See of Westminster
Sir: I welcome the appointment of Abbot Basil Hume as Archbishop of Westminster.
I feel, however, that the writer of your 'Notebook' has been less than fair in describing the late Cardinal Heenan as a little too worldly. This is a view which I might Well have held when Cardinal Heenan was originally appointed to the see of Westminster, at a time when I had never met him.
During the last eighteen months of the late Cardinal's life I came to know him well. In particular, I saw the infinite care and Concern which he showed towards the rehabilitation of one individual member of his flock of five million people.
Through this episode, I became aware of the wonderful pastoral qualities of Cardinal Heenan and also of the great simplicity of his personal life. He radiated an aura of holiness at a time when his health was failing, which became more apparent, month by month, as he approached death.
Humphry Berkeley Three Pages Yard, Chiswick, London W4
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