The idea that the Bishops of England and Wales ‘welcome’ any views that don’t coincide with theirs is laughable. I wouldn’t dream of calling a Prince of the Church a control freak, but if Nichols were a politician – a painfully on-message Labour junior minister from Merseyside, say – the cap would fit.

The Cardinal refers to ‘channels of communication’ that, in reality, are either blocked or permit only one-way traffic.

Here are some thoughts that spring to mind:ġ. This is an unwise – but entirely characteristic – move by Cardinal Nichols. Inside the clash between Boris and Charles This dialogue, between a priest and his bishop, is not best conducted through the press.’ Pope Francis has asked for a period of spiritual discernment. ‘The pastoral experience and concern of all priests in these matters are of great importance and are welcomed by the Bishops. It is my understanding that this has been taken up in every diocese, and that channels of communication have been established,’ the statement said. ‘Every priest in England and Wales has been asked to reflect on the Synod discussion. In a statement, a spokesman for Cardinal Nichols said that the press was not the medium for conducting dialogue of this sort. In the letter, signed by almost 500 priests and published in this week’s Catholic Herald, they write: ‘We wish, as Catholic priests, to re-state our unwavering fidelity to the traditional doctrines regarding marriage and the true meaning of human sexuality, founded on the Word of God and taught by the Church’s Magisterium for two millennia.’ Priests should not conduct a debate about the October Family Synod through the press, Cardinal Nichols has said, following the publication of a letter signed by hundreds of priests, urging the synod to issue a ‘clear and firm proclamation’ upholding Church teaching on marriage. This is a significant blunder by the Cardinal that exposes both the inflexibility of his leadership style and – certainly in the case of some of the priests – lack of confidence in his stewardship of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Cardinal Vincent Nichols has slapped down nearly 500 priests who signed a letter to the Catholic Herald expressing concern about the Synod on the Family this October, which is to debate sensitive questions of sexual morality.

Fathers by Andre J.D. Gerard