The apostolic nuncio to the United Kingdom, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, celebrated Mass at Canterbury Cathedral
Newsroom (10 July 2025, Gaudium Press ) In a historic moment for ecumenical relations, the apostolic nuncio to the United Kingdom, Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, celebrated Mass at Canterbury Cathedral on Monday, July 7, marking the feast of the Translation of St. Thomas Becket. The event, attended by hundreds including the Vatican’s cricket team, was the first time a papal nuncio has presided over Mass in England’s most iconic Anglican cathedral in modern history.
The Mass, held during the Catholic Church’s jubilee year, carried profound spiritual significance. In his homily, Archbishop Maury Buendía emphasized the theme of pilgrimage, stating: “This Mass of pilgrimage takes place within the context of the jubilee year. It highlights the Christian life as a spiritual journey, moving through life’s trials and joys with hope anchored in Christ. Having traveled as pilgrims today, we do more than just honor a figure from history.”
He continued, gesturing to the cathedral’s famed stained-glass windows: “The stained-glass windows all around us illustrate the many miracles attributed to St. Thomas in the medieval period. This should be a living story, too. Our world, today as then, is in need of hope. We come in this jubilee year as ‘pilgrims of hope’ to be inspired by St. Thomas’ holiness and his courageous witness to Christ and his Church.”
Attendees were granted a plenary indulgence, a special grace offered during the jubilee year, underscoring the event’s spiritual weight.
While the Catholic Parish of St. Thomas of Canterbury traditionally holds a Mass at the cathedral each July 7, the participation of the apostolic nuncio marked a historic first. St. Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his martyrdom in 1170, was murdered by supporters of King Henry II after defending the Church’s rights. Canonized by Pope Alexander III shortly after his death, Becket’s body was translated in 1220 from the cathedral’s crypt to a shrine behind the altar, an event likely attended by a papal legate. The shrine was later destroyed by Henry VIII in 1538 to suppress devotion to Becket.
Father David Palmer, a member of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and a former Anglican priest, reflected on the event’s significance in correspondence with CNA on July 9. “Canterbury Cathedral is often referred to as the home of Anglicanism, the mother Church of the Anglican Communion. This obscures the fact that it is also (and originally) the mother Church of Catholicism in England,” he said, noting its founding by St. Augustine of Canterbury, sent by Pope Gregory to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons.
“For those of us who have made the journey from Anglicanism back to Rome, this is an event of special significance and joy,” Palmer added.
The Mass represents a milestone in Catholic-Anglican relations, bridging historical divides in a shared space of worship and reverence for St. Thomas Becket’s enduring legacy.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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