Sunday, January 28, 2007

Pope gives £2000 to Cambridge Chaplaincy


I thought this story was of interest because it shows the Holy Fathers special interest in the Church in England. There are rumours of his intervention in the appointment of bishops. On one occassion, a certain bishop was all set to move to an archdiocese only to be dissappointed, when the then Prefect of the CDF vetoed his appointment. It is said that he intends to take a personal interest in the appointment of our English bishops. Members of the Curia certainly seem to show a keener interest in what is happen here than they did in the past.

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From The Times:
The Pope has made an unprecedented personal donation of £2,000 to the Roman Catholic chaplaincy at the University of Cambridge to help it and the faith survive at one of Britain’s main centres of academic excellence.Pope Benedict XVI, who was a university teacher for many years, intended the donation to signal his “encouragement and support”.The two priests and the Dominican nun who work at the chaplaincy were stunned by the donation, which they believe is the first of its kind to come direct from the Pope. The Fisher House chaplaincy is appealing for £2 million to set up a foundation to ensure its survival. The Catholic academic community in Cambridge is dependent on the chaplaincy for its community life, and about 450 people attend Mass on Sundays.The chaplaincy, in the centre of Cambridge in a former public house, has two choirs who sing in English and Latin and averages eight conversions a year. There have been ten vocations to the priesthood coming out of Fisher House.

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