies logic for our modern society to contemplate permitting the wearing of the Kirpan yet to legislate continually to restrict our way of life for health and safety reasons, the latest insane example of which is that our children are no longer allowed to run in the playground if the ground is wet.

Europe is divided. In France they are considering a ban on wearing the burka whereas in England, Judge Singh's logic would allow a judge to be wearing one in court.

Politicians working for equality must resist allowing religion to bully the secular agenda to permit their traditions and practices if they offend, oppress and endanger.

O MOURN FOR MEDINE MEMI

Medine Memi's murder at the hands of her family is chilling. A 16 year old girl with hands tied, forced to sit in a hole while her relatives buried her alive. One of the 200 'honour' killings that take place in Turkey every year.

Her crime was to talk to boys.

My sons returned from school this week having heard two priests tell them that the Pope regarded all people equally. The next morning they spotted a headline about the Pope's criticism about Labour's equality legislation.

'Huh, one of them said, so much for the Pope treating everyone the same'.

Thankfully they appear to have minds able to distinguish between the claims and reality of religion and philosophy.

I pray my children will never become ensnared within the straight jackets that others would have them don or be buried alive in the holes dug by religion or philosophy and will walk free and work in their lives for that liberty to be enjoyed by all.