On Sunday 22 March, Cardinal Vincent preached at a service of Compline for the reception of the remains of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral.
Cardinal Vincent joined the Bishop of Leicester, Rt Rev Tim Stevens, as well as representatives of other Churches and religions from across Great Britain at the reception of the king's remains.
In his homily, Cardinal Vincent spoke of the king's varied reputation as a monarch and how this related to his baptism, saying, 'baptism does not guarantee holiness of life or saintliness of nature. But it gives a fundamental and enduring shape to a journey through life, in all its struggles and failures.'
Alluding to the community of Franciscan Friars who buried Richard 'with formal prayer even if also in haste', the Cardinal noted that stones from the Greyfriars Church were used in the 16th century to repair the St Martin's Church, which is now Leicester Cathedral.
'It is surely symbolic that materials from the first burial place of the King are in all probability still part of the fabric of this building in which his remains are again to be laid to rest. Our Christian histories have become intertwined in a way, we pray, that will now lead us to give a more coherent and united witness to the truths of faith which we proclaim together this evening.'
The full homily can be read here.
