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and responsibility of the guilty party have been fully established, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only feasible way of defending the lives of human beings against such unjust aggression.’ The events of the last few weeks prove that our society is now in precisely such an emergency situation as that described by Joseph Ratzinger. The abortionist criminals are striking at human life at its most vulnerable, that is, within the mother’s womb. Thus Benedict XVIII’s appeal for fitting punishment is in complete conformity with a well-established doctrinal approach which should find favour amongst all the faithful. ‘The rank and file Catholics’ vetoing of a law which safeguards human life is incomprehensible, and their position within the government must now be questioned,’ Monsignor Damiani firmly stated recently. Today much of the heat seems to have gone out of the argument, all the more so because the government can apparently rely on a majority to get the law through without calling upon the rank and file Catholics. ‘We wish to avoid pointless friction within the majority but we cannot betray the hopes of the electors who have given us their votes,’ said Monsignor Damiani, mindful of the fact that if the rank and file Catholics left the government on a matter of doctrine, this might raise doubts about the movement’s legality. But opinion polls conducted by Ecclesia show that the rank and file Catholic movement is crumbling. ‘It is disheartening to note that opposition to this government, with the exception of the exemplary case of the Christian Democrats, is continually dominated by subversive and anti-Catholic fringe parties which the state has no option but to declare illegal for its own protection,’ said the Minister of Justice on Radio Maria.
    Salazar turned out the light, put his pipe down on the bedside table and watched the coils of smoke wreathing upwards in the semi-darkness until he fell asleep.
    Looking them in the eye aroused even more revulsion. That is, if you could locate their eyes in the yellow masks of those faces distorted by suffering. But Salazar was a hound of God, and he did not flinch. He learned to recognise them. From 148 to 152. His ‘set of five’, he called them, as in bingo. Inevitably, he also felt compassion for them, though he tried to keep it in check, in order to allow his soul to be totally taken over by suspicion. He must not put his trust in those expressionless faces, those livid hunks of flesh now barely stirring amidst the chill whiteness of the sheets. They were not often awake, so Salazar found himself having to make a tour of the dark rooms more than once. He would pause whenever he caught somebody’s eye. He could not always be certain they had seen him; he would show them the crucifix and sit down by the bed. The ‘conversations’ he had with them were largely silent, conducted by means of signs, brief gestures before they lapsed back into sleep, uttering faint groans which sometimes sounded like strangled laughter. Some tried to talk to him: they spoke of matters of little importance, asking him to move something on the bedside table, to give them a glass of water, which they would not be able to hold, or to look for their slippers under the bed, slippers they had not worn for days or weeks, and which the cleaner had put on the chair when she mopped the floor. Their fear seemed dimmed by some even greater worry which was theirs alone, and which they did not seek to share. In their moments of wakefulness they looked around them as though uncertain where they were, almost irritated by the voices and shadows which distracted them from their calvary. They had work to do, they had no time to spare to listen to pious relatives or cooperate with wretched nurses offering pointless pills.
    â€˜Sister, could you tell me which of these five are