Deacon Jack Sullivan. Picture by Peter Jennings

Peter Jennings, Press Secretary to the Fathers of the Birmingham Oratory for the Cause of the Beatification and Canonisation of the Venerable John Henry Newman (1801-1890), said: “With the Permission of the Roman Postulator of the Newman Cause, Dr Andrea Ambrosi, I am able to announce that today, Thursday 24 April, a meeting of the Consulta Medica took place at the Congregation of Saints in Rome.

“The case of Deacon Jack Sullivan, from Marshfield near Boston, Massachusetts, was discussed and voted on by the Consulta Medica. The opinion of the doctors is positive.”

“We now await the meeting of the Committee of Theological Consultors on a date to be set by the Congregation of Saints. Before this, the Roman Postulator must draw up the Informatio report that will assist these theological consultors in their deliberations.

“If the vote of the Theological Consultors is favourable then the matter goes to the members of the Congregation of Saints, the cardinals and bishops, whose role it is to advise Pope Benedict XVI, who is taking a personal interest in the Newman Cause.”

Jack Sullivan, a 69-year old Permanent Deacon, was suffering from an extremely serious spinal disorder when he first prayed through the intercession of Cardinal Newman.

Deacon Sullivan was healed of his spinal disorder on 15 August 2001, the Feast of the Assumption.

Jack Sullivan and his wife Carol have three grown up children.

Father Paul Chavasse, Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and Postulator of the Newman Cause said: “We now hope and pray for a positive outcome for the remaining steps of the process to beatify our Cardinal.”

Father Chavasse added: “The Fathers, at Newman’s Oratory here in Edgbaston, would encourage people throughout the world to redouble their prayers for the Beatification of Cardinal Newman.”

The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham, said: “The Church goes to great lengths before arriving at a public declaration of a person’s holiness of life. The process is going forward steadily in the case of Cardinal Newman. We await its next step in prayerful anticipation.”

Archbishop Vincent Nichols pictured with (left to right) Canon John Hughes, Vicar, Dr Rob Bewley, Associate Vicar, and Mrs Pat Brydon, Church Warden, outside St John’s Harborne, an Evangelical Anglican Parish Church in Birmingham, before the evening service, Sunday 13 April. Picture by Peter Jennings

“Be friends with Catholics”, Archbishop Vincent Nichols encouraged members of St John’s Harborne, a well-known, evangelical Anglican parish church in Birmingham, during an absorbing 40-minute question time that followed his homily, at an informal Sunday evening service, on 13 April.

In answer to a question about ecumenism and how Anglicans and Catholics could achieve closer unity, Archbishop Nichols replied: “The first step is to be friends.  In friendship one begins to see beyond the surface and beyond the evident criticism that sometimes comes with history and distance.  So it is important that we are friends together.”

The Archbishop of Birmingham added: “It is also important that we learn to do things together and most of all to pray together.  When we stand together before Christ then we can know each other in a true light.”

More than 450 people packed the lively, charismatic church, many of them young professionals or university students, for the informal “Fan The Fire”, evening service, sensitively led by the Vicar, Canon John Hughes, a member of the General Synod of the Church of England for the Diocese of Birmingham.

In his welcome, Canon Hughes highlighted how effectively David Urquhart, the Anglican Bishop of Birmingham, and Archbishop Vincent Nichols work together for the benefit of the multi-faith City of Birmingham.

Archbishop Nichols began his homily on the subject, “Proclaiming Christ in a Secular Society”, with a thought-provoking and clear exposition of the scripture reading chosen from the Gospel of St Matthew (28 v 11-20).

He said: “The first part of this reading tells us that immediately after the death of Jesus steps were taken to make sure that the truth of his resurrection was masked by distortion and innuendo. 

So today when we embrace the task of being witnesses to the resurrection we should not be surprised if others, and in all forms of the media, attempt to distort, discredit or denounce the truth of the message.  This is what happened from the very beginning and it will continue to happen today.

