CARDINAL'S ROYAL SERMON MAKES HISTORY

LONDON, (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor made history on Sunday when he preached to the Queen and other members of the royal family at St Mary's church on their Sandringham estate.

The cardinal was the first member of the Catholic hierarchy to preach to the Royal Family in one of its own churches in 500 years and was also the first Catholic Archbishop of Westminster to stay with the Queen at Sandringham and preach at the Sunday service.

Speaking in front of the Queen, who is supreme governor of the Church of England, the cardinal told the congregation: "We have good reason to hope that Christian unity will eventually come about. We should not be disheartened if we think that sometimes progress is slow."

He said, "Ecumenism is like a road with no exit-- there is no going back. We are on a journey that we know will be fulfilled by the promptings and inspiration of the Holy Spirit in that unity that is Christ's will."

He continued, "If we listen and try to do the will of God in our own lives and if we do what is good in our own lives and if we do what Jesus teaches us, then we have good reason to hope that Christian unity will eventually come about."

The cardinal's sermon centered on the life of our Lady whose story, he said, had themes which were central to Christians of all denominations in the 21st century. One of those was: "How do we live a virtuous life in a world that challenges all our Christian values?"

He concluded his sermon by praising the way the Queen had reigned with "dignity, dedication, and faithfulness" and prayed for her in the year of her Golden Jubilee.

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