LETTERS


Requiem, not celebration Peter Stanford’s important reflection (25 June) on Fr Kit Cunningham is fair and strikes a deep chord with me. However, I cannot agree with the criticism over the holding of a memorial service. The requiem Mass was not an occasion of praise. I was puzzled that it was hard to confirm the time. The St Etheldreda’s website did not help, let alone trumpet the occa- sion. Few clergy and none of the hierarchy were present although the deceased had founded and edited the diocesan newspaper as well as being an effective spokesperson for the faith. The preacher reminded us that it was “not a celebration but a requiem” which seemed very strange considering the congregation was almost entirely Catholic. Like others, I left feel- ing that the occasion had been rather odd and had failed to reflect the years of inspired min- istry I had known. Now I understand why. Fr David Myers, Rosminian provincial superior, had been placed in a very difficult position. He never denied the now confirmed allega- tions.


Indeed, the police and church


safeguarding officials were informed. But a victim had firmly requested no publicity. There was never any reason to cancel a requiem Mass. Leigh Hatts London SE1


Peter Stanford wrote well and sincerely about the


revelations concerning Fr Kit


Cunningham’s apparent paedophile offences in Tanzania in the 1960s. While the BBC pro- gramme he described was compelling, and it is right that these scandals should be brought to light, I am concerned that it gave such a one-sided picture of Kit Cunningham’s char- acter. He was branded an “ogre” and a “monster”, without any voice to defend a dead man. I knew Kit Cunningham for over 30 years. He was unfailingly kind, responsible, cheer- ful and considerate of others. He had a real pastoral sensitivity for the homeless and marginalised. Yes, he had flaws, but I saw none associated with the orientation so distressingly described in Olenka Frenkiel’s documen- tary, Abused. He had contact with young members of my family, and with many other young people in London known to me. As far as I can ascertain, there was never any hint of paedophile or inappropriate conduct towards these children and young people. This is not


to deny or exonerate any


offences or sins that Kit Cunningham may have committed as a young man in Africa. It is not my place to do so. I write merely as a char- acter witness for a dead friend. He may have done something bad in his life, but he did many, many good things too, and in my view there was a lack of balance, in terms of judging a man’s whole life, in a television broadcast which purported to be definitive.


18 | THE TABLET | 2 July 2011


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the Church’s real mission. These days, they are remarkably acute in assessing what seem unnecessary administrative, personal or cos- metic bandwagons, and flatly refusing to have anything to do with them. Sue Oakley Hampshire


Fr Kit


Cunningham: ‘branded an “ogre” and a “monster” without any voice to defend a dead man’


I am minded to write a short book – with


a co-author – about the case of Fr Kit Cunningham, with a wider perspective on aspects of his life, and would be glad to hear from anyone who knew him. Mary Kenny London SW1


High-pressure fund-raising “Rich pickings?” is an apt title to apply to the new Community Counselling Services (CCS), an American fund-raising organisation which appears to my jaundiced eye to have little to do with either “community” or “counselling” (Notebook, 25 June). Last year, I was approached by letter and


twice by telephone requesting a home visit, which I refused. The letter asked me to pledge a large sum of money for a period of five years to pay for various cosmetic parish ventures (25 per cent), such as beautifying the church grounds and widening the sanctuary. The other 75 per cent was to go to the diocese for the training of student priests in seminaries, the training of catechists and other church workers; as well as a number of other vaguely defined projects. Nowhere did it mention what so many give


money for – to aid our brothers and sisters at home and abroad who suffer so terribly in so many ways: the destitute, disabled, home- less, marginalised, hungry and oppressed. What happened to the emphasis on the “preferen- tial option for the poor” so dear to the Church’s mission? More than a few priests actually disagreed


with the whole idea, knowing full well that in these times of economic austerity, asking the faithful to pledge relatively large sums would be the last straw for some families. Archbishop Nichols should consult ordinary Catholics, not just “priests, deacons and lay leaders”, before submitting them to another insensitive and authoritarian American prac- tice which to my eyes is indistinguishable from coercion. People willingly support realistic, credible ventures which they see as in line with


Catholic chaplains in prisons The traditional post of the principal Roman Catholic chaplain (PRCC), which I held, was removed by the National Offender Management Service (Noms) (News from Britain and Ireland, 25 June). This followed a decision by Noms to end joint discussions with representatives of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, which sought to clarify the role of the PRCC. I was told that an entirely new generic management post was to be created, which would have a minimal Catholic faith component. Following guidance from my bishop, I did not seek this new post. I was asked by the bishop to become the Catholic Bishops’ Prisons Adviser, outside the employ of Noms. I was directed by Noms, along with many other employees, to proceed within an early-depar- ture scheme, designed to reduce staff numbers. (Mgr) Malachy Keegan Catholic Bishops’ Prisons Adviser, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales


Anxiety discounted As some parishes now become subject to an enthusiastic messaging as to the “beauty”, and “formality” of the new rite, spare a thought for those who live much of their lives close to anguish, often at the outer realms of human experience, as they face mental ill health. Little noticed by many clergy, the simple


prayer “Protect us from all anxiety” has become not only a whispered hope in the face of such tough times but also the title of numer- ous books of consolation. In the new translation, the consoling


“Protect us from all anxiety” has been trans- formed into the blander “ … [by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and] safe from all distress”. “Distress” is closer to “worry” than either is to “anxiety”. In doing so, the Roman Curia has ensured that our worship will not only be more sterile but also less pastoral to those so in need of the Mass. Francis Davis Southampton


Psychotherapy and sexual abuse It may be a disappointment to Dr Pravin Thevathasan (News from Britain and Ireland, 4 June) to hear that approaches to psychol- ogy and psychotherapy originating in and influenced by the work of Carl Rogers are not going down the drain and show no sign of doing so in the foreseeable future. Psychiatrists often refer approvingly to


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