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His Eminence Cardinal Murphy O'Connor has replied to an article published last week by Piers Paul Read. From today's Spectator:
"Sir: I am sorry that Piers Paul Read ('The Pope's anti-liberal revolution', 24 March) assumes that the English and Welsh bishops have not welcomed the Papal Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis. It is not always customary for bishops to issue immediate comments on Papal documents. I was, in fact, part of the drafting committee and thus closely involved in its preparation. My own statement expressed my admiration for the document and my wish for it to be promulgated widely among the Catholics of this country. I have no doubt my fellow bishops will be doing the same."
(Paragraph about ecumenism snipped)
No problems for England and Wales then: given that the Cardinal was "part of the drafting committee and thus closely involved in its preparation"; given that he "expressed (his) admiration for the document"; given his "wish for it to be promulgated widely among the Catholics of this country"; we can have no doubt that it will become a seminal text for the Church in England and Wales. No doubt the seminary classes in Latin have begun already, and the Latin classes for priests (whether starter classes or top-up classes) are already scheduled. No doubt this weekend Masses ad orientem will be essayed in all of our parishes. No doubt the Bishops (as "Celebrants par excellence", as Sacramentum Caritatis calls them) will be off the blocks to reintroduce Gregorian Chant as the principal music of our celebration.
How lucky we are!
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Discovering His Emminence was on the drafting committee it now becomes apparent why it took so long for this document to be presented.
One can only expect confusion and muddle if an English bishop has invlovement in anything.
Fired up by Damian Thompson's fierce criticism, I shared your quiet despair (I am trying very hard not to say cynicism), but suddenly, what do I read in Fr Nicholas Schofield's blog of Easter Sunday but: "It started with the Chrism Mass at Westminster Cathedral on Holy Tuesday, marked by a lovely Monteverdi Mass setting and a good homily by the Cardinal on Sacramentum Caritatis (indeed all priests were given a complimentary copy when they turned up to vest, which was very encouraging)."
The text of the homily itself is on http://www.rcdow.org.uk/cardinal/default.asp?library_ref=&content_ref=1268
I am almost inclined to broach the decent 1969 Malt that I am saving to celebrate the publication of the Motu Proprio!
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