THE Queen made history when she attended a full service in a Roman Catholic church yesterday.
The Duchess of Kent, a Catholic convert, was also present for the ecumenical service at Westminster Cathedral.
Minority Protestant demonstrators jeered as the Queen, who is head of the Church of England, arrived for the 45-minute service.
Led into the cathedral by Cardinal Basil Hume, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, the Queen was greeted by the 1500-strong congregation which broke into warm and spontaneous applause.
The service was also attended by Dr George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and representatives of other Christian faiths - there was no Mass.
Buckingham Palace said it was ``an appropriate decision for the times'' that the 100th anniversary of Westminster Cathedral should be celebrated at an ecumenical service with the Queen present.
Cardinal Hume, in his homily, welcomed the Queen.
``In 1982, Your Majesty received Pope John Paul into your London home,'' he said. ``That was for us the healing of many ancient wounds and we were so grateful for that.''
The Queen's presence was ``a further affirmation of the place that we Catholics have in the nation'', added Cardinal Hume.
The Queen sat at the front of the nave on a specially-carved chair made of rosewood and emblazoned with a mother-of-pearl rose of England and the Cross of St George.
The congregation and choir sang much of the service in Latin but ended with God Save the Queen in English.
Outside small groups of protesters, among the 500 to 600-strong crowd, handed out leaflets and preached impromptu sermons.
Reformed Baptist Michael Hobbis, holding a banner declaring The Just Shall Live by Faith, said: ``The Queen is breaking her coronation vows and making a mockery of the martyrs of the Reformation.
``The Archbishop of Canterbury ought not to have advised Her Majesty to attend Vespers at Westminster Cathedral, and Her Majesty, as keeper of her own conscience as she will answer before Almighty God, ought not to attend.''
q THE Queen Mother has been advised by doctors to stay in hospital for a few more days to complete her recovery, Buckingham Palace said yesterday.
She had made ``excellent progress'' following her hip replacement operation two weeks ago, said a palace spokesman.
It was not possible to give a precise date when the Queen Mother, 95, would leave the King Edward VII Hospital for Officers in London, he added.
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