The Daily MailSimon Caldwell who also writes for the Catholic Herald reports that the Abbot of Pluscarden Abbey was to be appointed to lead the Catholic Church in England and Wales succeeding Cardinal O'Connor as Archbishop. Apparently he has refused due to some concerns at the Abbey. Being an Anglican convert himself, how might this have been an important move in ecumenical relations with the traditionalist Catholics in the C of E? Unless he changes his mind or is forced to take up the post we may never know. Here is Simon's story.
A monk chosen by Pope Benedict XVI to be the next leader of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales has declined the post at the last minute, it emerged last night.Dom Hugh Gilbert, the Abbot of Pluscarden Benedictine Abbey in Scotland, had originally said he would be happy to succeed Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor as Archbishop of Westminster.
But then one of his key aides left the abbey - after falling in love with a woman.
Worried that his monastic community would break up, Dom Hugh told the Pope he had changed his mind.
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, 76, who wants to retire in the next three months, is said to be ' furious' that the abbot has snubbed the Pope.
The Vatican had been due to announce Dom Hugh's appointment tomorrow.
It remains to be seen if the Pope will begin the search for a new candidate or whether he will order Dom Hugh, 55, to accept a promotion that would see him becoming England's next cardinal.
The Pope is said to have wanted to appoint Dom Hugh, a convert from the Church of England, because he is keen to break the stranglehold of liberal-minded bishops on the English Catholic Church.
The English bishops have, for instance, generally opposed the Pope's efforts to return Latin worship into churches. Last month they also called for Muslim prayer rooms in every Catholic school.
Dom Hugh is considered by the Vatican to be an orthodox and holy man who would approach such issues from a more traditional perspective.
A Londoner, he was educated at St Paul's school and King's College London. He became a monk in 1974.
Dom Hugh had been a comparative outsider for the post at 8-1 with bookmakers Paddy Power.
He trailed behind the 7-4 favourite Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Birmingham, and Archbishop of Cardiff Peter Smith, at 3-1, who was favoured by the Pope's ambassador to Britain, Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munoz.
Dom Hugh was unavailable for comment last night.
3 comments:
Surely even this pope will not be so stupid as to 'force' Dom Hugh to accept?
As for the latter, while he is of course Catholic, he is also - self-evidently - Protestant in his conscience. So, of course, are the vast majority of RCs. Where would they be without the liberation of the Reformation?
the liberation of the Reformation?
lol there is an oxymoron if you ever heard one.
However more on point to your question without the poison that was the so called protestant reformation, they would prob be better and more faithful Christians.
The Abbot has now in the fullness of time been named Bishop of Aberdeen.How might this affect the pending canonical erection of the "Transalpine Redemptorists"?
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