I’m pretty sure that if you check the Creative Ambiguity in the Good Friday Agreement….a resignation by the Pope …automatically leads to the abdication of the Queen of England.

I feel verity detached over here. I COULD watch analysis on American TV News and I COULD search Tinternet but somehow I feel like I am “off duty” here and I couldn’t be arrested.

But s just a few points. I am in the city of San Marcos, home of Texas State University about thirty miles from Austin, Texas State Capital and about forty five miles from San Antonio.

As you probably know, I take an interest in Religion. San Marcos is in the Diocese of Austin. I have been looking around two parish churches.

To be pedantic …the Catholic Chaplaincy is not a parish but it has a community …the staff and students at TSU. I suppose it is classic Town and Gown syndrome but the information etc in teat spacious foyer shows that the people most involved in the community have Hispanic names…my impression and I base it on observation and guesswork is that the regulars in the Church are from a wider ethnic base….but the activists and driving force.

Thr local parish is just across the road from me. Heavily “Spanish”….most of the people I have seen in and around the Church are clearly Hispanic. There are very spacious grounds and it ghastly a small platform for open air services including Crucifiction on Good Friday.Two priests…one is “Spanish”, the other “Korean”. The names on the parish council are overwhelmingly “Spanish” …and tellingly there are thirty four students for the priesthood in the Diocese…and I would guess that at least 80% are Hispanic.

Now of course, we all know that Texas has a high proportion of ethnic Mexicansbut I would have thought it more balanced in terms of numbers. Is ita question of NUMBERS or ACTIVISM…

Either way we are at some point going to have to face the fact that the Catholic Church is not just about Italy or even southern European “kingdoms” like France, Spain, Austria and Bavaria.

Next Pope? …No idea.