Pope Benedict XVI is presides over Holy Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Precious
Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Westminster. Monsignor Philip Whitmore used to
work as a kind of " liturgical impresario " for Westminster Cathedral , the Mother
Church of England and Wales, as he tells Veronica Scarisbrick :
"..John
Francis Bentley, the architect wanted to produce a very distinctive building ..he
was encouraged to explore the Byzantine style ... certainly it does establish roots
with the very beginnings of Christianity, the first millennium .."
"..the
Catholic community... does tend to look at the Cathedral in the centre of London ..
as a kind of a national church ..and it's true that a great many events take place
there ....a great many national celebrations .."
"..the Cathedral opened in
1903..and the first London performance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius took place in
the Cathedral the same year ... the text of course by Cardinal Newman .." Listen
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