Apostasy in the Royal Family

Action: prayers, please.

From CFNews: Your prayers, please, for Autumn Kelly, 29, who according to news reports has decided to apostatise in order that after her May 17th marriage to the Queen's eldest grandson, Peter Phillips, he will not have to surrender his place in succession to the Throne under the Act of Settlement of 1701. This sad news comes within a week of the forthcoming Feast of the Martyrs of England and Wales.

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Gummer: "I happen to disagree with my Church."

Background briefing: John Gummer MP, a fairly recent convert to Catholicism, most famous for trying to demonstrate the safety of British beef by feeding his small daughter a burger in front of the press corps while Minister for Agriculture, recently wrote a feature article in the Catholic Herald about how he would propose in Parliament the abolition of a collection of obscure and archaic restrictions on Catholics, such as the Act of Succession requiring members of the Royal Family to renounce their claim to the throne should they marry a Catholic (as Nicholas Windsor recently did). In the context of the SORs crisis this stunt seemed to us irrelevant to the point of absurdity. However, Gummer took the opportunity of his '10 minute rule bill' to declare his dissent from Catholic teaching on homosexuality.

Thanks, John, glad to know you're on our side!

Hat-tip to Hermeneutic of Continuity.

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Royal wedding at the Vatican

Background briefing. A matter of some significance for the British royal family, which has not historically been friendly to the Catholic Church. Prayers, please, for the happy couple.

For the first time in 400 years, a member of the British royal family will marry in a religious ceremony at the Vatican and the Queen has expressed her approval. Lord Nicholas Windsor, son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, will marry British-born Croatian Princess Paola Doimi de Frankopan Nov. 4 in the Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini, in the Vatican. Auxiliary Bishop Alan Hope of Westminster, who like Lord Nicholas is an Anglican convert to Catholicism, will preside at the wedding ceremony. Queen Elizabeth is reportedly 'delighted' by the marriage and has granted the couple permission to marry at the Vatican. The 36-year-old royal was received into the Roman Catholic Church in a private ceremony in 2001. His fiancée is also Roman Catholic. Lord Nicholas's mother was the first member of the British Royal Family in modern times to convert to Catholicism in 1994.


By converting to Catholicism, Lord Nicholas has permanently forfeited his right of succession to the British throne. The Act of Settlement bars past or present Roman Catholics, those who marry Roman Catholics, as well as their children, from succession to the throne. Lord Nicholas met his fiancé at a New York party in 2001. They announced their engagement on Sept. 26, 2006 and married in a civil ceremony on Oct. 19. Queen Elizabeth said she would attend a reception for the couple at St James' Palace in January. Prince Charles, who is the groom's godfather, will also attend the reception along with other members of the royal family. The prince, however, will be unable to attend the church ceremony as he will be returning from an official visit to Pakistan at the time, a spokesperson told The Universe. His trip was arranged many months ago. [CFNews]
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