A personal message of congratulation has been sent by the Revd John Marsh, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, to Archbishop Vincent Nichols (pictured), following his appointment as Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster.

John Marsh said “I pray God's blessing and guidance for you as you take up this important new ministry of leadership within the Catholic community.

“In the fellowship of Churches Together in England, we rejoice that in Christ we find increasing elements of a common life of worship, evangelisation, pastoral leadership, and social concern and action across the Christian family.  We very much look forward to welcoming you as a wise leader, a good friend, and a Christian pastor.”

The message contained a promise of support for the new Archbishop personally during the period of transition. It added “We anticipate good, kindly and purposeful ecumenical relations that honour our Lord Jesus Christ, build up our common life, and help to make God's Good News more fully and more publicly known in England.”

See the official news of the appointment on the website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales at http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/ccb/catholic_church/media_centre2/press_releases/press_releases_2009/pope_benedict_xvi_appoints_archbishop_vincent_nichols_as_new_archbishop_of_westminster2

Video of the press conference is amongst the coverage on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster website

Photo of Vincent Nichols is copyright CCN.