Last 'Mass' for Warwick Street

Today the last homosexual 'Mass' will be held in Soho's Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory (sob).

In the future, such Masses will take place at Farm Street, so no change there then.

It is a great pity that the group who support these Masses do not grasp the fact that the Catholic Church embraces all regardless of colour, gender or their place in society.

We do not need 'gay' Masses any more than we need Masses for divorced people or eccentric people or bank robbers. We are all sinners and all in need of God's grace which is not distributed according to sexual inclinations but is freely available to all who are deserving of it.

The Tablet's spokesman on the subject, one, Christopher Lamb, stated on this morning's Radio Four news, that Archbishop Nichols had stopped the Masses due to "pressure from the authorities in Rome".

I know not Christopher Lamb but he needs to feel the firm grip of a crozier around his neck to haul him back into line for making such silly statements; failing that perhaps the Archbishop should sling out copies of the said rag from the back of the Cathedral.

Will Farm Street end up on Queer Street?

The action taken by Archbishop Nichols to halt the so called gay Masses at the church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Warwick Street, Soho and to transfer the pastoral care of the same sex attraction community to the Jesuits at Farm Street is, at first glance, laudable.

But, as the rumours begin and as my cynicism sets to work, the concern must be, to question if that really is an end to the homosexual Masses or are they merely being transferred.

If the latter is the case then who better to conduct such Masses than the Jesuits, now an order based upon jeans and sweaters rather than the yoke of Christ.

And, if these Masses of exclusion do continue then I hope and pray that the Cardinal's hat does not end up on the coat rack in Archbishop's House.

And, for those who may feel that my choice of wording in the headline to this post is not quite politically in order, let me state that the term "Queer Street" is used to describe getting into a state of disarray, getting in a pickle.


Which is just what Vin Rouge may be doing if he lets the abuses continue.

Time for a Dry Mennini!