Mass of Thanksgiving in Leeds Cathedral for Cardinal Arthur Roche

Cardinal Nichols and Cardinal Roche Leeds Cathedral | CBCEW

It was a tale of two English cardinals – one giving thanks for the other. The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster welcoming ‘home’ the Yorkshire-born Cardinal Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

The first day of the Bishops’ plenary meeting in Leeds ended with a Mass of Thanksgiving in Leeds Cathedral for Cardinal Arthur Roche.

Welcomed by his predecessor, Bishop Marcus Stock, Cardinal Roche was one of 20 men created cardinal by Pope Francis in St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, 27 August 2022.

A former Bishop of Leeds, Cardinal Roche was able to celebrate with the faithful of the Diocese of Leeds as well as his brother bishops and invited dignitaries.

In his homily, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference, defined the mission and ministry of a cardinal:

“In your service to the Holy See you are a great support and strength for Pope Francis. And this is precisely the role of a Cardinal of the Catholic Church… we act as companions, supporters, advisors, servants of the Bishop of Rome, encircling him just as a College of Consulters, or a Bishop’s Council, encircle and give support to their Father in God, the bishop of their diocese.”

Cardinal Nichols drew on the bravery and sacrifice of another Yorkshireman, his Beverley-born martyred predecessor St John Fisher:

“The Cardinal wears scarlet. It is the colour of blood. It is a sign of his readiness of heart to shed his blood for the Lord, for his truth. One of the Cardinals who actually did so is one of our distinguished predecessors, St John Fisher, of whom, it is said, King Henry VIII proclaimed that while the Pope may give him a Cardinal’s hat, he, the King, would make sure he had no head on which to wear it. This is a consecration in blood to which our consecration in baptism directs us, the gift of our life-force in service of the one Master and of the truth of his word.”

Keeping an “intimacy with a loving Lord” in his heart and mind is key to ‘survival’ for cardinals, says Cardinal Nichols:

“Being a Cardinal brings unique opportunities in the work of our mission, for the position of Cardinal still opens doors and raises expectations. With that comes sharp responsibility, for the Cardinal, as one of the highest points of the landscape, immediately attracts the lightning bolts of sarcasm and hypocrisy. The Cardinal, if he is to survive, needs good foundations in Christ, and strong lightning conductors!”

Cardinal Nichols concluded by praying for the new cardinal:

“This evening, then, let us pray earnestly for our new Cardinal. We pray that in his service of Pope Francis he will enhance the unity of the Church, for the Pope, our Holy Father, is the key sign and instrument of unity in this house of God.

“We pray that in his consecration, our new Cardinal will be faithful in every circumstance, embracing that unbloody daily martyrdom, or witness, to which he, and all of us, are called, as we seek to proclaim the Gospel and live by its commands. And we pray that he will be bold in his being sent out, across the whole world, to bring not his own message but always the message of our loving, compassionate and merciful Father.”

Full Homily

Leeds Cathedral, Monday 14 November 2022

One of the ironies of life is that after a long wait for a bus, on a rainy night, not one comes along, but two! Well, cardinals, it seems, are a bit similar. In fact, there could easily have been three, but Cardinal Fitzgerald had a previous engagement and so could not be here to complete a very rare English hat-trick.

What a lovely evening this is: to welcome home His Eminence Arthur Cardinal Roche, back in his home diocese to celebrate with us. Cardinal Arthur, we are so proud of you and pleased for you that this honour has been given to you by our beloved Pope Francis. In your service to the Holy See you are a great support and strength for him. And this is precisely the role of a Cardinal of the Catholic Church.

Yes, this is the first meaning of being a Cardinal: we act as companions, supporters, advisors, servants of the Bishop of Rome, encircling him just as a College of Consulters, or a Bishop’s Council, encircle and give support to their Father in God, the bishop of their diocese.

Of course, Pope Francis is the pastor of the whole Catholic Church and he likes to gather around him a College of Cardinals which reflects the true scope of his ministry. Perhaps that is why having already chosen for his College a red rose, it became necessary to complement that with the presence of a white rose too!

But the scripture readings we have heard this evening are far more instructive than these musings.

