Fr Tony writes.....

25th April 2009

Last Sunday, April 19th, was the fourth anniversary of the election of Pope Benedict. Three days earlier, April 16th, he celebrated his 82nd birthday. Much has happened since that election in 2005. I remember being asked to speak about the new Pope on BBC Southern Counties radio on the morning after his election. I said then that the popular image of Cardinal Ratzinger was far removed from the reality. He had been portrayed as “God's Rotweiller”, but has turned out to be a “German Shepherd”. During his many years in Rome at the side of Pope John Paul II he was responsible for maintaining the authentic teaching of the Church. He was required by his job to be something of a policeman: Now he was being called to become the Mayor. I spoke in 2005 about his gentleness and courtesy, qualities that were recognised by many who came into contact with him during his time as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. These same qualities have become much more widely known over the past four years, but there has been a great deal of mis-representation in the media. It is certainly true that the Vatican needs to re-think its' approach to the media, and that a number of matters could and should have been handled differently, but that does not excuse the serious distortion of what the Pope has said on a number of important questions. We would be wise to treat anything we read in the press with some caution. I have found myself in recent months having to point out on radio programmes that the Pope had never said many of the things he was quoted as saying. Meanwhile please remember the Holy Father in your prayers.

ARCHBISHOP VINCENT NICHOLS

April 7th 2009

My dear friends,
As you will have heard, the Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham to be the new Archbishop of Westminster as successor to Cardinal Cormac Murphy- O'Connor. Archbishop Nichols becomes the 11th Archbishop.
The first Archbishop was appointed by Pope Pius IX in 1850 when he restored normal church government to the Catholic community in England and Wales. The old Catholic Hierarchy came to an end under Queen Elizabeth I. From then on the persecuted Catholic minority were served by “Vicars Apostolic”, who were bishops but without dioceses. The years after the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1558 saw a long drawn out persecution of those who remained loyal to the ancient Faith, and it was only in the mid 18th century that the situation began to improve. Several acts of parliament opened the way for Catholics to live openly and to worship freely. Since 1850 we have had a number of outstanding Cardinals at Westminster. I am thinking of Manning, Hinsley Heenan and Hume to name but four.

Cardinal Cormac remains a Cardinal. He still has responsibilities in Rome, and he retains the right to vote in a conclave until he is 80 years old. Archbishop.Nichols does not automatically become a Cardinal, but it is almost certain to happen in due course.
Please pray for the new Archbishop as he takes on this daunting responsibilty.

Follow up:

HOLY WEEK 2009

5th April 2009

My Dear Friends,
We are at the beginning of the most important week of the Church’s year. Holy Week is the climax of Lent, and a time when all Christians should be making time to reflect on the last days of Jesus’ life on earth. On Thursday night we begin what is known as the “Sacred Triduum”, or three days, devoted to the memory of Our Lord’s Suffering, Death and the resurrection. On Thursday evening it is “The Lord’s Supper”. We remember when Jesus gave us the precious gifts of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacred Priesthood. On Good Friday we re-live the events of Jesus’ Passion and Death on the Cross. On Holy Saturday night we keep
vigil and begin our fifty day celebration of Easter, the Resurrection of the Lord. For most people in Britain today Easter is simply the first holiday of the year, marked by Easter eggs and Easter bunnies. May it be an enjoyable time for them, but for us it must be so much more than that. It is the Resurrection that gives meaning and hope to our lives. Let me invite each of you to come and enter as fully as you can into these holy days. Those of you who are sick or housebound can join us in your prayers at home, but for those who are well the Liturgy of the Church should be our priority. Jesus Himself invites you to spend this time with Him in Holy Week.

AWAITING A NEW ARCHBISHOP

29th March 2009
My Dear Friends,

Several people have asked me recently about the appointment of
the next Archbishop of Westminster, and have been wondering
about the delay in announcing his name. Perhaps it would be
helpful to clarify one or two things. The Archbishop of
Westminster is often referred to in the press as the “Head
of the Catholic Church in Britain”. That is not correct.
As far as the Church is concerned Scotland and Ireland are
quite distinct countries, and each have their own hierarchy.
Within England and Wales there are five archbishops, but in
practice the Archbishop of Westminster has always been the
senior man. Strictly speaking the Bishops can elect any of
their number as President of the Bishops' Conference, but
In the public mind it is taken for granted that just as the
Archbishop of Canterbury is the leader of the Church of England,
so with us it is always Westminster. The interest in the
appointment of Cardinal Cormac's successor comes from the fact
that the man chosen will immediately be seen as the “Leader”
of the Catholic community in this country. All ten archbishops
since 1850 have been cardinals, but that is not something
automatic. Cardinal Cormac remains a cardinal, and is eligible
to vote in a papal election until he reaches 80 in 2012.
The new Archbishop may not necessarily become a cardinal until
after that. The appointment of cardinals is a matter for the Pope.
Meanwhile please pray for the appointment of a worthy successor
to Cardinal Cormac.

CARDINAL CORMAC DUE TO RETIRE

My Dear Friends

You are probably aware that Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor will be retiring very shortly as Archbishop of Westminister. He submitted his resignation to the Pope in August 2007 when he reached the age 75, as is now required of all bishops. Pope Benedict asked him to continue in office until a new archbishop was appointed. That appointment is likely to come soon. For many of us it will mark the end of an era. Mgr Murphy-O'Connor was theRector of the Venerable English College in Rome when I was a priest-student there from 1973 till 1976. In late 1977 he became our Bishop in Arundel and Brighton. Since 2000 he has been the de facto leader of the Catholic community in England and Wales as Archbishop of Westminister, and since 2001 as Cardinal. Over the years he has contributed a great deal to the life of the Church in this country, and I think that we owe him a debt of gratitude. Please remeber him in your prayers.

The Church faces many problems in Britain today, but there are also man opportunities. Please pray for the Pope as he makes this very important appointment of the Cardinal's successor.