It is not for me to say whether I succeed, but when I write it is my earnest, burning intention to be understood. I really really want my meaning to be clear so that, even if I am wrong, it will be clear where I am wrong. With the best will in the world, I cannot see any way to read Mr Jackson's words as signifying anything remotely close to a sincere desire to be understood. This is obscurantism personified: wilful, pernicious, active desire to obscure and cloud meaning. I now wonder whether, perhaps, that is what Catholic theology is all about. In which case, I cannot but despise it even more than I did before. Jackson says that my understanding of Catholic theology is nil. I would be more worried about that but for my suspicion that Catholic theology's desire to be understood is nil.

Richard