Monday, June 11, 2007
Searching for a Cardinal
Damian Thompson yesterday had an interesting article about the absence of Cardinal Murphy O`Connor from the premier of a new Mass setting by the pianist Stephen Hough which was sung at Westminster Cathedral yesterday. No doubt he`ll be there to hear the controversial performance of the Taverner setting of the 99 names of Allah on June 19th! However Ruth Gledhill in today`s Times has an article about the search for a successor to the Cardinal when he eventually steps down. It is interesting to note that Archbishop Kevin MacDonald is the joint favourite to succeed along with Archishop Vincent Nichols, according to Paddy Power. Well whatever happens I don`t suppose things will change much whoever gets chosen to manage our gentle decline. I can`t see us getting a Pell-like figure who might shake things up. However I did meet a priest last year from somewhere in the south who was convinced that we might get Pell himself in Westminster! That might be interesting.
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We could pray through the intercession of Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman for a miracle!
Anything that will break the sycophancy of the present incumbant and give the Church some backbone.
There's been a very worrying possibility aired on the Cafeteria is Closed a couple of weeks ago ( link here: http://closedcafeteria.blogspot.com/2007/06/opinions-of-fr-radcliffe.html), which seemed to suggest that Timothy Radcliffe (O P............)is still in the running
Jackie that sounds like a good idea
Backbone would be great. Unfortunately our bishops are a rather uninspiring shower. Does the nuncio insist on a lack of imagination as a requirement for candidates? In all this I make an exception for bishop Arthur Roache of Leeds who seems to be doing the right thing apart from the horrific re-ordering of his cathedral sanctuary.
Jackie's right... we need a miracle. Start praying. And not just one saint... I think we need to invoke the entire Church Triumphant...
(...I have to say, I do rather like the idea of getting Cardinal Pell... though what he'd think of our sorry state is anyone's guess...)
Plummers, his name is spelt `Roche`.
Augustinus:
Why is Timothy Radcliffe a 'very worrying possibility'? As former World Superior of the Domincians is he not the most distinguished Catholic Cleric in Britain? He is clever, charming and has a refreshingly open and questioning mind.
The suggestion that Cardinal Pell could become Archbishop of Westminster, or that that would be a good thing, is just bizarre!
Archbishop Macdonald is said to be a decent man and would certainly seem to be a safer pair of hands than many of the other front runners.
Alnwickian this recent quote from Pell shows why he inspires many of us:
“Some seemed to suggest that while a football club, a political party or a business certainly could in some circumstances sack or exclude a member or employee, it was totally out of order to suggest a Christian Church might even consider a similar possibility,” said the cardinal.
“A few intolerant politicians want to ban religious argument in public life, so that the only permissible reasoning will be irreligious or anti-religious,” he observed.
The cardinal said the debate also raised questions about what it means to be a Catholic.
“A Catholic is someone who believes Christ is Son of God, accepts His teachings and lives a life of worship, service and duty in the Catholic community,” he explained. “Catholics are not created by the accident of birth to remain only because their tribe has an interesting history.”
“All Catholics who continue to reject important Catholic teachings, even in areas such as sexuality, family, marriage, abortion, euthanasia, cloning where “liberals” claim the primacy of conscience rules, should expect to be confronted, gently and consistently, rather than comforted and encouraged in their wrongdoing,” he continued.
The cardinal concluded by saying that every Catholic politician who voted recently in favor of the cloning bill “should think twice and examine his or her conscience before next receiving Communion.”
Do you think we can get Peter Akinola to convert to the true Faith in time to be considered?
He'd be great.
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