The Right Rev Augustine Harris RIP

the man who gave the world Paddy's Wigwam as Liverpool Cathedral is known has died.

In an interview some years later, he spoke about how the Vatican II challenged his understanding of the Church. “Although I resented many of the changes, I implemented them out of loyalty and obedience, but when I uncovered the reason for the change, then I accepted it — then it was in my soul and my being.”

He began to see the reforms, especially in liturgy, as an attempt to return to the spirit and practice of the Early Church. “It was a clearance sale if you like. A lot of dead wood was gotten rid of.”

and

Looking at why many young Catholics had abandoned the Church since the Second Vatican Council, he concluded that official statements and theological formulae would not win them back. Instead, they wanted to hear priests and bishops talk about what their own faith meant.

At the same time, he remained convinced of the necessity of the council's reforms. “If I were asked to recommend something for the Church today, I would say, go back to the doctrine of Vatican II, examine the history behind it, the reasons for the formulae that came from the council, and then your mind will be at rest. We have to go forward with the Church.”