Bishop installed
Canon Paul Swarbrick (above) was installed as the seventh Catholic Bishop of Lancaster at a service in the city on Monday, succeeding Bishop Michael Campbell. Bishop Swarbrick, who trained for the priesthood at Ushaw, has served the Lancaster Diocese for more than 35 years, mostly as a parish priest. He admitted to “being in a state of surprise and shock” at his appointment.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols focused on mercy in his homily last week at Cardinal Keith O’Brien’s Requiem Mass in Newcastle. He said: “In the life of Cardinal O’Brien, as well as his failings, there was goodness, courage and many acts of simple kindness. Not least was his determination to serve the poor of the world. But when we come to stand before God we do so best when we come empty-handed.”
Cardinal Nichols added that the life of the late cardinal had been laid bare and “we all know its lights and its darkness”. He said that there was no need to talk about them more because in his last will and testament he had written: “I ask forgiveness of all I have offended in this life. I thank God for the many graces and blessings he has given me, especially the Sacrament of Holy Orders.”
Cardinal O’Brien resigned in February 2013 following allegations of sexual misconduct. He was buried last Friday at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Edinburgh in the grave of his mother and father.
The chief executive officer of Caritas social action network (CSAN), Phil McCarthy, was one of the signatories to a letter signed by 60 Church of England bishops, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Muslim Council of Britain, calling for the two-child limit on state benefits to be scrapped.
Parents can claim child tax credits or universal credit for only their first two children unless there are special circumstances. Anyone who had a third child after April last year has been affected by the policy. In the letter to The Times, the signatories warned: “The policy is expected to tip an estimated extra 200,000 children into poverty … There are likely to be mothers who will face an invidious choice between poverty and terminating an unplanned pregnancy.” McCarthy told The Tablet: “I think that it’s hopeful that lay and clerical leaders from so many different Churches and from other faiths have come together on this issue.”
Members of the Irish Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee have called for the remaining properties promised by 18 religious congregations under the redress scheme for victims of institutional abuse to be handed over to the state before Pope Francis visits Ireland in August.
Following the publication of the Ryan report in 2009, the religious congregations said they would contribute €352.6 million (£307m) towards abuse costs. The total cost of compensating thousands of former residents for the abuse suffered as children was €1.5 billion (£1.3bn).
Last week, the committee criticised the delay in bringing about the transfers, saying it was “not acceptable”. However, a spokesperson for the Association of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland (Amri) said “the individual congregations have made every possible effort to complete the transfer of properties to the state in accordance with their earlier commitments”.
Brexit pilgrimage
Ahead of Brexit, 22 members of the Westminster Diocese Justice and Peace Commission have taken part in a 10-day Easter pilgrimage around Europe, visiting five countries. “We are hoping to learn more about the place of Catholic organisations in Europe post-Brexit – and how we can support good work around areas such as human rights and environmental justice,” said one participant, Julia Corcoran.
The group first went to Calais, to see the work being done there with migrants.
Composer honoured
The Catholic liturgical composer, Bernadette Farrell, was one of the 30 recipients of this year’s Lambeth Awards. Farrell received the Thomas Cranmer Award for Worship “for her outstanding contribution to music in Christian worship”. Lambeth Palace said: “Her accessible and sincere hymns are among the best in contemporary hymn-writing.”
Loading ...
