In a surprising departure from protocol, the Queen has sent the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official of the Royal Household, to see Archbishop Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, to discuss Pope Benedict XVI’s offer to Anglicans wanting to convert to Rome en masse.
My source says Her Majesty ”“ who is expected to meet the Pope when he visits Britain this autumn ”“ was “unhappy” about aspects of the scheme as she understood it. So, late last year, she dispatched Lord Peel with a list of questions for the Archbishop. The nature of the questions has not been revealed, but Archbishop’s House confirms that the meeting took place and was “mutually beneficial”.
The Queen ”“ a somewhat “Low Church” Anglican who feels it is her solemn duty to preserve the Protestant identity of the Church of England ”“ appears to have been alarmed by press reports of Pope Benedict’s Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus.
“My source was surprised that the Queen should ask one of her courtiers … to quiz Archbishop Nichols on the subject. The source felt that the meeting – thought to have been held in November at Archbishop’s House, Westminster – could be seen as a breach of protocol: one would expect the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, to represent the Church’s Supreme Governor in such a discussion.”
Which invites the obvious retort – if the Queen is not convinced that the ABC will be straight with her, then she is hardly going to go through him, is she? I wouldn’t trust +++Williams either, if I was in her shoes.
Her Maj always moves slowly and carefully – one of the reasons she is still queen after 58 years. But I hope she sticks it to ABC even more, maybe invite all the Primates for a chat or something…
And no, O “source”, there is nothing to stop the Queen talking to whomever she wants to, by whatever means she wants to. So ABC can just take this one on the chin…
It seems the Queen, as with many Anglicans, is more disturbed by Anglicans entering communion with Rome than with Anglicans abandoning the ancient teachings of Christ. God save her, indeed.