A great priest who disobeyed his Bishop!

Not just once but several times according to his autobiography. He was, arguably, the last of the traditional Cardinals of England & Wales; he was frequently fighting the cause of Catholic conservatism on a wide range of television programmes, he criticised the USA for being too fixated with communism and not attentive enough to spiritual affairs and he also made the famous riposte to his aide, the then Monsignor Bruce Kent who had, upon driving past a socialist poster, said to the Cardinal: "Better red than dead". "Oh no", came the reply from the Cardinal: "Better dead than red."

He recognised the pitfalls that were opening up after the Second Vatican Council and again made the famous comment (about the Novus Ordo after witnessing the new Mass in Rome): 

"At home it is not only women and children but also fathers of families and young men who come regularly to mass. If we were to offer them the kind of ceremony we saw yesterday in the Sistine Chapel we would soon be left with a congregation mostly of women and children."

So who is this man who, as a priest disobeyed his Bishop and what were the circumstances under which he did so?

It is, of course, none other than Cardinal John Carmel Heenan, Archbishop of Westminster.

I find it intriguing that, as a parish priest, he actually went against the will of his Bishop especially as so many priests today give the reason for not celebrating the EF Mass as being due to episcopal obedience: "The Bishop would never approve".
Never mind that Rome has spoken on the subject!

Here are the circumstances in which Fr Heenan found himself. The Second World War had just come to an end and his London East End parish of Barking had felt the full force of the blitz. Everywhere one looked there was ruin and desolation, whole terraces of houses now reduced to a pile of rubble, hospitals, community centres, churches and schools lay in ruins. And Fr Heenan's Catholic School was among the casualties. He set out with typical vigour, to rebuild the school and build up his scattered flock but his Bishop, being a man of bureacratic leanings, was not in favour of the parish priest's plans.
Here is an extract from the Cardinal's autobiography, covering this episode in his life:-

"...Before the Far Eastern end of the war was over the rebuilding of the bombed school had begun. It was a heartening sight. I was not worried about paying for the building because war damage claims would eventually cover most of the cost. I merely had to borrow a few thousand pounds to keep the contractors happy until 'the war damage' (the colloquialism for the government department concerned) paid the bill. I wrote happily to the bishop for leave to borrow five thousand pounds. He refused on the grounds that I should not have begun to rebuild the school without having submitted the plans to him. He would not authorise me to borrow any money. The building must be stopped forthwith. I wrote in great alarm to the bishop to explain that the building was only a replacement of the damaged section of the school. Strictly speaking, there were no new plans to submit. The bishop was not moved.

It is hard to exaggerate my dilemma. If I obeyed the bishop it might prove impossible to bring back the contractors when the bishop had seen the light. There was, in addition, the devastating effect on public relations with East Ham Borough - as well as the blow to the morale of the teachers, parents, children and the neighbours who, after all the bombing were delightedly watching a building going up rather than down. I did not know what to do. I had never defied the bishop despite all trials but this time I could see no alternative.
Reluctantly I took the bishop's letter forbidding me to borrow the money to the Apostolic Delegate whom I had known both at Ushaw and in Rome. I asked him quite simply to tell me what I must do. I was aware of the principle that it is always safe to obey but I did not see how in this case the principle could apply.
I had come to the Apostolic Delegate because I was genuinely in doubt about my duty. To my relief - and somewhat to my surprise since Mgr Godfrey was an ultra-cautious man - the Delegate's reply was unhesitating. He added that for some time he had been receiving reports of the bishop's increasing loss of contact with affairs.
It was true that I could now go ahead without scruple......"

I admire people who kick against the traces and take a risk for the common good. We need more politicians, teachers and doctors who are prepared to chance their arm in undertaking initiatives aimed at improving the lot of man......and we certainly need more priests and bishops who will do so!

The extract is from 'Not the Whole Truth'