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Cardinal calls on Catholics to be brave
The Archbishop of Westminster has urged Roman Catholics to remain "brave and courageous" in professing the faith as he prepared to step down from his post as leader of Catholics in England and Wales.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said it was difficult for people to hear and experience the presence of God in a "very secular" society.
He added: "Yet everywhere I go – and I meet people who are not necessarily fellow-Catholic or Christian – they often want to talk to me about the meaning of their life, the hopes they have for themselves and their children.
"Our message, which is the message of Good News for the poor, a message of hope and meaning for everyone, is so important that we should understand that each one of us has to be brave, courageous, in the profession of our faith."
The Cardinal's remarks were made in a pastoral letter to Catholics in the Westminster Archdiocese – covering north London and parts of Hertfordshire – where he has begun a series of "farewell" Masses.
He was made Archbishop of Westminster and leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales in 2000 and elevated to the position of Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
He had previously served as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton for 22 years.
In his pastoral letter the Cardinal, 76, said his nine years as Archbishop of Westminster had been "very eventful and fulfilling ones".
The Cardinal will be the first Archbishop of Westminster to retire in post since the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in the 19th century.
The Vatican is expected to make a decision within the next fortnight on who will replace him. A series of names within the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales have been the focus of speculation as possible successors alongside other clerics currently based abroad.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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