Weekly Record

2nd March 2008

The tremors that took place during the early hours of Wednesday morning sent me into inspection overdrive this week and I have been looking into every nook and cranny to see if cracks have appeared or damage caused. The Cathedral, in line with the Gospel advice, is built on rock. I’m not sure that changes in geological fault lines, which the papers stated was the cause, is playing by the rules. Anyway there doesn’t seem to be any damage as a result.

In preparation for a talk this week I was trying to find any famous quotations regarding culture and the only reference I could find was ‘When I hear the word culture I reach for my pistol’ which was not quite what I was looking for but probably how some may be feeling at certain times this year. Having been the host venue for the very moving premiere of John Taverner’s Requiem this week, we welcome 14 Further Education College Choirs for a choral event and concert next Saturday. This has been arranged and co-ordinated by Liverpool Hope University and the Concert will be performed, after a full day of rehearsals in the Cathedral, at 7.30pm with individual choir pieces and, I hope, one or two combined items.

We extend our best wishes to all our readers who are Mothers for ‘Mothers Day’ this Sunday. Archbishop Kelly will preside at the Solemn Mass for 4th Sunday of Lent and Mothers Day. The Archbishop has encouraged parishes to make people aware of the forthcoming ‘Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill’. This new Bill is a proposal for a new law on infertility treatment and experimentation on human embryos.

Some key concerns about this are firstly that it will allow experimentation with admix embryos which could be a human and animal mix. Secondly, it proposes removal of the need for the reference to a father regarding infertility treatments and does not recognise the natural right of a child to a mother and father. The Church is supportive of medical research and accepts that adult stem cell research is both ethical and effective. However embryonic stem cell research involves the destruction of embryos and is at odds with the Church’s teaching on respect for and the dignity of human life. There are leaflets at the back of the Cathedral and Crypt giving more information regarding this. The Bishops are urging us, as people of faith, to take an interest in this and to make our concerns known to those who represent us in Parliament. The Government may wish to try and speed this through using its large majority in Parliament and individual MPs may not be able to vote according to their conscience so it is important that this is seen as an issue of concern by a considerable proportion of the electorate so that this does not happen.

The Holy Week and Easter timetables have all been printed and information sent out and advertised as wisely as possible. A great deal of time and preparation goes into the planning of all these important services and so many of you are involved in them in different ways. We pray over the next two weeks that we will draw strength and be renewed by these days when we recall the Lords Suffering ,Death and Resurrection.

Canon Anthony O'Brien
Cathedral Dean