Congratulations to Archbishop Winning of Glasgow doubtless an avid reader of this Newsletter - on receiving his Cardinal's red hat (which of course they no longer receive).

Another new cardinal who has achieved rather less mention is the French Dominican Yves Congar. He is now nearly 90 and confined to bed in a Paris hospital, so he is not likely to be present in the Sistine Chapel the next time the white smoke announces a new Papal election - quite apart from the fact that cardinals over 80 can't vote (a curious rule, that, suggesting that at 80 one is gaga).

Yves Congar is a theologian and his thought has had a massive influence on the way we are encouraged to see the Church today. Now the word 'theologian' is enough to make some people reach for their gun, along with 'liturgist' 'expert', 'sociologist', etc. Theologians are assumed to be people who think up crackpotted ideas to tell God what he is meant to be and then inflict their views on the rest of us, destroying harmony and wrecking patterns.

Nevertheless, a theologian he is. His extremely clear mind and his formidably detailed researches into history have shaped the understanding that the Church is a communion, or rather, a cluster of communions, varied yet total. The image is that of a beehive rather than a fortress. What is more, other Christian churches arc part of that pattern of communions; rather than being consigned to outer darkness, they are, despite all the stresses and strains, cells in the body of Christ. The ecumenical movement without Yves Congar would be missing its most powerful advocate.

Some 40 or 50 years ago Yves Congar was invited to remain silent; all visions of change threaten. But coping with changed and still holding on to Christ is part of the message of Advent. By saying "Come, Lord Jesus", we are praying that we may see his truth clearly even as life shifts. The pace of change has been very hectic in recent years and in the Church there are many tensions. We weave a path between consolation and upset. But Christ is not absent from either of those conditions and as Advent advances he invites us to hear his voice: "Do not be afraid; the Lord is at hand".