OUR BISHOP AND THE POPE

OUR BISHOP AND THE POPE

Last Monday Cardinal Cormac had a private audience with the Pope. Afterwards a journalist asked him about it.

Journalist: This morning you had your first private meeting with the Pope since he was elected on 19 April 2005. You asked for this meeting, why?

Cardinal: I wanted to see him as the president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. I wanted to discuss with him the weaknesses and strengths of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, the particular things that concern us today, our relationship ecumenically. … I described the weaknesses and strengths of the Catholic community. The weaknesses: that fewer people are going to mass, there are less priests, the pressure and tensions of secular society. The strengths are that we count now more as Church than we did before and that, in a sense, if we could have more articulate lay people able to express their faith we are in a very good position to do so.

People respect the Catholic Church, even if they do not agree with its teaching in the moral sphere. They recognize the rationality here and I think, increasingly they see that what the Catholic Church teaches, it teaches it because it is true…. When I first thought of asking for this meeting, I had been thinking also about the possibility of his visit to our country, but then I got a letter from the Vatican saying he would not be able to do so in 2007. So that question did not come up very strongly in our discussion.

ITEMS FOR AUCTION

This Friday evening you can bid for the following items. Monies go towards the rebuilding of our Junior School. Just go to the Corrib’s Rest, Salusbury Rd. for 8 p.m.

Ø Dinner Party for Six prepared for you. You plan menu and provide food.
Ø Disneyland, Paris, pass for four.
Ø Editor for the Day of the popular, glossy ‘Grove’ Magazine.
Ø Headteacher for the day at St Mary Magdalen’s.
Ø One month’s pass at Holes Place Gym.
Ø Wallpapering of a standard sized room by a skilled decorator.
Ø Roy Keane, republic of Ireland shirt. Actual shirt worn by him against France.