Cardinal Manning was the second Archbishop of Westminster, after the restoration of the Hierarchy in 1850, and held that post for 27 years. Two important parts of his legacy are the dismantling of the fierce anti-Catholicism which had characterised London especially for years, and the development of the Church's Social teaching.
In this very readable biography, Russell Sparkes traces his life, his thought and his influence, from his childhood, his marriage and sudden widowhood, early career as an Anglican clergyman through to his towering reputation as a champion of the poor, his promotion of education, his influence on the Irish Question and his role as a mediator in the Great Dock Strike of 1889.
Sparke starts by establishing Manning's credentials, as it were, by quoting him and his contemporaries and summarising his achievements. He then turns to the question of why he is largely forgotten today. He cites two reasons: one is the malice of his early biographer, Purcell; the other is that Manning is seen as characterising the spirit of Vatican l, with his strict dogmatism and emphasis on the authority of the Magisterium, and that has been out of fashion for a while. But perhaps the wheel is turning.
Be that as it may, Sparkes has a great story to tell. Manning's life was full of incident and interest, and many other great names (Wiseman and Newman, for example) cross these pages, often in a difficult relationship to Manning. Likewise, he is at the centre of great events, not least as a champion of Papal Infallibility at the First Vatican Council, and as one of the influences on Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo Xlll's great social encyclical, as well as the previously noted interventions in the Irish Question and the Great Dock Strike.
The only thing to mar this book is the perennial CTS problem with poor (or no) proofreading: for example, a quotation from Lumen Gentium on p.48 is mangled, and on p.61, it is noted 'he denounced the programs against Russian Jews', when I imagine it should say pogroms; and so on.
However, those are minor points and do not seriously detract from this booklet, which I read with great interest and enjoyment.
No comments:
Post a Comment