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Cardinal Nichols accepts recommendation that choristors will sing seven services a week

Cardinal Vincent Gerald Nichols
Cardinal Vincent Gerald Nichols

Cardinal Nichols has backed down over controversial changes to a world-famous Cathedral choir’s timetable.

In March, The Telegraph revealed that the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Nichols, had been accused of presiding over a “toxic” and “draconian” culture at the Westminster Cathedral choir School (WCCS).

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), were allegedly agreed with school staff which, it was alleged, effectively “silencing” dissent’ regarding the ongoing row over the choristers’ timetable - which had scrapped full-time boarding.

However on Friday, the Diocese of Westminster published its Strategic Review of Sacred Music in the Mission of Westminster Cathedral.

In the review, Cardinal Nichols backed down over some of the most controversial changes made to choristors’ timetables, meaning that choristors will now sing seven services a week.

As part of the controversial changes, the seven services had been reduced to just five every week. Campaigners to save the choir have welcomed the move as “a reintroduction of two of the lost services”.

However, Cardinal Nichols refused to row back on the chorister’s controversial boarding arrangements - they will still have to go home on Fridays and return on Sunday mornings in a move which has been likened to “a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul”.

-BOX - Westminster Cathedral Choir School - history and notable alumni
-BOX - Westminster Cathedral Choir School - history and notable alumni

The Strategic Review recommended: ‘adjustments should be made to the boarding arrangements so as to find a different balance between the number of times the choristers sing at Mass, the amount of rehearsal time available and the benefits gained from weekly time in the family home.’

In response, Cardinal Nichols said: “This I accept.”

Following the announcement, the Society for the Protection of Westminster Cathedral choir released a statement welcoming the reintroduction of the ‘lost services’.

A spokesman said: “The only pertinent changes that have been announced are that the choristers will sing at two additional services. The Society cautiously welcomes these changes as a bare minimum.

“The resumption of seven services a week sung by the choristers shows a degree of compromise from Cardinal Nichols, which the Society acknowledges and is thankful for.”

However he added: “A key overarching concern is that the report seems to recommend over-bureaucratising the provision of music at Westminster Cathedral...

“What has brought the famous Cathedral choir to its knees is not primarily the absence of such bureaucratic processes, but a fundamental lack of transparency in the decision-making within the School and Diocese concerning the changes to the choir, and the subsequent collapse in trust and confidence in the key decision makers (who remain in post while the Music Department was allowed to disintegrate).”

“The Society is troubled by further key areas that were either not death with, or were glossed over, in the report.

“The report doesn’t address the impact of weekly boarding on non-London parents. No boy from outside London will be able realistically to attend the choir School as a chorister, even on the Cardinal’s revised timetable.

“The necessity of travelling to and from London each week will make this impossible for most families outside London. The pool of potential applicants is therefore much smaller – especially when you take account of the School’s frequent claims that the boys have to be practising Catholics.

“This undermines the School’s argument (to this day) that it will have more applicants from which to choose as a result of the move to weekly boarding. It’s a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul…

“Cardinal Nichols is in effect presiding over the transformation of the choir School into a School for wealthy inner-London parents, which does seem at odds with Pope Francis’ “church of the poor” agenda.

“The report doesn’t even give consideration to the possibility of flexi-boarding: offering both full and weekly boarding to get the “best of both worlds”.

On behalf of WCCS, David Heminway, Chair of Governors, added: ‘The Governing Body is delighted to support the Cardinal and is fully committed to working positively and collaboratively with the Cathedral and its Music Department in strengthening and preserving the tradition of sacred music.’