In an historic move the Queen has invited the leader of the Catholic Church of England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, to preach at her Norfolk estate of Sandringham.
The unprecedented gesture brings to a formal close 500 years of antagonism between the British monarch in her role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England and the Catholic Church. “The cardinal is greatly honoured by the Queen’s invitation,” said a spokesman for the religious leader on Tuesday. “This is a further sign of the Queen’s own determination to promote ecumenical relations within the nation.”
Prince Philip, the Queen Mother and other members of the royal family are also expected to be at Sandringham for the weekend of the cardinal’s visit on Jan 12 and 13, which will be the first visit by a Catholic Archbishop of Westminster.
Relations between the Catholic Church and the British monarch warmed considerably towards the end of the last century, and in 1982 the Queen welcomed Pope John Paul II to Buckingham Palace. She also attended a Catholic service at Westminster Cathedral in 1995, and was an admirer of the late Cardinal Basil Hume whom she referred to as “my cardinal” and to whom she appointed an Order of Merit in 1999.
Constitutional historian Ben Pimlott points to the significance of the timing of the visit. “It’s symbolic in that it’s at the beginning of the Jubilee Year, which is an important moment for redefining the monarchy,” he says.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
