A special Mass at Westminster Cathedral honours the Torch of St Benedict and the Benedictine longing for peace

After it was lit and blessed at Westminster Abbey yesterday (see here), the Torch of St Benedict made its way to Westminster Cathedral this morning for a special Mass. The principal celebrant was the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. He was joined by the Archabbot of Monte Cassino, Most Rev Pietro Vittorelli, as well as several other abbots and monks from English Benedictine monasteries. Unfortunately, the Archbishop of Spoleto-Norcia was unable to concelebrate. The music was provided by an Italian choir, whilst the Mass itself was a votive of St Benedict, and was celebrated in Latin, with readings in both English and Italian.

Although the Mass was not as lavish as yesterday's service of blessing at the Abbey, it was a beautiful and profound celebration of the Sacred Mysteries. The Cathedral was relatively full, and the Italian choir led the congregation in simple chant, whilst also providing some excellent music. It appears that many abbots weren't able to attend the Mass, which is a shame. It would also have been nice to have seen the Dean of Westminster at the event, especially after the warm welcome he extended to all at yesterday's service.

During his homily, Archbishop Nichols welcomed the Torch to his Cathedral, describing it as a symbol of Christ's light, which is "held aloft by the hand of faith." He also said that the Torch of St Benedict signifies a longing for unity and peace. In this context, the Archbishop spent some time reflecting on the path to peace, which, he said, "is a path of faith." Quoting Pope Benedict XVI's message for the World Day of Peace 2011, Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace, Archbishop Nichols said that, "Religious freedom is an authentic weapon of peace." He then echoed the Pope's warnings concerning our society's desire to set limits upon religious freedom.

Lasting peace is not possible in a religiously illiterate society

The Archbishop went on to say that it is an unjust society that tries to curtail freedom of conscience in matters of religious belief. Faith is a fundamental aspect of our human longing, and it is, Vincent Nichols emphasised, people of faith who are the "first ones to take the road of dialogue" in search of peace. In this regard, he went on to say that, "A religiously illiterate people will find many obstacles on their pathway towards peace." It is essential, therefore, that religious education remains on the new baccalaureate's curriculum - it seems that Michael Gove is determined to remove the teaching of RE from our schools (see the BBC's "New baccalaureate's threat to Religious Education GCSEs", here).

The Archbishop finished his homily by stressing that peace is "never a romantic ideal." It is something that is fundamentally rooted in Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. Those who hold the torch of peace with the hand of faith must tread in Our Lord's footsteps. They must, like him, be a people of self-sacrifice, reconciliation, compassion and dialogue. Vincent Nichols said that all these qualities flow from Christ, which is why they were found in men of peace, like St Benedict.

Pietro Vittorelli, the Archabbot of Monte Cassino, addressed the congregation after Holy Communion. Amongst the many things he said, the abbot emphasised the strong bonds that have always existed between the Order of St Benedict and Christianity in the UK. He remembered the last Abbot of Westminster, John Feckenham, who died in prison under Elizabeth I. Pietro Vittorelli also mentioned the many Englishmen who had been ordained at Monte Cassino. He told of Sigbert Buckley OSB, the last monk of Westminster Abbey. Sigbert affiliated two Englishmen from Monte Cassino into Westminster Abbey whilst jailed for his faith. By then - it was 1607 - he had been imprisoned for over 40 years, and was well into his 90th year!

Abbot Pietro also spoke of Newman's passion for the truth, which always demands a heavy price as it needs brave witnesses. In this respect, the Church should not avoid proclaiming the Gospel, in and out of season. The Christian way, the way of St Benedict, is one that runs contrary to today's obsession with material goods, so the world will feel uncomfortable with it. But it is the only way that leads to fundamental freedom and deep joy.

The Torch of St Benedict will now make its way to Monte Cassino in time for the Benedictine Feast of St Benedict, on 21 March. It will also pay a visit to Pope Benedict XVI on the way to the monastery.

I pray God's speed and blessing on all those young athletes who will be carrying the Torch!

To see more pictures of today's Mass, please see the Catholic England and Wales Flickr account. All pictures are credited to Marcin Mazur - see below.

[Picture note: Top: A Torch-bearer leads the way after Mass. Middle: The Torch-bearer at the beginning of Mass. Bottom: Archbishop Vincent Nichols (centre) with Archabbot Pietro Vittorelli (3rd from left) and some English abbots - including Rt Rev Dom Aiden Bellenger (Downside) (far left), the Emeritus Bishop of Menevia and Emeritus Abbot of Belmont, Rt Rev Mark Jabale (2nd left), and Rt Rev Dom Cuthbert Brogan (Farnborough) (far right). All photos are credited to Marcin Mazur © Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk at Flickr Catholic Church (England and Wales), they are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence]