It's true about press coverage, and it's even more true about the Internet - one lunatic can be seen as representative of an entire group. The Catholic Church has more than its fair share of lunatic bishops - but in general, the voice of the majority and the pope seem to be a bit more rational. They also sound a lot more rational if you listen to what they say in context, and not how they're quoted in some newspaper or on an Internet blog.

Take another look at the cited article about the Hokey-Cokey, which comes from telegraph.co.uk. Note that the article does say it was Peter Kearney, a spokesman for Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who said the song had disturbing origins. I wonder what it is the Cardinal himself actually said, if he said anything.

In another Telegraph article, the Bishop of Lancaster (UK) looks silly saying that educated Catholics have sown dissent and confusion in the Church (telegraph.co.uk). I've read a fair amount of other material on what was said by the Bishop (although I have not found the original statement) - and it does appear that the Good Bishop may be more than a bit daft. Then again, maybe not.

Much of what is said in both Telegraph articles seems to be an extrapolation from a brief quotation, which may or may not have been completely rational if read in context.

When I was a kid in the 1960's, I heard from a classmate or teacher in Catholic school that "hocus pocus" was an intentional slur on the words of consecration, "hoc est enim corpus meum," but nobody did anything to ban the term or say it was sinful to use it. I don't know whether that's the origin of "hocus pocus" or not, but that was the Conventional Wisdom. And I suppose, it's easy to extrapolate and say that "Hokey Pokey/Cokey" has the same origin as "Hocus Pocus."

Many Catholic bishops follow a practice that drives me crazy, although there is a certain logic to it - they acknowledge every complaint, no matter how crazy, with a serious response. Then, they do nothing more. If Mrs. McGillicuddy thinks Father Circumspect is gazing a little too lustfully at women in short skirts, the Bishop's office sends Mrs. McG a letter full of tut-tuts and makes her feel she has been heard, and then does nothing further. This may have been a contributing factor to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church - bishops get so many unfounded complaints, that they tend to acknowledge all complaints with platitudes and then ignore all of them.

In this case, it seems some people complained to the bishop's office about the use of the song at football games, and some clerk who works in the bishop's office said the song had "disturbing origins," and the Telegraph made a story of it.

Reference to this Telegraph article was posted in a previous "Hokey Cokey" thread a couple of days ago, and I hoped that would be the end of it. I guess that was too much to hope for.

-Joe-