02 June 2008

Idle Speculation

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Not too long ago, the Telegraph speculated that the terna being presented to Rome for the Westminster succession consisted of Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Archbishop Peter Smith and Bishop Arthur Roche.

Since then, Archbishop Nichols has commited his unfortunate faux pas on Radio 4, but Archbishop Smith has contributed materially to the cancellation of the LMS Mass in Cardiff.

Meanwhile, as I mentioned here, Bishop MacMahon, the Dominican Bishop whose priests like him as much as if he had been chosen from the secular clergy, has suddenly torn into Paddy Power's lists.

Now, I'm not a believer in post hoc ergo propter hoc, but it is possible to speculate that the terna was received in Rome and a relatively junior curial official got straight back to the Nunciature in London: "you can't seriously expect us to put up a terna without a single religious"; only for a new terna to be sent to Rome, excluding one of the three on the list, but adding Bishop MacMahon. (Rabbit hole: I wonder if the curial official was French; he might appreciate a MacMahon.)

Idle speculation: that's all this is.

4 comments:

Kirk said...

I like the idea of a Dominican Archbishop of Westminster. After all, we have had a Benedictine. . .
By the way I like the French allusion to MacMahon - we need someone to rally the troops and lead the offensive!

Anonymous said...

Is MacMahon sound? I've heard conflicting stories - and he did have a diocesan synod (or something similar) a couple of years back where one of the main prayers composed by the committee was apparantly address to "Mother God".

Is the past provincial (Fr Alan White), not maybe a better Dominican prospect?

Ttony said...

Let's put it this way: if the Hierarchy has to have a religious, and they can't have Timothy Radcliffe, then Bishop MacMahon will do fine, thank you.

On the side of the angels said...

Wouldn't it be preferable if a catholic was actually on the terna?
I wish you wouldn't keep mentioning that second 'dominican' Ttony... it's like a cloud covers the sun and an ill wind blows and I have to hunt out my lead underwear [shudder!]