Francis’ values were rooted in his childhood

Pope Francis was a widely beloved personality, and it was graceful to see even some Unionist politicians pay tribute to the Holy Father. His memoir, Hope, co-written with Carlo Musso, was an enjoyable read and brought an insight into Francis’s thinking and influences. Growing up in a poor barrio of Buenos Aires, he learned to mix with all kinds of people, and that seems to have made him very grounded in everyday life. He loved football and danced the tango, yet he read serious works by the likes of Bertolt Brecht.

I got the impression that, like many Latin Americans, he wasn’t always too keen on the “Yanquis” – even before the era of Donald Trump. Regrettably, he omitted mention of Ireland in his recollections, although he had been here as a younger priest, and as Pontiff, too. Perhaps his welcome, in 2018, was less than the full Céad Míle Fáilte: not because the people would have hung back, but because the Irish organisers, and RTÉ too, seem to make things as awkward as possible for those who wanted to greet Papa Francis.

Papa Francis does seem to have got along well with President Higgins, however. I wonder if they spoke Spanish together?

On the road to sainthood…

It’s touching that the last person Pope Francis put on the road to sainthood was Antoni Gaudí, who he declared a “Venerable” just last month.

Gaudí was a deeply religious man, dedicated to faith and service. He was also the architect of one of the most famous churches in the world, the iconic Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona. It’s stunningly original and now a foremost World Heritage Sites.

But it very nearly destroyed during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. Scores of churches in Catalonia were burned to the ground by the Anarchists, and even the much-respected writer George Orwell wanted to see the Sagrada Familia blown to pieces.

It might easily have been reduced to rubble, but Gaudí was a Catalan patriot and perhaps some Catalan anarchist saw something venerating his own culture in the unusual design, and the basilica was thankfully spared. And Gaudí’s cause will now go forward, launched by Francis.

Transgender players and the flashpoint of female sports

After the British Supreme Court ruled that sex is based on biology, and therefore a Transwoman (a person born biologically male) is not a female, there could be a problem arising in Ireland between north and south.

Northern Ireland will be included in British law, and female sports will be limited to biological females. Whereas in the Republic of Ireland, Transgender legislation is more permissive, and Transgender players may not be barred from women’s sport.

It seems to me that sport is the real flashpoint of this debate. Personally, I’m not bothered about unisex toilets – trains, and even some restaurants, have always had loos for all and sundry. Disabled toilets are all gender-inclusive anyway. But in sport there is a real issue of justice involved.

A United Nations study has reported that nearly 900 medals, ranging over 400 sporting contests, have been won by Transgender women in women’s sport. As the tennis ace Martina Navratilova has repeatedly pointed out, male-born competitors nearly always have a natural advantage over females – because males and females have different musculature, strength and power – so the contest just isn’t fair. The same point about males and females being different is, as it happens, also in the Bible.

The young need weddings the most

With marriage in decline, weddings are surely to be encouraged. Though I’m not sure if the forthcoming nuptials between the world’s second-richest man, Jeff Bezos, and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, is quite the most realistic template for a matrimonial celebration.

The occasion will take place in Venice, in June, with celebratory events stretching over three days. The cost is said to exceed $600 millions. All the hotels have been booked out; yachts will be involved as will fleets of water-taxis.

A brilliant wedding can act as a stimulus to more modest versions, but the millions mentioned might also deter ordinary folk from embarking on wedlock.

It is worth remarking on the maturity of the bride and groom: Mr Bezos – who we have all made rich by our Amazon shopping habits – is 61, while Ms Sanchez is 55. Both have been married before, which now seems no barrier to a white wedding – the Duchess of Sussex set that precedent.

Back in the old days, commentators used to mock Irish country people getting married in their 30s and 40s (having waited to inherit the farm), but they’d be regarded as striplings these days.

Mick Jagger is another groom-in-waiting: aged 81, the old rocker has just announced his engagement to his partner, Melanie Hamrick (a mere child at 37).

Weddings are lovely, but it’s the young who need them most; and they need to know, too, that the happiest marriages can start with the simplest ceremonial.