THE GUNPOWDER PLOT REVISITED

Remember the 5^th of November

The Gunpowder Plot

It is an event that should not be forgot

   Trump’s nomination of Jesuit-trained Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court is a reminder for me of the 1605 “Gunpowder Plot” in England.  English Roman Catholics attempted to blow up Parliament, the King and his family, with an explosion at Westminster Palace.  They were caught and executed for their attempted crime.

   The conspirators were ready for the interrogation they expected.  Jesuit sympathizers prepared a document on ‘equivocation’ which explained how to lie and then die with a clear conscience.  With the help of confessions, elicited by torture, the conspirators and Jesuit advisors were convicted of treason and executed.  The defeat of the treason plot is celebrated in England on November 5^th, a National Holiday with fireworks, called Guy Fawkes Day. 

   We can expect Jesuit-trained Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to use the tactic of ‘equivocation’ in his hearing before the Senate. The goal is to deceive with double-meaning statements.  A guide to ‘equivocation’ includes four important points:  Choose ambiguous words; omit information; interplay words and gestures: and employ mental reservation.*

    Common sense would indicate that ‘equivocation’ is sometimes necessary and moral but in Kavanaugh’s case the deception will be Roman Catholic, as defined by the extreme right of the Hierarchy, and be borderline treasonous.  Basic human rights for all is the U.S. American Credo, but Kavanaugh’s writings and statements do not indicate that he stands, without equivocation,  for basic rights for women, gays, workers and freedom of religion.  

    Kavanaugh has indicated that he does not believe that the U.S. President is subject to the law but, as Nixon believed, the President is a law unto himself.  Catholic Social teaching can be twisted to support such fascist views.  Pius XI supported fascist dictators Salazar of Portugal and Dollfuss of Austria.  He had a working relationship with Benito Mussolini and approved a Concordat with Adolf Hitler.  The Concordat removed the Church from Third Reich politics for the guarantee of Roman Catholic Church existence in Germany.  Pope    Pius XII supported Franco the Spanish dictator.*

     In the end, the United State Senate will determine whether Kavanaugh is appointed to  the Supreme Court.  Is it possible, in the “post truth” epoch, for the U.S. Senate to be a light in the Washington dark night of the soul and reject Kavanaugh?

*Shakespeare was fascinated by the Jesuit tactic called equivocation.  See: James Shapiro. 1606: William Shakespeare and the Year of the Lear, Faber & Faber, London, 2015.  Also, the play “Equivocation” by Jesuit Bill Cain with an appearance by Shakespeare himself.

*David I. Kertzer, The Pope and Mussolini, the secret history of Pius XI and the rise of Fascism in Europe. Random House, 2014