Ocean to Ocean - Wales would like an explanation

That's a rather pompous headline, especially as I am not Welsh, merely an Englishman living in Wales, in the Diocese of what used to be called Menapia.

But I feel that Wales has been ignored (yet again) in the planning of an important event in the life of the Church.

The Madonna of Wales, Our Lady of Cardigan

It does not feature at all on the route of the Black Madonna icon on the Ocean to Ocean Pilgrimage.

The few Welsh folk that I have spoken to feel genuinely aggrieved that their country has not been included on the itinerary.

Wales lost out on the occasion of the last Papal visit and on the nationwide (almost) tour of the relics of St Jean Vianney.

Not unreasonable, I think, to ask why?
Especially as the jump from the British mainland to Ireland could so easily have been via Wales.

What has Wales done to be ignored in such a manner?

Wrexham Diocese has a new Bishop and the Archdiocese of Cardiff, Capital of Wales has a relatively new Archbishop in place. So why miss them out?

So, OK, Wales is not big in terms of numbers of Catholics but it probably runs pretty close to Scotland's Catholic population.

Wales is also home to the little known but very important shrine of Our Lady of Cardigan, Our Lady of the Taper, a mere 1,000 years or so old.

It is the national shrine of Wales and the equal of Walsingham. I would not wish to take anything away from England's national shrine but it would be good to see some support for Cardigan coming from the national Catholic associations who organise annual pilgrimages and who have affinity, allegedly, to both Wales and England.

And it would be good for Wales to be highlighted on the maps in the Vatican and Westminster so that, in future, due respect is paid fully to Our Lady and to Welsh Catholics.

The Papal Visit - 29 years on!

1982 was the year,  Pope John Paul II was the Pope and Pontcanna Fields, Cardiff was the venue.
A group of us men (it appeared to be a men only occasion back then) gathered at the side of the A40 just outside Ross-on-Wye at 4am to catch the designated coach to Cardiff. I knew only a few of the others, Ted Drake-Lee RIP and Richard Vaughan of the famous Courtfield Vaughans and Bernard Hyde, a family friend who was on the charismatic road to Heaven (arms outstretched and eyes rolling upwards like a puppet on ecstasy) - but I must not malign the afflicted!

It was still dark when we arrived in Cardiff and disembarked at Pontcanna. we had been given a very officious briefing on the coach by a military looking gent wearing a black beret and sporting  a walrus moustache; our little group of four were allocated a 'paddock' of around 3 acres in size and given a format as to how pilgrims were to be placed within the paddock "fill from the back and NOT the front!"

Pontcanna Fields, Cardiff 1982
"Two's company, three's a crowd

We settled down in the early dawn and ate cold bacon sandwiches washed down with flasks of tea and coffee plus a few hip flasks of whisky and eagerly awaited both our pilgrims and the Holy Father. I believe that JPII was due to arrive at 11am and our paddock was at least 3 back from the stage where he was to celebrate Mass.
At 9am no bodies had presented themselves for our allocation and we were beginning to feel about as useful as a chocolate teapot; then, joy of joys, a group of four presented themselves and were duly escorted to the back row (it was on the principal of 'those who are first shall be last' etc).

Another hour or more elapsed and it became obvious that there was not going to be the turnout that the organisers had hoped for. We debated about releasing our four pilgrims from their bleak corner but the order came from above that they must remain in position.
I am always guided by the old adage 'rules were made for the guidance of wise men and the observance of fools' so I walked across and released them so that they could get a ringside position, much to the chagrin of the military gent who was looking decidedly flushed and angry.

Taking off my yellow beret and sash I stuffed them into my yellow bag and told all present of my plans for desertion. Some stayed put and some followed and the military gent huffed and puffed and, in a bit of a strop, grabbed his yellow bag which turned upside down whereupon about 30 miniature bottles of gin fell out - ah, the flush was alcohol based, not anger!

The rest is history as they say. The hymns were abysmal (even though then I was then still a Nervous Disorder Catholic) and Pontcanna Fields never got more than a couple of hundred thousand people but, I had seen the Pope and attended his Mass.

Should the Church return Murdoch's donation?

Rewind to the Summer of 2010 and the Papal visit to Great Britain is looming up like an express train. So are the costs and there is a constant muttering about how the Church is going to pay for the visit.

Some souls, including the laity of Great Britain coughed up into the general fund and some very well heeled souls (soles?) made individual and handsome donations.

Rupert Murdoch was one. It is claimed that he donated £100,000 to the cause. Now the BBC thinks that it should be paid back according to the presenter of the 'Sunday' programme on Radio Four. In fact, she actually equated the Church's acceptance of Murdoch's money with the selling of indulgences...one might almost believe that the BBC is prejudiced against the Catholic Church! Heaven forfend such a notion.
Now I come to the support of the Bishop who was in the hotseat for this interrogation interview; none other than Bishop Kieran Conry - please make sure that you are seated at this stage....it is a rare occurence for me to support a Bishop (especially KC).

He took the view that the Church should not pay back any donation received from Murdoch and I totally agree with him. How can we possibly judge the interior of a soul who makes such a donation; if he/she is a good person, fine; if they are a 'bad' person, fine also.
There is no barrier to individual almsgiving; in fact, it is a partial means of redemption and to deny a person that opportunity would be quite wrong.
Also, as Bishop Conry said: "Well the money's been spent now"

End of argument.