The Pope's comments about the proposed British equality law reveals that the Vatican has yet to understand the nature of the 21st century's plural world.

The episcopal hierarchy is flexing its muscles in the belief that 'God is back', to use the title of the book about how religion hasn't disappeared in modernity; quite the opposite. But the title's misleading. In truth, 'gods are back', even within apparently monolithic churches.

Hence, grassroots Catholics take no notice of Catholic sexual teaching but pursue essentially secular moral codes. And conversely, Catholic social teaching has arguably never been so popular in secular politics, particularly on the right: it underpins the think tanks of Iain Duncan Smith and Philip Blond. Bishops, though, feel left out in the cold, hence their complaints that no-one takes them seriously.

Secularist groups are very excited about the Pope's comments, but in truth they needn't worry (though they love to do so.) Ejaculations about the injustice of equality law are signs of weakness not strength: the Pope explicitly says he feels his freedoms are under threat. Quite - the freedoms enjoyed by authoritarians. Proposals may be rejected in the House of Lords on the back of purple power, but that's only a precursor to them being passed in the other place.

'It is the truth revealed through scripture and tradition and articulated by the church's magisterium that sets us free,' writes Benedict, the articulator-in-chief of that magisterium. It's going to be a painful experience for the papacy to become accustomed to controlling fewer levers of theological power.

(Image: Agência Brasil)