Monday 17 September 2012

And yet more bones

I gather that there is a proposal that the body of someone who was a practising Roman Catholic all his life, and certainly at the time of his death, has been exhumed (rather publicly and without prayers) and will be denied reburial by those of his own communion, but is to be buried in Leicester according to the rites of a communion that did not even exist in his lifetime.

This will not, of course, prevent his co-religionists praying for his soul and offering Mass for him. After all, if he were a Roman Catholic today dying in the Diocese of Liverpool, he might very well have a layman (or woman) conducting his funeral, and a priest saying Mass for him at another time.

6 comments:

Conchúr said...

The final Tudor insult.

DanG said...

Hopefully he no longer needs our prayers but is already in paradise with the Lord. It is for those dying at the moment and indeed when the time comes for my own funeral that is of concern. A relation, who was CofE died last year and many years ago she had said to me that she knew she would get a CofE funeral as I knew the local vicar. Imagine my horror at her cremation to find that the ‘service’ was conducted by a council worker who had been on a course. Her so-called ‘Catholic’ children had arranged it.
A few months later her husband died, he had not been a practising Catholic but asked for a priest and received the last rites before he died. I was later told that he would also be cremated and there would be the same sort of service. I have always kept my views to myself but this time I went ballistic. A priest was got to conduct the cremation service, at which were played a couple of chart hits from the sixties and the usual rubbish about his life was read out. I did not attend but saw the printed order of service and told his relations that it was more a protestant celebration of his life to make them feel good but what about prayers for his eternal soul. My concerns were mentioned to the priest who said that I was wrong. I later found out that the priest was not from my relation’s parish. When my mother died 10 years ago I was told we could not have the Requiem Mass at the church we wanted as it was not her parish, and this was also confirmed when I spoke to the bishop about another matter. The same thing had been said 40 years earlier when her mother died.
Now we hear of what the Archbishop of Liverpool is doing. So much has changed it hardly seems to be the same Church I was baptised into in the 40’s.

bob said...

the new religion of Trent was unknown to Richard III.

Pastor in Monte said...

Youre suggesting, Bob, that he would find the doctrines and Liturgy of the C of E more familiar?

Aged parent said...

The "new religion of Trent"? That's a new one.

And here I thought I had heard everything.

Pastor in Monte said...

And, of course, he has already had a proper funeral, no doubt.
Though if one were to have a celebration in the Roman Communion according to English rites, presumably the clergy of the Ordinariate would be the best ones to provide it.