Whenever�I smoke da Vinci I think of Italy, and when I think of Italy I think of the Vatican, and lately when I think of the Vatican I think of the current crisis in the Roman Catholic Church. For centuries Protestants and pagans have been making crude humor about priests molesting little boys, and now the jokes turn out to be terribly true after all. Almost weekly somebody comes forth to publicly state they were privately fondled as a child by some Father. Such abuse causes me serious concern for the well being of the victims; I pray for them regularly. But of greater significance is the severe damage done to the testimony of the Church in the world. Whether we Protestants like it or not, Catholicism does represent God to this generation and when that denomination suffers internal distress so does the entire body of Christ.

Pray for the Catholic priests in your community. Pray for divine justice to fall hard upon those men guilty, in fact, of hiding sexual sin beneath their robes. Pray that every last one of them will be exposed and dealt with justly. Many priests, however, conscientiously strive to remain faithful to their calling of chastity. May God grant huge success to their difficult, but supremely necessary endeavor.

Celibacy, though, is not the problem. I feel the papal prohibition against marriage is ridiculous and can readily base my view on the relevant texts of Scripture, but grown men aren't committing hideous acts with male adolescents because they can't get married to women. If heterosexual sex was the issue, let's be honest: there are plenty of opportunities for a guy to secure regular intercourse outside of holy matrimony. I'm not saying a priest should employ the obvious means of satisfying his desire, only that it could be easily done with nobody the wiser (except God, of course). But the predators prevalent in the news today are groping for perverse relations with minors, specifically youngsters of their own gender. In other words they are guilty of a particularly sick form of homosexuality which no repeal of the rule on celibacy can ever cure. Hungering after carnality with kids (whether male or female, and don't be surprised when girls start turning up as victims) is a deviant sin of the heart utterly beyond the influence of the marriage bed as an effective preventative .

The head honchos of the ecclesiastical hierarchy are making their best rhetorical efforts at damage control, particularly since priestly credibility has been nearly demolished. Reforms are promised, but reversing the regulation against taking a wife isn't one of them. So don't expect it. Consistent church discipline and persistent criminal prosecution would be steps in the right direction, but don't count on those either. Actually, what ministers of the Mass really need more than anything else is intimacy with the blessed Redeemer, for religion without redemption amounts to reprobation. Fortunately for everybody--perverted priests included--salvation doesn't come under the jurisdiction of lawless cardinals.

By now you're probably wondering if my rather lengthy pontification will ever lead to pipes and tobacco. Ok, you've got a point, and I'll make mine quickly. A bowl full of da Vinci is superbly conducive to mulling over spiritual matters. Meditation requires time. It can't be hurried, and neither can a tobacco loaded with Latakia. At 75 percent content-wise, slow deliberate draws are requisite for the fullest enjoyment. Remember, pipe smoking isn't supposed to be a rushed affair, so proceed slowly as you puff and patience will offer a rich reward. To get an idea of da Vinci's flavor, imagine--for sake of comparison--a heavy bodied, high dollar cigar. Potent, but delicious. This is a mood mixture ideally suited to serious reflection on dark rainy days. Highly, highly recommended!