Following the announcement on the Royal Succession by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Perth, Australia, The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said:
“I welcome the decision of Her Majesty’s Government to give heirs to the throne the freedom to marry a Catholic without being removed from the line of succession. This will eliminate a point of unjust discrimination against Catholics and will be welcomed not only by Catholics but far more widely.”
“At the same time I fully recognise the importance of the position of the Established Church in protecting and fostering the role of faith in our society today.”
On 21 May 2009 Vincent Nichols was installed as the 11th Archbishop of Westminster. He was elected President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales on 30 April 2009.
