News Briefing: from Britain and Ireland

The Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Antonio Mennini (above), has been recalled to Rome after six years in the post. From February he will serve directly in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, with a focus on relations with Italy. Cardinal Vincent Nichols praised the nuncio’s attentiveness and sensitivity. “His presence amongst us bishops has always been that of a brother and we have never failed to appreciate his kindness and hospitality,” he said.

Abbot of Quarr dies
Cuthbert Johnson OSB, Abbot of Quarr from 1996-2008, has died aged 70. A liturgical scholar, he worked for the Congregation for Divine Worship (CDW) in Rome and was an adviser to the Vox Clara committee, which worked with the CDW on the new English translation of the Mass. His funeral was due to take place at St Aloysius church in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, on 26 January followed by a requiem Mass at Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight on 30 January.

Jubilee celebration
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has celebrated the silver jubilee of his ordination as a bishop with a Mass at Westminster Cathedral. On Monday the cardinal, who was joined by bishops of England and Wales including Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor and the outgoing Apostolic Nuncio, Antonio Mennini, recalled the visit of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, whose homily at Westminster Cathedral had called to mind the suffering of persecuted Christians, and made the point that true social cohesion can only be found in God. “Thank you, Benedict, our Pope Emeritus!” he said.

Monks at Buckfast Abbey in Devon have failed to reach a majority agreement in their vote on who should succeed David Charlesworth as abbot following his retirement on 17 January. In the interim, according to the constitutions of the English Benedictine congregation, the congregation is to appoint an administrator to cover the rights and duties of the abbot.

The Church of England needs to undergo a major “culture shift” to mobilise its lay members to share the Gospel, one of a series of reports published ahead of its General Synod in February has said. The report, “Setting God’s People Free”, said that laity and clergy should view themselves as equal partners in the task.

A group of Catholic bishops chaired by the Bishop of Clifton, Declan Lang (above), has called Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem “a scandal” to which “we must never become accustomed”.

Returning from a visit to Gaza and the West Bank, the Holy Land Coordination group, consisting of 14 bishops and clergy from across Europe, North America and South Africa, said the current situation violates the dignity of both Palestinians and Israelis.

The group said the expansion of Israeli settlements – a process condemned by a UN Security Council resolution last month – “imperils the chance of peace”.

Synagogue houses refugees
A family of Syrian refugees is to be housed on the premises of the South London Liberal Synagogue in Streatham. The synagogue’s members are raising funds to refurbish a disused caretaker’s flat as part of their “Abraham’s Tent project”.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland has apologised unreservedly to survivors of sexual abuse following the publication of a report that found evidence of systematic and widespread sexual and physical crimes in church-run institutions in Northern Ireland. The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, which published its findings on Friday last week, investigated allegations in 22 children’s homes between 1922 and 1995.

It condemned the failure of the Catholic hierarchy to act and prevent abuse, highlighting the case of Fr Brendan Smyth, a sexually abusive priest whom the hierarchy moved between parishes despite knowing about the risk he posed to children; it also found that Sisters of Nazareth at four Catholic-run homes in Belfast and Derry physically and emotionally abused children in their care.
The Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, said survivors and their families had been heard and vindicated.

Hospice saved
Scotland’s oldest hospice has won the unanimous support of its local council after changes to rules governing charity funding threatened to reclassify it as a care home. As reported in
The Tablet last week the work of St Margaret of Scotland in Clydebank would have been threatened by a change in status. A motion committing the council to supporting St Margaret’s “in its endeavours to retain its charitable status” passed without dissent.

The Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon (above), has spoken out in support of Catholic schools. Ms Sturgeon was chairing the annual meeting of Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) when she made the remarks, singling out St Albert’s primary school in Glasgow and its head teacher Clare Harker for particular praise. The school has a majority of children from Muslim backgrounds.

A former monk accused of abusing pupils at Fort Augustus Abbey school in the Scottish Highlands has been remanded in custody in Sydney, Australia. Denis “Chrysostom” Alexander, 80, was due to appear at the local court in New South Wales on Wednesday where he faces extradition. He has denied the charges.