Westminister Abbey and The Benedictine Connection...
One of the events that stands out during Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to Britain
is the celebration of Evening Prayer in Westminster Abbey on Friday 17th
September. Westminster Abbey was a royal church from its very beginnings over a thousand
years ago, and it has long ceased to be a monastery, but Benedictine influences are
strong, not just in the continued tradition of daily prayer but also in the commitment
to hospitality. That’s why Benedictine Abbot Timothy Wright, former Abbot of Ampleforth
Abbey and College, and currently the titular Abbot of Westminster Abbey, will be present
to celebrate Evening Prayer with the Pope. Linda Bordoni asked him to explain the
history of the Benedictine presence in Westminster Abbey and what it means to be titular
Abbot there… 
“The Benedictine tradition in England goes back a very long way, even to the voyage of Augustin, sent from Rome, in 597…”
“ … they made their way, eventually, to Ampleforth in Yorkshire England, and there they settled and formed the community of St. Lawrence of Ampleforth, which claims the direct descent from that act of Sigebert Bukley at the beginning of the 17th century. So Ampleforth has – and this is recognized in its coat of arms which is a Medieval Westminster coat of arms - and a former Ampleforth Abbot may be invited to take on the titular tile of Abbot of Westmninster…”
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