“The second point of great consolation for us in this Gospel passage is that when the disciples met the risen Jesus we read that: ‘They worshipped him, although some hesitated’.  This worship of Christ, placed here at the end of the Gospel of St Matthew, reminds us of the opening passages of St Matthew's Gospel, particularly the account of the visit of the Magi - the wise men - to Jesus.  Matthew was writing his Gospel after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.  People were confused and dismayed, no longer knowing where they could meet God.”

The Archbishop of Birmingham continued: “Matthew says that the wise person comes to Jesus and recognises in him the one who is to be worshipped.  The Gospel then opens and closes with the same affirmation.  But the fact that ‘some hesitated’ is a great consolation to us at times when we feel doubt or a deep reluctance within us to come to Jesus.

“The third point that we can take from this Gospel is the mandate we receive from Jesus to take his teaching and his message to the world around us.  That is our theme for this evening: ‘Proclaiming Christ in a secular society’.”

Archbishop Nichols stressed that: “In doing this we need to understand that the world, the secular world, is the realm of God.  This is where the spirit of God is at work and therefore we always go looking for God's spirit in the world and seeking to cooperate with that spirit.”

He emphasised that: “In our world there are also ideologies - the promotion of idols.” He said: “One of these is described in the word ‘secularism’ which insists that there is nothing that can be known beyond what can be seen and measured and investigated scientifically.

“Another ideology is that of liberalism.  A liberal society has real sense, not least in the principle of free speech.  But taken to an extreme, liberalism denies the very notion of truth as something objective, beyond opinion.  In today's society there is such a temptation to think that all truth - beyond scientific investigation - is a matter of one's own opinion and this is something with which we have to struggle.

“Two ways in which we can respond to this are: firstly, the appeal of beauty.  Beauty takes us beyond perceived reality.  Beauty awakens in us a yearning for what is beyond.  This everybody understands and beauty is a real pathway to God.  And then, secondly, we also know that there is a truth that lies beyond opinion.  It is a truth that comes to us from God and is fully expressed in the face of Jesus.  That is why we long to see him.”

There was a long and meaningful time of silence for reflection on the message of hope that Archbishop Nichols gave before answering a wide-range of searching and thoughtful questions.

The service, aimed particularly for young adults, began with 20 minutes of continuous worship before the Archbishop spoke. A talented music group led the congregation in a number of well-known contemporary Christian songs and popular choruses.

After the service, which lasted for about two hours, Archbishop Nichols went into the adjacent church hall, where he met and talked with members of the congregation. He was in no hurry to leave St John’s Harborne, after what had been a memorable and deeply spiritual experience for many of those present. 

One member of the congregation said after the service that she gave up taking notes because she wanted to “listen to the distilled wisdom” that flowed from Archbishop Nichols.

Canon John Hughes summed up the reaction of many in the congregation, when he said: “The length and heartfelt warmth of the applause that Archbishop Vincent received when he sat down after almost 90 minutes was a measure of the appreciation for his inspiring talk and question time.”

Canon Hughes added: “We were privileged to listen to a man of wisdom whose reflections on God, life and society opened up new ways of seeing and engaging with our community and society. His visit was hugely valued and enjoyed, showing us how much we share together in the mission the church has to the world.”

When he arrived, Archbishop Vincent Nichols was shown round The Crossway, a recently opened centre for helping people in the local community, situated a short distance away and near St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Vivian Road run by the Augustinians.

*The homily given by Archbishop Vincent Nichols together with the question and answer session that followed, was recorded, and is now available as two pod casts - website: www.stjohns-church.co.uk

Archbishop Vincent Nichols pictured with (left) Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, Chairman of an international Sikh community based in the Soho Road Gurudwara, Jathedar of the Akal Takhat, the supreme Sikh authority, from Amritsar, in India, (holding sword) and other high level Sikh delegates, during the Third Bilateral Dialogue between Catholic and Siks, held in Birmingham. Picture by Peter Jennings

Archbishop Vincent Nichols welcomed delegates on behalf of the Holy See to the Third Bilateral Dialogue of Sikhs and the Roman Catholic Church, held in Birmingham, 10-12 April, writes Peter Jennings.

The Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha and the Committee for Other Faiths of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, supported by the Archdiocese of Birmingham, initiated the dialogue, on the theme “Capacity for Dialogue”.

In his welcome, Co-Chairman, Archbishop Nichols emphasised that Pope Benedict XVI is: “A disciple of dialogue.”

Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh, Chairman of an international Sikh community based in the Soho Road Gurudwara, assured delegates that: “Sikhs and dialogue are inseparable and inter-religious dialogue leads to the building of a harmonious society.” He added: “We should welcome dialogue and not be fearful.”

A statement released at the end of the dialogue held in the Nishkam Civic Centre in Handsworth, emphasised that: “Close bonds of friendship and open exchange have been fostered and cemented by the three days of discussion and prayer.”

The Catholic and Sikh delegates welcomed the attendance of the Jathedar of the Akal Takhat, who travelled from Amritsar, in India, to add his support to the dialogue.

The statement emphasised that: “These initiatives can make a significant step forward to the future of both inter-faith relations in general and to the future of humanity.”

The statement added that the delegates: “Looked forward with confidence to increased engagement in dialogue between Sikhs around the world, the Catholic Church in Rome and the Akal Takhat in Amritsar.”

In particular, the delegates welcomed: “The developing means to engage Sikh presence in meetings on issues such as social cohesion, family values, cultural heritage and prayer, spirituality and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”

Following two previous dialogues with the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue in Rome, and the Peace meetings at Assisi, the Birmingham meeting generated warm and open discussion.

The topics discussed included: The culture of dialogue, the theological basis of our understanding of God, outreach and engagement with the secular community, family life and the role of women, to faith schools and adult faith education.

In his concluding remarks, the Archbishop of Birmingham stressed that: “The unstinting courtesy and service in the name of God of members of the Sikh community picked up the theme of self-emptying as central to the spirituality of service. For Catholics such self-emptying is centered in the crucifix, the image of God in Jesus Christ, emptying himself in love for humanity.”

As delegates departed, Mr Bill Ozanne, Secretary of the Archdiocese of Birmingham Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue, added: “As Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran (President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue) said recently: ‘I should like to propose… that this dialogue can be something continual, structured’, and so, I feel, continue to draw not only the Christian and Sikh religions together but move towards an ultimate objective when all faiths walk together on the path to the divine Kingdom.” 

Cardinal Paul Cordes, President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, will give a public lecture at Maryvale Institute of Further and Higher Education, on Tuesday 8 April, at 2.30pm.

Cardinal Cordes is visiting Great Britain at the invitation of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

He will also address a Plenary Assembly of the Bishops’ Conference at Hinsley Hall in Leeds and meet representatives of the Church’s charitable agencies.

The Cardinal’s Maryvale address will highlight Pope Benedict XVI’s first Encyclical Letter "Deus Caritas East", that provides new elucidations on the Christian understanding of love as found in the double commandment of love of God and Neighbour.

The Pontifical Council Cor Unum is the Office of the Holy See that is charged with concrete realisation of the charitable intentions of the Pope.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols said: "The Holy Father’s Encyclical Letter "Deus Caritas Est", caught the imagination of many people inside and outside the Church. It is a profound meditation on all aspects of love. The insight of Cardinal Cordes into this Papal teaching will be stimulating."

Archbishop Vincent added: "I welcome the visit of Cardinal Cordes to Maryvale Institute. We are honoured by his presence."

For further information please contact, Mgr Paul Watson, Director, Maryvale Institute. Telephone: 0121 360 8118.

