The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Monsignor Graham Leonard, who died on January 6 aged 88, was the most senior Anglican churchman to convert to the Roman Catholic Church since the Reformation.
During 10 years as Bishop of London, the third most senior see in the Church of England, he proved a controversial figure because of his strong conservative views on most aspects of faith, morals and Church order at a time when there were proposals for many changes in all Churches.
With considerable skill in the realm of Church politics, he also led an effective assault in the House of Lords on the 1988 Education Reform Bill, which secured the strengthening of the place of religious education in schools. He checked plans to unite the Church of England and the Methodists, and ensured that the formal ban on divorced people being remarried in church was maintained.
It has been fascinating comparing the obituaries in the Telegraph here and in the (London) Times. They could almost be describing different people. The Telegraph says that he was always uneasy about ordaining women deacons; the Times says that he did so happily. The Telegraph says that he had a negligible impact on the capital; the Times says he made some exciting appointments. I think, though, that the Telegraph has it right when it says that he could be a forbidding presence. He rarely seemed to smile. He was certainly hard working. I can recall a vicar friend describing Graham driving away from a confirmation, and the lights going on in the car immediately and documents coming out of his briefcase so that he could work on the papers while the chauffeur drove.
I was rather critical of him 30 years ago. I failed to discern that there was a gritty integrity about him which gave a much-needed touch of steel to the Church of England. I could never have imagined circa 1979 that he and I would end up RC priests. Time changes us all. I think he gave of his best, and what more can be asked of us than that? May he rest in peace.
I thought this from the Times Obituary was rather interesting:
[blockquote]Some of his closest friends were perplexed by the Tulsa Affair in 1988. A priest in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who claimed that the American Episcopal Church had ejected him because of his traditional theology, asked Leonard for episcopal care. Leonard’s response was negative at first, but within a year he was convinced that there had been an injustice.
Since the congregation had been dismissed from the Episcopal Church, Leonard thought he was free to act. He met the Bishop of Oklahoma, who thought otherwise. Leonard proposed to go to Tulsa and confirm some candidates who had been prepared for that sacrament. The Archbishop of Canterbury showed distress, but gave no decision. Leonard conducted the confirmation. Nothing further happened; but the essential fragility of Anglican unity had shown itself.[/blockquote]
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6978190.ece
Long before our incumbent Archbishop became so po-faced about border-crossing to rescue the persecuted.
I had personal contact with Graham Leonard both when he was bishop of Truro and worked as Anglican liason for the Oriental Churchs (Copts, etc.), and later when he was bishop of London. I always found him approachable, pastoral and blessed with a sense of humor that doesn’t seem to have registered with others. It was definitely there.