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Monk tipped to be archbishop

A monk in a remote (sic) Scottish abbey has emerged as a surprise contender to replace Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor as leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Hugh Gilbert, 55, the abbot of Pluscarden Abbey in Elgin, Moray, has become a serious candidate to replace Murphy-O'Connor when he retires later this year.

The ultimate decision will rest with the Pope, but senior church figures are said to have been impressed with Gilbert's orthodox views and leadership skills.

No candidate has succeeded to the post from such an obscure background since Basil Hume more than three decades ago. He was the relatively unknown abbot of Ampleforth, in Yorkshire, when in 1976 he was appointed Archbishop of Westminster, the most senior Catholic post in England and Wales.

Although several serving bishops have been mooted as possible successors, one senior Catholic source said: "It is time to go outside the episcopal club of England and Wales."

For some time Rome has felt that the liberal drift of the bishops has failed to halt declining church attendance. Gilbert would represent a change in style because he is known as a traditionalist with dynamic qualities of leadership. He has presided over an expansion of his abbey and the founding of two offshoots in Africa and America.

Another senior Catholic said: "It's true that Hugh's name is being discussed as a potential successor and he is mortified and embarrassed at the attention he is receiving.

"I don't think it's out of the question that he could be appointed. He is part of a very successful monastic community which is bursting at the seams. He is a quiet, scholarly monk who would probably accept the appointment out of obedience to the church."

Vatican officials visited Pluscarden and are said to have been impressed with Gilbert's powers of delegation and the high esteem in which he is held within and outside the monastery.

An Englishman and a convert to Catholicism, Gilbert was educated at St Paul's school and King's College London. He became a monk in 1974. Since his election as abbot in 1992, Pluscarden has gone from strength to strength and is now home to 27 monks. He is known for humility, a self-effacing style and "a dry sense of humour and sparkling wit".

Murphy-O'Connor was due to retire last year on his 75th birthday but was asked to remain in office. His successor will be chosen by the Pope from a list of three names drawn up after extensive consultation.

Full story at The Sunday Times.