5 APRIL 2008, Page 24

Life and death issue

Sir: May I be allowed a single comment on the gracious article concerning myself (‘A holy man tipped to lead the nation’s Catholics’, 22 March)? Towards its end, in response to a question as to whether I would ever leave my monastery, I am credited with the words: ‘Yes, I think it is time to leave. I can’t stay there forever...’ I find no trace of these words in the recording I made of the interview. Certainly they do not express my mind. As a Benedictine with a vow of stability, I cherish the intention of living and dying in my own community, and have my heart firmly set on the plot in our cemetery which awaits me. For a monk, this is not a minor matter.

Dom Hugh Gilbert, OSB

Pluscarden Abbey, Moray