CNA Staff, Apr 23, 2020 / 14:00 pm
English Catholics must avoid "any sense of self-pity" over church closures, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said at a Mass honoring workers in hospitals and care homes.
Speaking via livestream from an empty Westminster Cathedral in London April 23, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who is Archbishop of Westminster and head of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, paid tribute to the "quiet heroes" on the front line of the coronavirus crisis.
"For most of us, our part in this effort is so different," the cardinal said. "Yes, deprivations are placed on us, including not being able, as yet, to return to our churches and sacraments, a deprivation we feel very deeply indeed. Yet we beware of any sense of self-pity as we play our part in these life-saving disciplines."
The cardinal told Catholics watching online that "In all of this we are comforted by the unwavering presence of our Blessed Lord."