Cardinal calms Irish storm

REPORTS that Cardinal Basil Hume has been involved in diplomatic moves with the Vatican to stop Archbishop Tomas 0 Fiaich of Armagh being made a Cardinal were strongly denied this week.
Archbishop 0 Fiaich said this week that he was surprised at the Press speculation that Cardinal Hume's action in arranging a Papal audience for the Peace People leaders, Maircad Corrigan and Betty Williams, should be the cause of "cooling" relations between English and Irish bishops.
Irish newspapers relayed rumours from Rome that Cardinal Hume had been approached by the British Government to help in their "stop 0 Fiaich" campaign. The source of the rumour has not been identified.
In London, it is understood that the British Foreign Office has handed notes to the Apostolic Delegate in Britain, Archbishop Bruno Heim, in repeated attempts to dissuade the Holy See from giving the Red Hat to Archbishop 0 Fiaich.
And there was speculation earlier this year that the question of a cardinal for Ireland was discussed when Archbishop Heim lunched with Mr Roy Mason, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien.
Archbishop 0 Fiaich had annoyed the British Government by his outspoken criticisms of the treatment of prisoners in H block at the Maze Prison in Ulster.
A spokesman at Archbishop's House, Westminster, denied that Cardinal flume was involved in any move to prevent Archbishop 0 Fiaich from becoming a cardinal. Cardinal Hume was "surprised and distressed" at the reports linking him with the allegations of British Government pressure, the spokesman said.
"The Cardinal was anxious to make it clear that he was not aware of any such pressure," said the spokesman, "nor has he at any time been involved in such action either officially or unofficially. And he has no intention of ever being so involved."
Cardinal Hume also denied that his help in arranging an audience with Pope John Paul II for the Peace People leaders, was any part of a campaign to embarrass the Irish bishops. The initiative for the Papal audience had come from Mark James of Pax Christi.
"Pax Christi asked me to use my good offices to arrange an audience with the Holy Father for Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams while they were in Italy to receive an International Peace Prize," said Cardinal Hume.
"The matter was dealt with in a routine way by passing the request through the Apostolic Delegation. It never occurred to
me that this might be a controversial matter," he said.
The affair has been described in Ireland as an unnecessary interference in Irish Church affairs, as Cardinal Hume did not consuit the Irish hierarchy.
Technically, Cardinal Hume was acting undiplomatically in arranging the audience for two people not from his own diocese without consulting the local bishop.
Commenting on Irish newspaper reports that the incident had caused relations between the Cardinal and the Irish bishops to become "ice-cold", Mr Jim Cantwell, head of the Catholic Press and Information Office in Dublin, said he was unable to discover any evidence to support this description.
He said Cardinal Hume was regarded with genuine warmth among Irish bishops.
"On the question of the arrangement of a papal audience for Mrs Williams and Miss Corrigan, I know that Archbishop 0 Fiaich is very surprised that this should be a cause for Press speculation since there is no matter of protocol involved.
"He himself would not attach the slightest importance to where a person lived, if requested to arrange a papal audience," he said.