CANTERBURY'S TURBULENT PRIEST

Well I'm back fron holiday and I guess thoughts from my week away, may dominate for a day or two.

A day I greatly enjoyed was the day we spent in Canterbury. In part that was because we went to see a 'Canterbury Tales' exhibition which I would recommend to anyone. The chance to experience some of these great stories by Chaucer was really great. My two children (aged 12 and 10) loved it so much that both were desperate to buy their own books of these Chaucerian tales. Interestingly, their favourite story was 'The Miller's tale' doubtless because the little darlings loved the iron hot poker up the rear end conclusion.

We also went to Canterbury Cathedral where we joined a tour. We heard much about that 'turbulent priest' Thomas Beckett. His story fascinates me. I can't say I like Henry 11 at all. His intemperate words led to Beckett's murder and got himself a well deserved flogging at the hands of the monks - I wonder which of today's power broker's deserve the penitent walk and flogging treatment!

Yet I cannot really take to Beckett. I am sure he took his responsibilities seriously as shown by the clothing he was found to have worn, after his death. However, I think you have to choose your causes to be turbulent over and frankly Beckett's cause leave me cold. Standing up for the privileges of the Church over the Crown seems to me a case of backing one baron over another.

I wonder where the Galilean carpenter fits into such a scheme of things. My guess is that his concern would be the powerless and that is a concern shared by neither the King nor the Archbishop.