Bishop Philip Pargeter, Auxiliary in Birmingham, pictured at St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham, with (left to right) Sister Margaret Byrnes RSCJ, Catholic Chaplain, London Heathrow, Nilda Castro, official at Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Fr David Lacy, Seminar Orginiser, Chaplain at Birmingham International Airport. Picture by Peter Jennings

Airport Chaplains requested "clearer rules of tasks, responsibility, and guidelines" for chaplaincy ministry, during the VI European Seminar for Catholic Civil Aviation Chaplains and Chaplaincy members, held at St Mary's College, Oscott, Birmingham, 31 March - 4 April.

This was one of the recommendations in a final document produced by more than 30 delegates working at major airports in 10 European countries.

Another recommendation from the seminar, on the theme: "Airport chaplains in a multi-religious and secular society", requested that: "Airport Chaplains should have sensitivity and understanding for the habits and needs and differences between various religions."

The seminar was organized by Fr David Lacy, Secretary General of the Catholic Chaplains in Civil Aviation and Chaplaincy Members in Europe (EACCAC), Chaplain at Birmingham International Airport. As delegates departed, he said: "We came together to renew our mission and commitment. We leave Oscott College inspired for the challenges we face in our chaplaincy work throughout Europe."

Archbishop Vincent Nichols presided at the opening Mass, held in the chapel at Oscott College, the Diocesan Seminary, and welcomed the delegates to the seminar.

Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People was unable to be present and his Inaugural Address was read to delegates  by Nilda Castro, Official in Charge of the sector on Civil Aviation Apostolate.

Canon David Evans, Secretary of the Committee for Theology, Faith And Culture of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales gave a lecture: "Secularisation in the United Kingdom". Mr William Ozanne, Secretary of the Birmingham Archdiocesan Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue, spoke about: "Inter-religious Relations".

Fr Paschal Ryan, Heathrow Airport chaplain led a discussion about the experiences of working in a multi-religious chaplaincy with people who are not Christian.

Mr Joe Kelly, Acting Managing Director, Birmingham International Airport gave a talk at Oscott College: "Working relationships with reference to inter-religious practice and customs". He was followed by Mrs Barbara Hayes, Anglican Chaplain at Birmingham Airport, who spoke about: "Multi-religious care Team & Response to Crisis". Delegates later visited Birmingham International Airport where they met airport staff and colleagues.

Bishop Philip Pargeter, Auxiliary Bishop in Birmingham, was the principal celebrant at an evening Mass held in St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham on Wednesday 2 April. During his homily Bishop Pargeter emphasised the importance of the work of airport chaplains "in sharing the Gospel" with people who travel by air throughout the world. He added: "I do appreciate very much the splendid work you do."

The following day, Bishop William Kenney, CP, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, and spokesman on European Affairs for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, was the principal celebrant as Mass held at the Birmingham Oratory. Afterwards delegates were given a tour of Cardinal Newman's Room and Library and a talk by Fr Gregory Winterton, Vice-Chairman of the Friends of the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman.

For the record the delegates who attended the Birmingham seminar, work at following airports: London Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham International, East Midlands, Glasgow, and Manchester. Brussels, Geneva-Cointrin, Geneva Christoforo Columbo, Gudja Malta, Lodz, Nice-Cote D’Azur,  Roissy Charles De Gaulle, Rome Leonardo da Vinci, Schiphol, Vienna International, and Warsaw, F Chopin.

Bishop William Kenney, auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham and Spokesman on European Affairs for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is planning to visit Northern Iraq from 11-16 April, writes Peter Jennings.

Bishop Kenney, said on Monday 31 March: “I have visited Iraq on several occasions and  plan to visit Arbil (also written Erbil) in Northern Iraq in April at the invitation of the local bishop.

“Bishop Crispian Hollis, Chairman of the Department of International Affairs, is also planning to be there for part of the time. The purposes of our visit to is to show solidarity with local church.”

Arbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government,  lies about fifty miles east of Mosual, and is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

Bishop Kenney explained that during the visit he and Bishop Hollis would meet  priests, parishes, religious, seminarians and celebrate Mass for Iraqi Chaldean Catholics.

Bishop Kenney stressed: “Our message to the Christians of Erbil is simple – ‘We have not forgotten you’.”

Bishop Kenney, who is responsible Coventry, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire, emphasised the importance of prayer and encourage Catholics throughout the United Kingdom to prayer for the people of Iraq.

He said: “I urge Catholics, Christians of other traditions, and people of all faiths, please keep the tragic situation in Iraq in your prayers each day.”

Bishop Kenney added: “Please pray in particular for the Iraqi Chaldean Catholics following the sudden death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul.”

Archbishop Rahho was abducted outside his cathedral in Mosul on February and his kidnappers revealed on 12 March where his body could be found.

Bishop Kenney, C.P., a member of the Passionist Congregation, was an Auxiliary Bishop of Stockholm, Sweden, from 1987 until 17 October 2006, when the Vatican announced his move to the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols pictured during the annual Easter Monday Men’s Mass at St Chad’s Cathedral, with (left) Mgr John Morgan, the Vicar General and Fr Douglas Lamb, Diocesan Chaplain of the Catholic Men’s Society, Parish Priest of St Ambrose, Kidderminster. Picture by Peter Jennings

Archbishop Vincent Nichols used the occasion of the annual Easter Monday Men's Mass, at St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham, to draw attention, again, to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, shortly to be debated in Parliament.

The Archbishop of Birmingham, was the principal celebrant and preacher at the Mass promoted by the Catholic Men's Society that has taken place each year since 1919.

In a challenging homily, on 24 March, Archbishop Nichols said: "You will have read about the provisions of this Bill to permit the creation of animal/human hybrids, to increase the use of human embryos in stem cell research, to remove the 'need for a father' from law and birth certificate. It may well also be used to change the laws on abortion. You will have heard of it in your parishes and, no doubt, asked to write to your MPs. Today I repeat that request."

The Archbishop continued: "Beyond the details of the research which is to be permitted, there are a number of underlying trends, increasingly common in our public discourse, which characterise this Bill and debate about it. I want to draw attention to these as part of our witness today.

"One is the selective use of evidence. We hear consistently the claims that the type of embryo experimentation being permitted by the Bill holds great promise for future cures of illness like cystic fibrosis and MS. The evidence for this is so far sparse. Very little progress has been made through embryonic stem cell research. In contrast, work with adult stem cells is showing far better results. All the published research points in this direction, even in the specific task of finding cures for cystic fibrosis. Yet we hear little about it.  What is to be lost in facing these facts? They actually indicate the pathways of successful research to which there are no ethical objections.

"Instead, we know that the best scientific research often contributes to that sense of wonder and awe at the complexity and beauty of the created world which is itself a signpost to belief in God. But our objections to the Bill are ethical. We are not trying to protect God, but ourselves and our society. Some of the things the Bill proposes are wrong and will do harm."

Archbishop Nichols emphasised: "This Bill makes clear the ways in which scientists are researching into every aspect of human reproduction. It makes clear the ways in which the law of this land is now bearing down on the fundamental patterns of relationships within the family and society. It's as if, in the exploration of an old house, we have now, at long last, reached the basement which no-one has visited since the house was built. If, in that basement, we found a network of strong pillars and beams, we would be foolish indeed to start cutting through them without very careful thought and calculation of the consequences of doing so for the rest of the house.

"But this is what might well be happening. This Bill permits the commercialisation of aspects of human birth: the donation its fundamental elements and the use of surrogates. Research is opening up for us the possibility of engineered human birth away from a natural mother. Because we can do these things, does it mean that we should? Are they really for our common good?"

