THE
P RTAL
September 2017
Page 3
P ortal Comment
Will Burton’s monthly round-up
Meeting of the Ordinaries
A
s I write, the three Ordinaries are meeting
in Australia. Bishop Steve Lopes, Mgr Harry
Entwistle and our Ordinary, Mgr Keith Newton, are
in conference. Apart from it being a pleasant thing to
go to Australia and meet colleagues, what will they
discuss? Ecumenism? Evangelisation? Buildings?
Liturgy?
We hope that on his return Mgr Keith Newton will
write a report on these discussions for the October
edition of T he P ortal .
North Korea
I
Catholics must continue to pray for peace. We have
to offer prayers for those countries involved, for their
leaders, for their people. We must offer mass for the
peace of the whole region.
Christian Unity
I
n this issue of T he P ortal we have an interview
with George and Sheila Campbell. Sheila’s family
has been heavily involved in the quest for unity
between the CofE and the Catholic Church. In a
future issue of T he P ortal , we have a review of a
new book on the subject by Mark Vickers “Reunion
Revised” published by Gracewing.
am old enough to remember the Cuban crisis
of October 1962. The sense of foreboding, the
knowledge that the world was heading for a serious
crisis, if not already in one, was the talking point.
We felt that nuclear war was imminent. One country
would fire off a nuclear weapon and the other would
respond in like manner. The whole world would be
engulfed in the conflict. This is an important subject for all in the
Ordinariate, for if we are about anything, we must
be about the reunion of Christians with the Holy
See. The Ordinariates are the only fruit of all the
ecumenical effort between the CofE and the Catholic
Church. As such, we really ought to show the way.
Despite what others may say, we are unity.
The war of words and actions, short of open
warfare, between the U.S.A. and North Korea is a
worry. If not of the intensity of 1962, the fear is that
it could escalate to that level. The recent firing of a
North Korean missile over Japanese territory turns
up the heat. Does North Korea really want a nuclear
conflict? Is the U.S.A. really going to resort to a
military solution? Would that be a solution, or would
it create more conflict? Probably the latter. Annual Festival
President Trump has certainly stepped up the war
of words and threats. China, and Russia, are also
involved. Does China have sufficient influence to
temper North Korea’s actions? If she does, there has
been no sign of it as yet. South Korea has sought
to play down the whole crisis. The words coming
from South Korea are perhaps the voice of reason.
Japan must be worried at the turn of recent events.
North Korea appears to be deaf to all these. Even the
UN has been unable to temper the North Korean
government.
What can we do? The UK government stands with
those calling for peace and also for North Korea to
pull back.
The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
Friday 22 nd September 2017
7.30pm
Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory
Warwick Street, London W1B 5LZ
Saturday 23 rd September 2017
from 10.30am to 4pm
Westminster City School
12.30pm
Mass in Westminster Cathedral
2 course lunch - £12 Pre-Booked
For menu and to book lunch contact:
Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham,
24 Golden Square, London W1F 9JR
or telephone 0121 241 9830
www.ordinariate.org.uk