I had lunch with two priests last week, both of whom thought that, having overseen a truly successful papal visit, Archbishop Vincent Nichols deserved to be created a cardinal within the next few months, rather than being made to wait for the 80th birthday of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor in August 2012.
There may be a consistory in November, which would give Pope Benedict the opportunity to create at least 15 cardinals to bring the college nearer to its full voting strength of 120. Or there may be one in the early part of 2011.
Either way, Archbishop Nichols should be rewarded for the success of the papal visit to Britain last month.
And there is no rule that says England and Wales can’t have two cardinals of voting age (though one hopes, of course, that +Cormac will have long passed 80 by the time of the next conclave, so he can’t vote the wrong way again).
Either way, Archbishop Nichols should be rewarded for the success of the papal visit to Britain last month.
And there is no rule that says England and Wales can’t have two cardinals of voting age (though one hopes, of course, that +Cormac will have long passed 80 by the time of the next conclave, so he can’t vote the wrong way again).
… but it’s important to remember that he wasn’t responsible for the shocking mess that his predecessor’s allies made of the early stages of planning the papal visit.
And, as bishop of Westminster Cathedral, he deserves our thanks for the liturgical highlight of the visit: the Votive Mass of the Precious Blood celebrated by the Holy Father at Bentley’s high altar, to the accompaniment of flawless polyphony and the most electrifying piece of new liturgical music I’ve heard for years, James MacMillan’s Tu Es Petrus.
Archbishop Nichols isn’t from the same tradition as Pope Benedict – he’s a former protégé of Derek Worlock, after all. He could do more to inspire parishes in his diocese with the spirit of the Benedictine revival, and I wish he’d be more relaxed about the Latin Mass; but he shares the Pope’s love of joyful solemnity at Mass, which is why he didn’t allow the philistines of Eccleston Square to wreck the Westminster Cathedral service.
The splendid Father Z has an analysis of the college of cardinals here in which he predicts that +Vincent will be elevated at the next consistory.
I hope so, because I reckon that a Cardinal Nichols might act more decisively than he has as an archbishop. He’s a loner, which is not necessarily a bad thing: he’s not surrounded by fawning monsignori in the way that… oh, you get my drift. But I’d like to see him make more effective use of his excellent appointee as general secretary of the Bishops’ Conference, Fr Marcus Stock, and dismantle the grim bureaucracies of the “Catholic” Education Service and other useless Tabletista quangos.
The future Cardinal Nichols will not be a caretaker figure – but he will need to act as a bridge between Magic Circle hierarchs who still think we’re living in the aftermath of Vatican II and a future generation of priests whose instincts are more conservative than his own (and those of the ageing active laity).
It won’t be an easy role to play.
Vincent Nichols certainly has the necessary political skills; does he have the courage and the imagination?
Give him the red hat and see.
SIC: TC/UK