I don't know about her calling for the return to Rome (a lovely idea for those of us who have already made the trip from Canterbury) but on UK sites it seems to be widely known that she is an active member of the Church of Scotland and a great admirer of Lewis.
C Muncey | Homepage | 11.26.02 - 11:40 am | #

Ms. Rowling says she is a member of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian). Undoubtedly calling the Phoenix Fawkes is due to the fact that, like a Guy Fawkes figure on a November 5 bonfire, the bird bursts into flames.

In English popular history, Fawkes is remembered simply as a traitor ("Remember, remember the fifth of November: Gunpowder, treason, and plot. And I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.")

I doubt that Rowling intended to suggest that Fawkes was treasonous, still less that she is a Catholic revisionist who feels that Fawkes was justified in attempting to assassinate the King and Parliament. So, most likely the Fawkes reference simply has to do with flames.
Mark Cameron | 11.26.02 - 11:43 am | #

Recently I read Lady Antonia Fraser's excellent book "Faith and Treason" on the Powder Treason. I thought about doing a blog entry on it for the anniversary of the Plot, but I had other things I had to do. The issues raised by the Powder Treason are quite timely: the connection between terrorism and the grievances of minority religions, the morality of tyrannicide and the foreseen (or intentional) killing of innocents, as well as the question of exactly what point should entrusted secrets concerning future (or past) crimes should be disclosed. The Jesuits were highly criticized for the way they handled the Powder Treason in much the same way that Law has been criticized for his handling of predatory priests.
Patrick Rothwell | Homepage | 11.26.02 - 5:28 pm | #

Just a bit of trivia...
In "Goblet of Fire", the captured Karkaroff, as seen in Dumbledore's memories stored in his Pensieve, names "Rookwood" as a Death Eater. The Rookwoods were a noted recusant family of the 16th and 17th centuries, and one of them was executed along with Guy Fawkes.
Donna Marie Lewis | Homepage | 11.26.02 - 7:34 pm | #