It was wonderful to see the real altar being used for the mass of Archbishop Vincent Nichols' installation in Westminster Cathedral today. Actually almost everything else struck me as marvellous too. I could not help but ponder upon the poor Anglicans present when the Apostolic Letter of authority was read out. Look, chaps, this is what a real bishop gets! Beat that!
I thought that the BBC did a first rate job and even if there were a couple of points where I'd rather Huw Edwards had been quiet he was, over all, pretty well behaved. Actually once one has been accustomed to taking young children to mass the witterings of a BBC comentator are pretty mild stuff.
I was very impressed by the Archbishop's sermon. Elsewhere I've seen it described as "woolly" but it struck me as well-judged- as if he was setting things out in broad brushstrokes. Having listened to it live and then listened to the recording I thought it dense and deep and, indeed, skilful. At one point it looked as if he was leading into Pope Benedict's Regensburg theme- and then, lo and behold, he was quoting Pope John Paul II! Doubtless the time for battles lies ahead and perhaps sooner than might be thought. Already the perverts in the press are trying to distort his remarks on the scandal in the Irish church. Please God he will be able to stand up to them.
All in all, though, "Haec dies fecit Dominus", as the Cardinal said. A day to be glad and rejoice, then- and what marvellous music and what a superb choir!
1 hour ago
Yes but all the same he runs a perverted sex education programme for children. I wonder what the press would think about that if I told them?
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs Parkes, I sympathise over the sex education issue, but I don't think Archbishop Nichols can be said to "run" the programme. I taught for several years in a Catholic school and, in my experience, bishops, and indeed clergy generally, had very little idea about what was actually going on. I suspect that the real fault of our bishops generally is that they put too much trust in lay advisers who turn out to be rather dodgy characters- as appears to have been clearly the case with both CAFOD, in the past, and with Marriage Care.
ReplyDeleteAs to what the press would think, I fear they would be more interested in attacking the Church for not accepting same sex partnerships as equivalent to marriage. I think we are living in challenging times and I saw the liturgy in Westminster Cathedral as a sign of hope.
Yes I think you have a valid point..I'm coming to that conclusion myself..
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