Poor old Eamonn Holmes! Got it in the neck for some comments on his morning TV show about baseless conspiracy theories which link the coronavirus outbreak to 5G technology. OFCOM received 419 complaints from viewers after he said the media shouldn’t dismiss claims that 5G is spreading Covid-19 — despite the fact that such rumours have been widely debunked by scientists and public health authorities.
“What I don’t accept is mainstream media immediately slapping that down as not true when they don’t know it’s not true,” Holmes claimed Monday on the popular ITV breakfast show “This Morning.”
Yet it seems to me that what Holmes was doing was protecting the unquestionable belief of people today that “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.”
Some years ago when I was vicar of a London parish, 2 am on Sunday morning I was awakened by booming music from our Parish Hall. Hurrying round I eventually located the host and made my complaint, pointing out that the contract she had signed required the Hall to be cleared by 11.30 pm. “But this music is my culture” she replied, and before I could point out that early morning sleep was part of the culture of our neighbours, she retorted, “So you’re saying that I’m not entitled to my culture, are you?”
“My opinion” “my culture” – all part of the unassailable ‘rights’ of each individual. And what happens when they contradict the facts, or interfere with someone else’s rights? Well, they mustn’t! After all “Truth, what is that? as Pontius Pilate remarked. And anyway, my truth might not be your truth.
So perhaps poor Eamonn Holmes will be rebuked – and not rebuked; and maybe even sacked – and not sacked. Who knows?
About Scott Anderson
Formerly an Anglican priest (ordained 1975) received into the Catholic Church in February 2012, and ordained to the Diaconate on 27th July 2013. I took early retirement, and divide my time between London and northern France. I am deeply committed to the Ordinariate as a gift of the Holy Spirit in the search for unity. Like many Ordinariate members I feel a personal gratitude to Pope Emeritus Benedict, together with loyalty to our Holy Father, Pope Francis. My blog tries to make a small contribution to the growth of the Ordinariate by asking questions (and proposing some answers) about the 'Anglican Patrimony'.
I have always been fascinated by the whole issue of growth and decline, and therefore concerned for appropriate means of evangelisation in western Europe. I believe that the Holy Spirit is constantly renewing the People of God and that we must be open to him.
On Saturday 19th October 2013, I was ordained to the Priesthood at Most Precious Blood, Borough, by the Most Revd Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, for the service of the Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham. I continued to serve the Ordinariate group and Parish at Most Precious Blood until the end of 2014. Subsequently, I helped in the care of the Ordinariate Groups at Hemel Hempstead and Croydon, and in the Archdiocese of Southwark, until the beginning of September 2015. With the agreement of my Ordinary, , the Bishop of Amiens appointed me Administrator of the Parish of Notre Dame des Etangs (Pont Remy) in Picardie, France.
After nine years as parish priest, with wonderful and supportive parishioners, I decided that the time had come to retire and return to the UK. A nasty accident four years ago and contracting COVID has left me physically rather feeble! I shall be ever grateful for the years in France, a wonderful ending to the years of parish ministry. So here I am back in the UK, taking a long rest, setting up home, coping with all the new Safeguarding procedures - and wondering what next.
Ordinariate Pilgrim 