Waiting, Hoping, Praying

Damian Thompson's blog continues to speculate about the name of the new Archbishop of Westminster, the new spiritual leader of the Catholics of England and Wales. The latest rumour is that Bishop Arthur Roche of the Diocese of Leeds is leading the pack.

I shall be careful with what I say here. As far as I can see, the most important quality for the new Archbishop will be loyalty to the Holy Father and unequivocal adherence to the Magisterium of the Church and a desire to proclaim it fearlessly in season and out of season. If it is Bishop Roche who is chosen, I really hope and pray he has those qualities.

The next few years are going to become increasingly more heated in this country. Fr Blake already today highlighted how difficult it is becoming for faithful Catholics to gain and maintain employment in health and education, if they do not compromise their Catholic Faith with their career. The Government's pro-abortion and pro-contraception stance will make it increasingly difficult for Catholics in both health and education.

The most public difficulties, perhaps have been seen in the Houses of Parliament itself, where Catholics in Government were pressured to vote for the Government's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which the Church condemned outright. Ruth Kelly soon left the Cabinet after that vote, though she didn't publicly use that as the reason. Whatever her reasons, as a member of the conservative Opus Dei, she can't have been having fun in the Government when it was so intent on attacking the sanctity of human life.

If faithful Catholics, loyal to their conscience cannot be in public life, in Government, in various departments of the civil service or local councils, without going against their faith then that will amount to a direct persecution on the Church, the Body of Christ.

There are so many issues that Catholic Priests and lay faithful care passionately about when it comes to the next Archbishop of England and Wales, from the re-introduction of the Latin Mass to an improvement of the liturgy all round, to a more determined and focussed attitude on vocations. The most important issue is that to the Faithful and to the World, the Gospel of Salvation be preached and the words echo from the Pulpit and beyond, to the ears of Government and citizens, that the next Archbishop is fearless in proclaiming it and does not fear persecution for sake of the Gospel. The Holy Father is faithful in his duties to proclaim Christ Crucified to the World. The Catholic Church of England and Wales, when the Holy Father has done this, has too often remained quiet and acquiescent to the whims of a secular Government. This cannot, we pray cannot, be allowed to continue. The next Archbishop must speak out and proclaim the Gospel from the rooftops. If he doesn't, the Faith in this country and much more is at stake.