A storm in a teacup has erupted over Romano Prodi’s injudicious comments regarding the Pope’s security in Turkey. In New York for the UN assembly, having just come back from a trade delegation to China*, embroiled in a controversy over suggested governmental improprieties relating to Telecom Italia, Prodi responded brusquely to a reporter who asked what kind of security arrangements would be in place for the Pope’s upcoming visit to Turkey. “What do you expect me to know about the Pope’s security in Turkey? I know nothing about it, his guards will look after it”.

Since then card carrying Catholics have been falling over themselves to attack/explain Prodi’s ‘outburst’.

The temerity of it, to suggest that the Vatican, an independent State, should be the ones asked about the Pope’s security when travelling in Turkey.

*Where he called for a lift on the embargo on arms sales to China. We at Three Monkeys, though, can’t seem to find the human rights reports that would merit a lifting of any trade embargos to China. Must have misplaced them, as the world and his uncle are tripping over themselves to do business in Beijing, after all this is the Chinese Century…