Cardinal’s Publisher Says Memoirs Were Cut

By David V Barrett
Catholic Herald
June 1, 2015

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/06/01/cardinals-publisher-says-memoirs-were-cut/

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor's book was published last month (CNS)

But Church denies cardinal's book was censored before publication

The publisher of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor’s memoirs has said it was “regrettable” that the prelate had made cuts to his book.

He spoke after Guardian newspaper claimed that the cardinal was forced by the Church to censor his book, An English Spring, published last month by Bloomsbury Continuum.

According to the Guardian, un-named “associates of the cardinal” said that the former Archbishop of Westminster was made to remove sections concerning the convicted paedophile Fr Michael Hill. Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor faced calls for his resignation over his handing of the priest when he was Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. Despite being warned that Hill was a danger to young people he moved him to the chaplaincy at Gatwick airport.

The Guardian said the cardinal was made to cut a section defending the right to protect priests when they have erred, and replace it with “a lament about bishops’ failure to prioritise abuse victims over their priests”.

In another section that was cut the cardinal accused the church of not being prepared to root out systemic paedophilia, the Guardian said.

Robin Baird-Smith, the publishing director responsible for the cardinal’s book, told the Catholic Herald: “He did make certain excisions from the typescript which frankly, as his publisher, disappointed me a little. I’d like it to have been the best possible book, and found the excisions regrettable.”

One source told the Guardian: “A number of us, his friends, were asked to read the typescript in draft. I understand that pressure was put on the cardinal by Church authorities to excise sections of the chapter on Michael Hill along with other material in the book.”

According to the newspaper, the source claimed that the cardinal’s “official publicist at the church’s headquarters” insisted on reading the draft and making cuts. “He [Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor] is a senior prince of the church and he should have just gone ahead and ignored them,” the source said.

The Guardian said the cardinal’s publicist “refused to comment specifically on the allegations of censorship” but said: “The cardinal’s memoirs are his memoirs. It’s his work and he signed off on it.”

The paper says that when asked if church officials had applied pressure, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor said: “I’d rather not answer that question. Everything I’ve written is what I wanted to write. Any help I got with writing the book was purely personal.”

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor’s press secretary told the Catholic Herald: “The Cardinal’s memoirs are his own personal story and his story alone. He is a free man and to talk of censorship of any part of his book is totally untrue.”

On being told of the remarks by the cardinal’s publisher she said: “In the writing of any book of this kind, there are always a series of drafts; the cardinal would like to make clear that his memoirs are his alone.”