Solemn Vespers of the Dead for Pope John Paul II

I wrote the following to friends & colleagues on 4 April 2005:

Dear all

I have just returned from Westminster Cathedral, where I represented the National Assembly at the Solemn Vespers of the Dead for Pope John Paul II.

The service was conducted by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor. In attendance were HRH The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Prime Minister and Mrs Blair, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Foreign Secretary and the Speaker of the House of Commons, in addition to other members of the government and leading members of the opposition parties.

There were dignitaries from other Churches (including the Archbishop of Canterbury) and from non-Christian faiths, by invitation of the Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales. The ecumenical and interfaith guests were asked to process into the Cathedral from the Sacristy. I found myself in the front row, sandwiched between Rabbi Tony Bayield and Mr Om Prakash Sharma, President of the National Council of Hindu Temples.

A dignified service, a good bit of it in Latin, with beautiful music, plus candles, clouds of incense and a great deal of bowing.

Love
–Barney