Dear Editor, I am very pleased the Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nicholls has been promoted to Cardinal status in the Catholic Church. It is well deserved and I feel he is the man to make a new mark on the church as it stands in Britain.
I hope he tackles some very awkward subjects head on with this totalitarian and PC Government and I hope that he speaks as he finds. I have written to him on a few matters of interest and he replies promptly.
I feel his predecessor Cormack Murphy O’Connor tended to be too close to the establishment at times and didn’t speak out vociferously enough about matters which offended and affected the Catholic Church and its members. I hope Vincent brings the British Catholic Church nearer to the Vatican and Rome and in particular the Pope, because for too long now, the British Catholic Church has looked like an honorary member of the club, rather than a fully blown member
Vincent has a daunting task ahead as leader of the Catholic Church in Britain. The Christian faith is involved in its greatest battle for survival to date in this country. In particular the secularisation of Christianity and faith generally in Britain is of great concern to many. One thing I hope Vincent does is bring the various religions of this country together in a mass summit where discussions can openly reflect on where faith and religion is at in this nation in 2009 and the 21st century generally. A bit like a religious G20.
Ian Payne, Walsall, West Midlands.