The Archbishop stressed: "The conception of a child can never simply be a question of the rights of adults. It is also and always a matter of the rights of that new life, that child. These rights, too, must be respected. The provisions in this Bill which permit, in certain circumstances, the need of a child for a father to be set aside neglect those rights. And the proposal that, with the full support of the law, reference to the child's biological father may be omitted from the record of birth is to burden a child with the weight of a lie from the first moments of life. That is a dereliction of our duty. Its repercussions will be felt in years to come. In these ways we weaken crucial pillars in the foundations of our common home."

He added: "Let me take a different analogy. Only slowly, and with the help of science and technology, have we come to realise the damage we have done to our natural environment. We know now we must act to correct that damage. Yet we also live in a 'human environment', too, within a 'human ecology', made up of the structure of nature by which we are born and flourish, and consisting in the network of relationships of family and community. This Bill proposes a profound interference with some of these structures: a diminishment of the practical respect shown to human life in its beginnings, a restructuring of crucial patterns of parenting. Members of Parliament must think carefully about this Bill and pay attention to the instinctive recoil that many feel about some of its proposals. There is wisdom in this repugnance. We must make our own thoughts and conviction clear.

"This is why the present position of the Labour Party not to permit a free vote on the key moral issues in this Bill is disturbing. To suggest that Labour MPs with conscientious objections may abstain would not be good enough. We must press and pray for the right of members of the Labour Party to vote according to their conscience on these fundamental moral issues. For them not to be able to do so would suggest that, within the Party of Government, there is no space for the views and the votes of those who have ethical objections, especially when founded in religious belief. Nor can this be isolated as a Catholic issue because the profound moral principles and convictions addressed in this Bill are of concern to people of many faiths and of none."

Archbishop Vincent Nichols concluded his homily: "So today I ask you to act on these concerns. Now is the time to write to your MP and to join in public debate if you get the opportunity. In this way we follow in the footsteps of St. Peter and of many who have gone before us, not least the great Bishop William Bernard Ullathorne OSB, the first Catholic Bishop of Birmingham (September 1850 until he resigned in February 1888) who did not hesitate to challenge the evils of his time, among them the evils of the penal colonies and the dangers of excessive drinking."

"Faith is a practical project. We are the builders of our world. There is a task at hand and we can do no better than to build on Christ as our foundation. He, who alone has conquered death, is the one to be trusted. Let us renew our trust in Him and work in His name."

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, pictured with Archbishop Vincent Nichols and Bishop David Urquhart, the Anglican Bishop of Birmingham, during an Ecumenical Walk of Witness through the streets of central Birmingham on Good Friday, 21 March. Picture by Peter Jennings

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham joined Archbishop Vincent Nichols and Bishop David Urquhart, the Anglican Bishop of Birmingham, during an Ecumenical Walk of Witness through the streets of central Birmingham on Good Friday, 21 March, writes Peter Jennings.

The Archbishop of Birmingham welcomed Christians from churches throughout the city and said a prayer before the Walk of Witness left St Michael’s Catholic Church, situated near to the Birmingham Bull Ring shopping centre. Volunteers took it in turn to carry a large wooden cross through the streets on a cold, blustery morning.

The Walk of Witness, organised by the Dean of St Chad’s Cathedral, Canon Patrick Browne, made its way to Birmingham Council House, where the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Randal Brew, joined. He said a prayer for leaders in national and local government by the statue of Queen Victoria in the square named after her.

The Walk of Witness continued to the eighteenth-century St Philip's Anglican Cathedral situated in the centre of Birmingham, where the Dean, Canon Bob Wilkes, joined Birmingham Bishop Urquhart, who led a prayer and read from St Paul's Letter to the Philippians (2 v 5-11): "… He became obedient unto death, even death on a Cross."

The last stop was St Chad's Cathedral, where the Walk of Witness ended with Stations of the Cross. Archbishop Nichols and Bishop Urquhart took it in turns to lead the meditations.