The Apostolic Nuncio to the UK invites the bishops of England and Wales follow Pope Benedict XVI's lead

[Due to technical problems at Blogger.com, this post, along with millions of others around the world, was deleted on Thursday. I reposted a copy thus evening (Friday 13 May), which is now removed as this original post was resorted a few minutes ago (21:30, 13 May 2011) now been restored. Unfortunately, though, all comments have been permanently lost. Sorry]

On Monday 9 May, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St James, HE Archbishop Antonio Mennini, addressed the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. The bishops were about to begin their Easter-tide plenary meeting in Leeds - which sill sit until the end of the week. After some light-hearted comments and offerings of gratitude for the welcome he has received, Archbishop Mennini sought to highlight those aspects of the Church's mission here in the UK that are close to Pope Benedict XVI's heart. From the way I interpreted the text, here are the main points from the Apostolic Nuncio's address to the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.

Engagement with new cultures and the new media

One of the first points that Archbishop Mennini made to the bishops is that they should, in the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II, proclaim the Gospel to society's "new sectors" in a language that is understandable to the culture of the time. This reference to presenting the Gospel through means of expression and ways of communicating that belong to the age, highlights Pope Benedict XVI's desire to re-evangelise the highly secular and digital Europe by making full use of the new media.

The New Evangelisation and combating secularism

Antonio Mennini pointedly referred in his speech that one of Pope Benedict XVI's greatest concerns is the promotion of the New Evangelisation. He even suggested some guidelines to the bishops on how this should be done within Great Britain. First of all, the Apostolic Nuncio emphasised that the Church must hold onto absolute truth, which will provide an answer to the secular world's obsession with relativism. Secondly, the Nuncio told the bishops that they have the duty to proclaim the Gospel afresh in the UK, reminding them of the words uttered by the Pope during their Ad Limina visit and his Papal visit to Britain (when he noted the, "deep... thirst there is among the British people for the Good News of Jesus Christ"). Archbishop Mennini also emphasised that every individual Catholic has a duty to proclaim the Gospel by their way of life.

So, regarding the re-evangelisation of Britain, Antonio Mennini seems to state that the Catholic Church in England and Wales must be ready to engage with the new forms of social communication. Like Pope Benedict XVI himself, bishops should not be afraid to engage with the world of Twitter, Facebook and / or the blogosphere. By reminding the bishops of the role of individual laypeople in the New Evangelisation, he seems to emphasise this connection between spreading the Good News and having a Catholic presence on the internet or the personal forms of social communication that now exist.

Ecumenism

It seems that the Apostolic Nuncio, aware of the Pope's concerns regarding the secularisation of the West, sees engaging with other people of faith as a way of providing society at large with a sense of spirituality, or, as Cardinal Suenens would have put it, a "soul supplement." Coming together with other Churches or ecclesial communities can be a witness to the world around us of the power of faith to transform society for the better. Meetings such as the one planned for Assisi later on this year are also useful in highlighting what people of faith "can commonly offer to our society." One of the greatest things we do offer, of course, is an alternative to the nihilistic and materialistic aspects of secularism.

The Ordinariate

Archbishop Mennini spoke about the audience he had with the Holy Father after being appointed Nuncio to Great Britain. Amongst the things that Pope Benedict XVI wished to highlight was that the bishops of England and Wales be “generous in implementing the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus." This definitely seems to have happened, and speaking in the Pope's name, Antonio Mennini thanked all the bishops for the "meticulous" way in which they had carried out that mandate. In fact, having spoken with many new members of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham - priests, religious and lay - I know that the Catholic Church in England and Wales has been exceptionally welcoming (bar a few incidents and bitter words from so-called "progressives") to those who have already decided to take advantage of the Pope's offer in Anglicanorum Coetibus.

New episcopal appointments

After congratulating Bishop George Stack on his appointment as Archbishop of Cardiff, the Apostolic Nuncio mentioned the many other vacancies that will soon need to be filled amongst the episcopacy in England, Wales and Scotland. He then went on to say that the "Apostolic Nunciature has paid deserved attention to these 'Provvistas' and will continue to do so, and perhaps we might be having other appointments in the near future." So, it seems that we will soon find out who will become the new auxiliaries in Westminster, who will go to Liverpool (there are two names that are likely candidates) when Archbishop Kelly retires, who will take over from Bishop Regan in Wrexham, and who will be sent to East Anglia when that see falls vacant (I know that one auxiliary of Westminster, who has been heavily involved with the Ordinariate, would be especially welcome in that Diocese).

The new translation of the Roman Missal

Of course, this will be the big liturgical event of the year - when we finally get a translation that befits the most Holy Mass. The Nuncio mentioned that this event would provide an excellent opportunity for catechises on our liturgical celebration of the Eucharist. He also dwelt on the fact that some people (probably the same ones who are bitter about the Ordinariate) will not welcome this beautiful translation of the Mass. Reminding the bishops that "we, as well as the faithful, do not always find change easy", Archbishop Mennini diplomatically asked for sensitivity to be shown "towards those persons who are perhaps less enthusiastic" about the liturgical changes that will be seen from September.

Of course, there was nothing radically new in what the Apostolic Nuncio had to say to the College of Bishops, rather he wished to re-emphasise all those matters that seem close to Pope Benedict XVI's heart and mission: New Evangelisation and the new media; combating secularism and the dictatorship of relativism; ecumenical dialogue whilst retaining and proclaiming the deposit of truth; the importance of the Ordinariate of Our lady of Walsingham to the whole Church in England and Wales; and a need to learn anew the mysteries of our faith as presented in the liturgy and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

For the full transcript of Archbishop Antonio Mennini's address to the bishops, please see the website for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.

[Picture note: Detail showing HE Archbishop Mennini; from an original photo by Marzin Mazur © Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk at Flickr Catholic Church (England and Wales) - this image is published according to the Creative Commons Non-Commercial Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence. For more pictures from today's event - including the horse-drawn carriage - please see Flickr Catholic Church (England and Wales)]