Cardinal talks to Alpha as its use grows in UK

CARDINAL Vincent  Nichols this week shared a platform with the Archbishop of Canterbury to take part in an interview with the pioneer of the Alpha Course, the Revd Nicky Gumbel, writes Christopher Lamb.

Figures from Alpha show there has been an increase in the number of their courses – an introduction to Christianity – run in Catholic parishes and chaplaincies in the United Kingdom to 112 in 2014 compared with around 50 the year before. Ninety-five of the courses were run for the first time.

The cardinal and Archbishop Justin Welby were interviewed as part of the Alpha Leadership Conference taking place in the Royal Albert Hall and the Hammersmith Apollo in London.

Alpha, based at the Anglican church of Holy Trinity Brompton in west London, is now run by more Catholic parishes worldwide than Anglican ones.

The Church in England and Wales is this year undertaking an evangelisation drive, Proclaim ’15, which will culminate in a conference for its representatives in Birmingham in July. Mr Gumbel will be one of the speakers at the event.

While Alpha is popular in countries such as France, it has struggled to make an impact in the Catholic Church in Britain in recent years. However, Alpha has been part of the core group organising Proclaim and says that in the last two years there has been an increase in requests to use Alpha by Catholic parishes and dioceses. 

During the interview, Cardinal Nichols said his priority as a church leader was relationships, pointing out that priests in his diocese are like family and therefore he does not have the option of sacking them. He said the quality of relationship is more important than a particular idea he may be trying to promote.