It’s always nice to be asked to a party – especially when it’s in the grand surroundings of the mother of parliaments, when I get to rub shoulders for an evening with the great and the good of the Catholic world in London and further afield. Lord Brennan was our host, the invitation proclaimed, and on the evening of 6 March I was to present myself at Black Rod’s Garden Entrance at the Palace of Westminster to be frisked and admitted.
The evening was a celebration of the work of Sir Edward Leigh as president of the Catholic Union. Cardinal Nichols was there, and so was the papal nuncio, Archbishop Buendía. Among the crowd I spotted all sorts of bigwigs: Baroness Hollins, the distinguished psychiatrist who’s taken over from Sir Edward as president of the Catholic Union, Mary Glindon MP (a Catholic Union vice-president), and Baroness O’Loan.
Add to them Jacob Rees-Mogg and Iain Duncan Smith, both now knights of the shires, and it was quite the line-up; Fr Christopher Colven, the new Catholic chaplain to Parliament, was there as well. The Herald presence was strong. William Cash and Serenhedd James led the assault on the canapés, while a bevy of contributors included Joanna Bogle, John Pontifex, James Somerville-Meikle and Andrew Cusack.
The Home Room, in which we were gathered, has a stunning view over the River Thames; many of the guests had come on from Mass celebrated by Cardinal Nichols in the chapel of St Mary Undercroft. Of course there were speeches, but they were all pleasingly short and to the point. Lord Brennan welcomed his guests and paid tribute to Sir Edward, before passing the baton to Lord Alton of Liverpool.
“Sir Edward’s steadfastness to his Catholic faith in the public sphere has marked him out as one of the finest parliamentarians of his generation,” Lord Alton said. Since 1982, when Mass was celebrated in Parliament for the first time since the Reformation – to coincide with Pope John Paul II’s visit to the UK – Sir Edward has led other Catholic members of parliament in ensuring its weekly continuance.
“If ever Catholic MPs and peers have a problem,” he went on, then Sir Edward is often the person they turn to for help.” He chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Holy See for many years, which was set up to support the UK’s diplomatic mission to the Vatican, and has led UK delegations of MPs and peers on official visits to Rome. It all sounds like rather good fun, but I’m sure there are ear nest meetings as well.
There was a huge cheer when it was reiterated that Sir Edward intends to stand for Parliament again at the forthcoming general election, especially when other less hardy members seem to be intent on quitting in their droves.
“We have been blessed to have him as our president,” Lord Alton concluded. “His vision and determination have helped revitalise the Catholic Union and make it the beating heart of lay Catholic par ticipation in public life once again.”
Richard Collyer-Hamlin, who chairs the Catholic Union, thanked Sir Edward on its behalf and made a presentation. Then things got rather exciting, as Archbishop Buendía presented Sir Edward and Lady Leigh with a letter of greeting f rom Pope Francis and His Holiness’s apostolic benediction. In his closing remarks, Cardinal Nichols, who has known Sir Edward for many years, called him “a loveable rascal” and a man of great integrity.
Responding to the tributes, Sir Edward noted that sometimes it feels that Catholics in public life are fighting a losing battle. “We are often swimming against the tide but we do our best and we keep trying. Our religion can be difficult, but it is also life-affirming – especially in defending the rights of the unborn child and the rights of the elderly and vulnerable. Our faith is strong; we carry on, and we keep fighting.” Amen to that!
<strong><strong>This article originally appeared in the April 2024 issue of the <em>Catholic Herald</em>. To subscribe to our award-winning, thought-provoking magazine and have independent and high-calibre counter-cultural Catholic journalism delivered to your door anywhere in the world click</strong> <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/subscribe/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">here</mark></a>.</strong>
