Cardinal to say prayers at Queen Mother's funeral

BY CHRISTINA WHITE
CARDINAL Cormac Murphy O'Connor will say prayers at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, it emerged this week.
The final details of Tuesday's funeral service at Westminster Abbey were expected to be released by Buckingham Palace on Saturday.
But as The Catholic Herald went to press, it was known that the service would be conducted by the Dean of Westminster, Dr Wesley Carr. The Cardinal, together with the Moderator of the Church of Scotland and the Moderator of the Free Church will offer prayers. The Archbishop of Canterbury will preach the sermon and give the blessing.
The Cardinal's office confirmed that he will say a memorial Mass for the Queen Mother at Westminster Cathedral on Sunday evening. A funeral Mass was similarly offered for the late Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
Birmingham archdiocese is also planning a Requiem Mass for the Queen Mother probably towards the end of next week. Archbishop Vincent Nichols will celebrate and will preach at the Mass at St Chad's Cathedral, which will be open to priests and people from all over the diocese.
The archbishop spoke this week of his sadness at the death of the Queen Mother. "In her long life, the Queen Mother became a living symbol of steadfast duty together with a remarkable joy in life itself," he said.
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