175 YEARS – 50 GREAT CATHOLICS /Arthur Wells on Bishop Christopher Butler

Christopher To mark our anniversary, we have invited 50 Catholics to choose completely unstuffy … and fun.” Butler was a a person from the past 175 years whose life has been a personal His most profound gift to St , scripture inspiration to them and an example of their faith at its best Edmund’s, according to the head- scholar, histo- master of the school, “was the rian, and the As a deacon and a brilliant young that the council intended that the influence of his saintly life. He was outstanding don he seemed destined for rapid Pope should govern the Church a man of prayer and humility.” anglophone preferment in the Anglican with the bishops. When Butler’s pleasures were his arm- “Father” of the Second Vatican Church. Instead, he converted to Westminster became vacant in chair, pipe, detective novels and Council. The then- of Catholicism. 1963, both and chess. He died in 1986. The late Downside made many significant Entering in Butler knew that Butler could Bishop Alan Clark of East Anglia contributions to debates and was 1929, he was elected abbot three well have been appointed arch- summed him up: “A giant mind, elected to the vitally important times. Despite the heavy demands bishop. In the event Heenan was a massive intelligence, a real pas- doctrinal commission. Rather of office and the monastic life, chosen and he appointed Butler sion for truth. A most lovable than socialise, he would prepare Butler produced several books a Westminster auxiliary. man.” And Butler had done as for the next council session or join that prefigured the council and, He was happy at St Edmund’s, much as any man could to pro- the for offices in the abbey in 1967, perhaps the best short Ware, his home after his ordina- mote the work of Vatican II. where he lodged. book that explained it: The tion as an . His Born in 1902 into a high Theology of Vatican II. neighbour, Robert Runcie, later Arthur Wells is co-founder of Anglican family in Reading, he Butler deplored an “advisory Archbishop of Canterbury, website Vatican II – Voice of the went to Oxford on a scholarship. only” collegiality: he was insistent recalled: “He was totally straight, Church (www.vatican2voice.org)

PUZZLES

1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 PRIZE CROSSWORD 5 Next in rank after abbot (5) 7 8 No. 481 | Axe 6 Period leading up to the Day of Judgment (3-4) 9 10 7 Epic Sanskrit poem which includes the Bhagavad Gita (11) Across 8 Concerning religious instruction generally (11) 1 Christian martyr and patron saint of travellers (11) 14 Son of Pyrrhus from Berea who travelled with Paul to Macedonia 11 11 12 9 Surname of “Mère Angélique”, sister of the Jansenist Antoine (7) and Greece (7) 10 Country where Christianity is the second minority religion after 12 16 Beatific (7) Islam with more than 20 million followers (5) 13 14 15 16 17 Large scale calamity sent by God (6)

11 Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church (5) 17 19 First letter of the Hebrew alphabet (5) 12 Home to the Eparchy of Mukacheve in the Ruthenian Catholic 21 “Vulgate” language of St Jerome (5) Church (7) 18 19 20 21 13 Friend of David, also known as (the) Archite (6)

15 Descendant of Cain: Noah’s father (6) 22 23 18 In Tobit, one of seven archangels (7) 20 Patron saint of cripples, beggars and blacksmiths (5) 22 Church donation (5) 25 24 23 Province of the Roman empire in the Anatolian highlands visited Please send your answers to: by Paul, Silas and Timothy (7) 24 Anglican clergy, usually ranking just below bishop, responsible for Crossword Competition 10 October discipline and other secular matters (11) The Tablet, 1 King Street Cloisters, Clifton Walk, London W6 0GY. Please include your full name, telephone number and email address, Down and a mailing address. A copy of the hardback Oxford Dictionary and 2 Adherent of 10’s most supported religion (5) Thesaurus (second edition, RRP £30) will go to the sender of the first 3 Later biblical name for Edom (7) correct entry drawn at random on Friday 23 October. 4 Hymn setting of a Latin cantata (2,4) l The answers to this week’s puzzles and the crossword winner’s name will appear in the 31 October issue. Solution to the 19 September crossword No. 478 SUDOKU | Hard Across: 5 Palestrina; 8 Zoan; 9 Anathoth; 10 Minaret; 12 Jacob; 14 Mitre; 15 Joachim; 17 Marciana; 18 Shem; 19 Solemnized. Down: 1 Jain; 2 Bezalel; 3 Ittai; 4 Mithraic; 6 Authorised; 7 Dominicans; 11 Agricola; 13 Moravia; 16 Naomi; 18 Seer. Winner: Fr Kevin Foulkes, of Aspull, Wigan.

Each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column must contain all the numbers 1 to 9.

Solution to the 19 September puzzle

16 | THE TABLET | 10 OCTOBER 2015 For more features, news, analysis and comment, visit www.thetablet.co.uk