THE body of Cardinal Gordon Gray was yesterday laid to rest in the
place he loved -- St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh -- in
the presence of 2000 mourners.
Cardinal Gray had said in 1989 when the cathedral celebrated its 175th
anniversary that it was for him ''the most beloved gate of heaven and
house of God, through which and in which I hope one day to enter into
life'', and yesterday a representative gathering went there to pay their
last respects to him.
The assembly at the funeral mass for the cardinal far exceeded the
cathedral's capacity of 1400. Many had to stand outside and in the porch
while others fortunate enough to gain entrance stood in side aisles of
St Mary's which had seen many highlights in Gordon Gray's life and
career.
Within the building, which was opened as a chapel in 1814 and
developed through its 179 years to his present size and status, the
Leith-born churchman was confirmed, ordained as a priest, consecrated
archbishop, and welcomed as cardinal on his return from Rome.
It was where he welcomed Pope John Paul II and prayed with him on the
Pontiff's visit to Scotland in 1982.
At the end of the funeral mass the cardinal's coffin was lowered 15ft
into the 25ft-wide vault below the cathedral sanctuary where five
previous Archbishops of St Andrews and Edinburgh were buried.
Archbishop Keith O'Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, who
conducted the mass, said in his homily it had been intensely moving
since Cardinal Gray died last Monday to realise the care and concern of
so very many people for him and to take part in the tremendous
outpourings of prayer and love for a man so well known and loved.
''In some ways, despite his own deep learning and years of experience
in administrative work, the cardinal had something of that simple faith
of a child for which so many of us long,'' the archbishop said.
''That faith motivated him throughout his life; and those words of St
Paul to the Romans could have been written of Gordon Gray: 'The life and
death of each one of us has its influence on others'.''
Archbishop O'Brien said that representatives of other churches
respected Cardinal Gray for his theological insights and basic honesty,
while the ordinary person in the pew respected the man for what he was
-- honest and sincere in his convictions about his own faith while
wanting to reach out in every way possible to others.
His appointment as archbishop and indeed as cardinal did not change
him personally in any way.
Archbishop Luigi Barbarito, the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio, read a message
from the Pope and said Cardinal Gray would be remembered when he
conducted a mass for cardinals in November.
The cardinal's nephews, Mr James Robertson and Mr Raymond McClusky,
read two of the lessons.
The mourners were led by Cardinal Basil Hume, Archbishop of
Westminster and Primate of England, and Cardinal Cathal Daly, Archbishop
of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.
Representatives of the Roman Catholic Church included the archbishops
and bishops of Scotland, Archbishop Desmond Connell, Archbishop of
Dublin, Bishop John Rawsthorne, representing the Archbishop of
Liverpool, Bishop Hugh Lindsay, retired Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle,
Bishop William Gordon Wheeler, retired Bishop of Leeds, and the abbots
of Fort Augustus, Pluscarden, and Nunraw abbeys.
The Church of Scotland was represented by the Very Rev. William
McDonald, former Moderator of the General Assembly, representing the
present Moderator.
The inter-church body, Acts, was represented by the Very Rev.
Professor Robert Davidson, the Scottish Episcopal Church by the Right
Rev. Michael Hare-Duke, and the Congregational Church by the Rev. Robert
Waters.
Representatives were also present from the Muslim community and from
the Grand Order of Jerusalem, the Knights of Malta, and the Scottish
Catholic International Aid Fund.
Many MPs were unable to be present because of the vote of confidence
in the House of Commons, including Mr Ian Lang, Secretary of State for
Scotland, and Mr John Smith, leader of the Opposition.
Mr Lang was represented by Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, Minister of
State, Scottish Office.
Mourners from public life included the Lord and Lady Provost of
Edinburgh, Mr Norman and Mrs Anne Irons; Councillor Eric Milligan,
Lothian region's convener; Bailie Thomas Dingwall, representing the Lord
Provost of Glasgow; Councillor Mrs Helen McElhone, representing
Strathclyde region; convener Ann Wallace of Central region; convener
Robert Gough of Fife region, and General Sir Michael Gow, president of
the Royal British Legion (Scotland).
At his request, Cardinal Gray was buried wearing the vestments he wore
as a young man when he was ordained in the cathedral in 1935.
The last time he wore the vestments was also in St Mary's -- for the
mass to celebrate his golden jubilee as a priest.
He wore also his pallium -- a lambswool strip of cloth -- presented to
him by the Pope denoting his office of archbishop, and had a simple
amethyst ring on his finger.
