Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has intervened in the Brexit debate, saying he hopes Britain will stay in the European Union.
In an article for the Spectator, the cardinal said: “I wish Britain to remain a part of the European community and cooperate … to build a union that is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, who was Archbishop of Westminster from 2000 to 2009, argued that although the EU needed reforming, Brexit would “make renewal even more difficult”.
The cardinal said the debate had overlooked “the more profound issues of our time” and had been overly dominated by economic concerns. He said EU supporters “need to show that the challenges facing the UK and our European partners are better faced together than apart, and they need to explain why this is the case.”
Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor’s endorsement of Remain comes after his successor Cardinal Vincent Nichols said a vote to leave would “create more complex problems”.
In the Spectator article, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor said the Church had “always encouraged relationships between nations that draw them together rather than divide them”. He said working in Rome and with European bishops gave him a sense of “how [Europeans] feel about the need for wider European unity”.
Catholic schools won’t have to be academies
Last week’s Government U-turn over all schools being forced to become academies by 2022 means that Catholic schools may now choose whether to become academies. More than 400 of the 2,300 Catholic schools are already academies.
Southwark bishop’s resignation accepted
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop John Hine of Southwark, 77, two years after the bishop submitted it.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.