The symbolism of events in Katyn today

Today at Katyn Forest the Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and his Polish counterpart will lay wreaths to honour the 22,000 Polish troops killed by the Soviet Army in 1940. The two men will also hold talks and listen to the latest historical research into what happened at this spot close to the Russia city of Smolensk.

It was 1940, Hitler and Stalin had drawn up a secret pact and the Wehrmacht had not yet moved on the Soviet Union. It would be some two years later on the Volga that Stalin changed the course of history.

Katyn was used by both the Nazis and the Soviets to prove the cruelty of the other side. Goebbels used it to prove the barbarism of the Bolsheviks and Stalin claimed it was a Nazi atrocity.

And until 1990 the Russian authorities refused to accept blame for what happened at Katyn.

Mikhail Gorbachev who began the open window policy in the Soviet Union handed over files of what happened at Katyn, which proved it was the work of the NKVD.

So it was an attempt at being open that has helped lead to the healing of wounds. One might say the Russians were forced to be open and honest. What matter.

Katyn was yet another catalyst to influence relations between Poland and Russia. People who are not the best of friends will find reasons to support the reason for their disagreements. And the bigots are always on the 'other side'.

What's going on concerning the Catholic Church today must be far more complicated than appears in the latest breaking news.

For over 40 to 50 years there has been a simmering disdain, at least in Ireland, towards the institutional Catholic Church. Why was that? Was it that the church spoke down to people, that it had too much power, that it was perceived 'to know best'?
And especially in areas dealing with human sexuality, the church never stopped telling people what to do. Their ministers ran dances and made sure people kept the 'correct' distance from one another. Many of its ministers behaved and still behave in a crazy fashion.

And then comes the great child sex abuse cases, the horrific stories and the even more horrific cover-ups.

The teenagers who were told how to behave at the dance can now rub their hands in gleeful delight knowing all along that the priest at the dance was crazy. And they knew it all along.

And there is something in that. There is something amiss with the institutional priesthood. For proof of that simply look at the Legionaries of Christ and the nonsense they preach and live and then check out their founder. And that reality is not simply confined to the Legionaries of Christ.

And then in yesterday's English Independent, a high-ranking anonymous civil servant claimed that New Labour government was only ever interested in tomorrow's newspaper headlines and it was/is impossible for them to plan any serious long-term policy.

There will be those who will say the pope needs our prayers. Others will demand a root and branch examination of an organisation that thrives on secrecy and cover-ups.

Will the church say the Word of God will always be attacked by the world. Those who oppose, will say that the Word of God might well be hijacked by an all male misogynist organisation. Where at all is reality and truth?

Right now is a Katyn wreath-laying ceremony possible where cardinals prime ministers and victims play lead roles?