In my eyes down mode, I’ve been coming to the final pages of my new novel’s first draft and yesterday, June 4th,  went by without me recognising the 24th Anniversary of the tragedy of the Tiananmen Square  riot, demonstration, or, more accurately, massacre that is still not acknowledged as such by the Chinese government who regard it as little more than a counter-revolutionary blip on the great forward march.

We need to remind the world of that dreadful day – the resulting long prison sentences for some of the demonstrators and of course the many deaths (somewhere between 200 and 3000 people died that day) at the hands of Chinese troops on the streets of Beijing.

I hope, but doubt, that new president Xi Jinping of China will see fit to reassess this blot on his great nation’s record. I hope too that on his imminent visit to the USA, he will be reminded of his duty by President Obama.

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It would be churlish to wish ill of either of these men – both elected to power yesterday with authority over billions of people. Communism and Roman Catholicism are both belief systems that profess sympathy for the poor and deprived as their initial point of inspiration. Mr Borgolio and Mr Xi talk of  a desire to make our world a better place – fairer and less corrupt. One as the new Pope Francis I who now leads the World’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics and the new president of China, Xi Jinping who will lead the Chinese population of 1344.1 million Chinese.

Strange then that the Roman Catholic Church and the Chinese government are responsible for some of the most repressive and unforgiving policies in the modern world. While people in their respective medias celebrate new beginnings with hope, let’s not be churlish, OK, but let’s be realistic too. How many of us, “free-born” men and women, culturally unconnected with either system, would wish our lives dictated by the narrow dogmas and prejudices both institutions try to perpetuate in their zones of influence?

How many of us would really wish to entrust ourselves to the people newly elected to reign in these golden palaces? I wish them well, Pope and President, because I wish their people well. I wish their people luck too especially those of them whose lives don’t fit snuggly with their leaders’ beliefs and prejudices.

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