In his homily for the Campion Day Mass, the archbishop touched on the difficult history of martyrdom throughout the Reformation period in England. That history, he suggested, can be an invitation to closer sharing between the Catholic and Protestant traditions, a challenge to engage in receptive ecumenism that can enables us to, “receive what is celebrated and treasured by other Christians to make up for what may be lacking in the expression of our own Church’s faith. The witness and prayers of the martyrs can bring us together to face and seek to alleviate the equally complex reality of contemporary suffering in our world.”
Conversations afterwards touched on the unique place of Campion Hall as a member of the network of Jesuit universities worldwide, being a collegial presence within one of the world’s great universities. The archbishop, a graduate of the University of Oxford, noted Campion Hall’s particular contribution to the Catholic church in England, with both scholarship and the Hall’s wonderful art collection, conveying something of a vibrant faith that engages with the major issues of our time.
Nick Austin SJ, Master of Campion Hall, said, “I’m really grateful for the archbishop’s visit. Our shared celebration of the feast of St Edmund Campion has given us a deeper sense of the significance of Campion Hall’s community of fellows and students which is drawn from many faith traditions, living and working together to seek solutions to real-world challenges of the climate crisis, social justice, and application of ethics throughout social structures.”
Archbishop Bernard Longley's full homily is available here.
