20 July 2023

Olfactory Ecumenism

 Canon Charles Hutchinson, a close lookalike of the late Benito Mussolini, il Duce, once Anglican chaplain (I mean Hutch was) in Istanbul ... oops, I meant to say Constantinople ... had the good fortune to meet Mgr Roncalli, at that time Apostolic Delate in, er, Byzantium. He displayed (Hutch, I mean, did) an autographed photograph of that prelate ... and, beside it, two more autographed photographs of rising clerics.

He used to offer admirers this scholion of the three photographs: "I think I am probably the only Anglican clergyman who has been kissed by the Pope, the Ecumenical Patriarch, and the Patriarch of Moscow; and, you know, they all smelt of garlic.".

I am confident that there will be many readers whose relationships with PF are close enough for them to be able to tell us ... er ...


4 comments:

  1. If only PF smelt of garlic... I have been told by those who have been near enough know that he reeks of sulphur.

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  2. Sulphur. Brimstone. Burnt ozone.

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  3. Istanbul was Constantinople
    Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
    Been a long time gone, Constantinople
    Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

    So, take me back to Constantinople
    No, you can't go back to Constantinople
    Been a long time gone, Constantinople
    Why did Constantinople get the works?
    That's nobody's business but the Turks!

    (Or is it?)


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  4. I thought PF was supposed to smell of sheep. Given his attitude to congregations he disagrees with, that could be mutton with plenty of garlic, of course.

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