The Gospel passage speaks directly of the deepest gift given to us as the Church, the Body of Christ. It is the gift of unity, the gift of being of one mind and heart in Christ. And in Him, bound together into the wonderful wholeness of the life of God.

So much of our daily experience is marked by division, suppressed hostility, and broken promises. Yet our hearts yearn for harmony and unity, in family and community, across borders and nationhood, for a realisation of the hopes we share, yet which seem so elusive. It is the gift of our loving Father, the gift for which Jesus prays, with sweat, blood and tears, that ‘they may be one like us!’ And the Church is a chosen instrument of God to be a sign, a sacrament of that unity. That is our mission. That is the mission in which we so often, and miserably, fail. Thus we constantly ask for our Father’s mercy, allow him to pick us up, that we may start again each day.

The prayer of Jesus also tells us that we must strive, above all, for fidelity. ‘Keep them true to your name so that they may be one.’ It is not success that we must seek, nor esteem, nor power and influence. No. We are to be faithful, in service, in word, in intention, faithful to him who alone can lead us home.

Then come two key words, two words in the prayer of Jesus that shape the life of every disciple: consecrate them; send them. Consecrate and send.

These truths apply to every disciple. But perhaps at this point we may focus on those disciples who are chosen to be Cardinals.

The Cardinal wears scarlet. It is the colour of blood. It is a sign of his readiness of heart to shed his blood for the Lord, for his truth. One of the Cardinals who actually did so is one of our distinguished predecessors, St John Fisher, of whom, it is said, King Henry proclaimed that while the Pope may give him a Cardinal’s hat, he, the King, would make sure he had no head on which to wear it. This is a consecration in blood to which our consecration in baptism directs us, the gift of our life-force in service of the one Master and of the truth of his word.

In the strength of this consecration, sealed in the blood of Christ we receive so often in the Eucharist, we come to the second truth: that we are sent, sent out on mission. In this his final and most solemn prayer, Jesus prays to his Father in these words: ‘As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them’ and then ‘I pray not only for these but also for those who through their teaching will come to believe in me.’

The mission we receive is the same mission that Jesus received from his Father, a mission which he accomplished in its fulness. In fulfilling our mission, then, we look to Jesus, learning from him how we are to go about our task. And in doing so, we see above all else that Jesus was obedient to the will and way of his Father.

Here the first reading we heard this evening is so instructive. What is the way in which the Father reaches out to us his children? Is this not the way also of Jesus? This, then, is surely the way we too must take. Listen again.

‘I will speak to her heart’, ‘I will lead her to the desert’. ‘I shall betroth her to myself, in uprightness and justice, in faithful love and tenderness.’

Here is our blueprint: to speak to the heart; to begin, always, by seeing the goodness in those we with meet and wish to engage. Our invitation is to an intimacy with a loving Lord. Having eyes only for the failings of others, or of our society, coupled with aggressive condemnations or confrontations, rarely serve that purpose. Rather we need to remember that the Lord presented his most challenging commands to who were already walking with him, or who were seeking to do so. The pathway of proclamation which we are to take, the one chosen by our Saviour, is the way of mercy, of compassion and of sacrificial love.

Being a Cardinal brings unique opportunities in the work of our mission, for the position of Cardinal still opens doors and raises expectations. With that comes sharp responsibility, for the Cardinal, as one of the highest points of the landscape, immediately attracts the lightning bolts of sarcasm and hypocrisy. The Cardinal, if he is to survive, needs good foundations in Christ, and strong lightning conductors!

This evening, then, let us pray earnestly for our new Cardinal. We pray that in his service of Pope Francis he will enhance the unity of the Church, for the Pope, our Holy Father, is the key sign and instrument of unity in this house of God. We pray that in his consecration, our new Cardinal will be faithful in every circumstance, embracing that unbloody daily martyrdom, or witness, to which he, and all of us, are called, as we seek to proclaim the Gospel and live by its commands. And we pray that he will be bold in his being sent out, across the whole world, to bring not his own message but always the message of our loving, compassionate and merciful Father.

Your Eminence, we salute you. We give you our love and we assure you of our prayers, today and always.

Amen.