Pope Benedict UK Roundup!

• Converting Anglican bishop says papal action changed the landscape Catholic News Agency. November 14, 2010. The Anglican Bishop of Richborough told his flock that he plans to become Catholic because Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic constitution “completely changed the landscape” for Anglo-Catholics and he now believes that he must lead the way to union with the Universal Church.

• On November 8, 2010, Five bishops of the Church of England announced their resignation from ministry in that church, and their intent to join a personal ordinariate for Anglicans wishing to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church:

  The apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus" published a year ago, offered a way for groups of Anglicans to enter the Catholic Church through the establishment of personal ordinariates, a new type of canonical structure.

  The constitution outlines that these communities will be able to retain some elements of their liturgical and spiritual traditions while being unified under the Pope.

• Papal visit inspires Catholic-Humanist discussions (Catholic Herald October 28, 2010):

  Catholics and Humanists held groundbreaking talks this week about Aids, contraception, faith schools and same-sex adoption. ...

  The discussions, which lasted for two hours, followed on from a public debate held at Conway Hall before the papal visit, at which Catholic speakers were heckled, and which Mr Sims described as “loud and rowdy”.

  Following the Conway Hall meeting, both groups wished to organise a smaller, more respectful meeting.

• Scottish composer James MacMillan has claimed that Church liturgists tried to stop his Mass setting from being performed for the Pope in September 2010 (Catholic Herald October 27, 2010):

  He said an “almighty row erupted behind the scenes” after he submitted the setting earlier this year and it was passed on to Church officials who disliked it.

  According to Mr MacMillan, they complained that the setting was “un-singable”, “not fit for purpose”, and “not pastoral enough”. They were unhappy that it required a competent organist.

  But they were overruled after Mr MacMillan contacted Scotland’s bishops, who had commissioned the setting, and all but one of them gave him their support.

• Fr Robert Barron on the Pope’s Westminster Hall speech: says Benedict XVI vindicated the English martyr [VIDEO] October 26, 2010.

• The Pope and Pavement, by Stratford Caldecott (Beauty for Truth's Sake October 23, 2010):

  When Pope Benedict XVI visited the United Kingdom in September, one of the most striking images was of him sitting side by side with the Archbishop of Canterbury, trading polite speeches, on the Cosmati Pavement of Westminster Abbey. That pavement is worthy of some attention, especially if, like me, you are interested in the symbolic meaning of geometrial forms and their role in the great cathedrals of Christendom.

• Lord Sacks, Britain’s Chief Rabbi, has described his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI during his visit last month as “an epiphany” “Soul touched soul across the boundaries of faith, and there was a blessed moment of healing”. (Catholic Herald October 18, 2010).

• Church faces £3.5 million shortfall from papal visit The Church has raised £6.5 million for the papal visit so far, mostly from private donors, but the cost is estimated to be £10 million. (Catholic Herald October 15, 2010).