Christians are now a ‘minority’ in Britain like persecuted Roman Catholics during the Reformation say top clerics
By John Bingham, Telegraph:
All practising Christians are now a “minority” in Britain like persecuted Roman Catholics during the Reformation, according to two of Britain’s most senior Anglican and Catholic clerics.
The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, and Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said the churches must set aside centuries of division and recognise they have a “common agenda” in a more secular age.
The two prelates were speaking at a unique event at Hampton Court Palace, which served as the backdrop to the tumultuous events of Henry VIII’s break with Rome.
In a step hailed as hailed as a landmark in reconciliation between Anglicanism the Catholicism, they joined in a service of vespers in the Chapel Royal.
The service, sung mainly in Latin, was the first Roman Catholic act of worship in Henry’s former chapel in more than 450 years.
The service, conceived as part of events to mark the Palace’s 500th anniversary, highlighted the chapel’s musical heritage spanning both Catholic and protestant reigns.
It comes at a time when the legacy of the Reformation is being re-examined as churches across Europe prepare to mark its half millennium.
Hampton Court’s Chapel Royal stages first Catholic service for 450 years
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