The slow polite language of democracy

The general assembly of the chapter of the Irish Dominicans is now completed. Papers have been drawn up and discussed.

The diffinitory - a word not to be found in an English dictionary - is now in session.

The diffinitory is made up of a a number of elected members of the province. They were elected at the chapter.

It is their job to study the papers of the commissions and then draw up a document which expresses the mood or tone of the chapter.

The diffinitory will also make provincial appointments for the next four years. Here politics plays an important role.

What happened so far at the chapter? The provincial and the new provincial council were elected. It seems that was the end of any exciting news!

When any group of people come together they create a positive atmosphere. It's easy to give the impression that 'we are a great bunch of people doing a good job of work'. It is always good to be impressed by and with the company of like-minded people.

So what happened at the chapter? Were any important 'nettles' grasped or bullets bitten? Why should anyone in their sane senses want to 'grasp' a nettle or bite a bullet. Odd idioms?

But in any official communiques that will or are issued on behalf of the province, the impression will be given that all went according to plan and the official documents were sent to Rome and signed off by the Master of the Order, And that will happen too.

And that probably is what happens with many organisations. Although it is not how the banks are behaving right now. The banking world is in melt-down and the fine language and polite talk is out the door as the emergency teams try to hold the line. People have lost confidence in the banking world and the sluice gates have opened. People are scared.

But have people not lost confidence in organised religion, in the ways and mannerisms of the priestly class? And if they have how come the polite talk, the respectable words remain the current dispensation?

But the problem there could well be that the emergency team, the firefighters might prove far too fundamentalist for any ordinary person to stomach.

Maybe the democracy practised within the Dominican Order makes good sense after all.