The decision by a monk to snub the opportunity to become the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales could be overruled by the Holy See. Yesterday, it was reported Dom Hugh Gilbert, the Abbot of Pluscarden Benedictine Abbey in Scotland, had declined an invitation from Pope Benedict XVI to become the new Archbishop of Wesminster.
The current Archbishop, Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, was apparently "furious" that the 55 year-old Church of England convert had backed out over concerns that his monastic community might break up without him.
Catholic sources reckon this could now lead to an extraordinary intervention by the Pope, who is thought to be likely to order Dom Hugh to accept the promotion.
"It would be quite a rare development, but not unheard of," I'm told by my source.
"The Pope certainly won't want to resort to a second choice. Besides, Dom Hugh is a modest fellow who puts the needs of his community before his own. It's for exactly those reasons that those in Rome might feel he is the right man for the job."
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(Source: TTUK)