Heres an interesting piece of news from the world of “modern” (dont snigger) Jacobitism.
One of the most interesting Catholic Churches in London is “Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory” which is in Warwick Street near Piccadilly Circus. As you will see from the Plaque, it dates back to Penal Days when it was only possible to hold Mass in embassy chapels. At the time of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion the Church was the embassy chapel of Portugal but passed to the Bavarians soon after. As such it is held in high esteem by the tweedy nutcases in modern Jacobitism.
The rather pleasant and totally blameless current Duke IN (sic) Bavaria is “King” Francis I, who would much prefer if his Jacobite subjects would just leave him be. He is much too polite to tell them that they are the czaziest fools that he has ever had the misfortune to meet. Indeed he is currently undergoing treatment for cancer.
The plaque inside the church was erected after the death of “King” Robert I in 1955. And has been a source of extreme embarassment to English Catholicism ever since. Trying to build bridges with the Windsors, it has been tiresome to say the least to have Jacobite reminders about the place.
In the past….the Archdiocese of Westminster has designated the Church as being the chaplaincy for London’s hotel and catering workers…Irish, Spanish, Italian and not exactly upper class. The Jacobites didnt like that. Even more recently the Diocese has used the Church as a chaplaincy for Londons Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered community. The Jacobites liked that even less. I dont understand that as the brother of Bonnie Prince Charles, Henry IX , a Catholic Cardinal was in fact a homosexual.
The Church has now been handed over to the Ordinature of Our Lady of Walsingham, which has a direct connexion to Pope Benedict XVI and is made up of ex-Anglican priests who converted to Rome because the Church of England over women priests.
So two sets of nutters then. And they have a common cause. Without “Westminster” direction, the tweedy Jacobites think that they now have a better chance of getting a memorial erected to “King Albert”, who succeeded Robert. Albert died in 1996.
I wont be holding my breath.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
What is your take on the current Bill going through the Commons regarding catholicism and the monarchy Mr Fitz?
Oh I have no take on what is going on in another country;)
My republicanism is universal, so monarchy itself has no appeal.
The problem with people as idiotically conservative as Jacobites is that they want to conserve something as vague as the Past. But turning the clock back to 1688 is that Jacobites would still believe that a King is divinely annointed by GOD and that the world is divided between nations chosen to be Monarchies thru the Supreme Kingship of Rome….which makes France, Spain, Bavaria, England are divinely chosen …while Ireland, Costa Rica, Algeria are effectively subject races. Not to mention that USA has no right to exist.
All Jacobites would believe that a legitimate monarch can dictate a religion…not just Catholicism but a precise definition of Catholicism. The current and last Pope were both born in republics, Germany and Poland.
And the current pope…Bavarian in Jacobite legitimate eyes…has never really stated his position on either Bavarian “nationality” or German”nationality” He may not be a man of his times…2013… but is not exactly a man of the 17th century.
The thing is that the Succession debate in terms of religion is something Jacobites tend to support but they are probably more worked up by the change in the law which will put a girl child on the same footing as a boy child.
The key thing about “modern” Jacobitism….a crazy notion anyway….is that it is just anti-anything that has a whiff of modernity about it. Oddly Tinternet is the most modern thing imaginable. But really there are little more than cranks who don’t like things like democracy.
Semi regular haunt of mine when in London, lovely place. thanks for this John.
One of mine too Mick.
The fascinating thing about London churches, especially in Central London is that they are very often discrete, several have been embassy churches….for example in Maiden Lane there is an embassy church which as well as being a tiny parish serving Coventry Garden is the home church of the Catholic Guild of Actors. The church notices and newsletters are interesting as they often reference schools and parishioners which are almost but not quite invisible.
There is another embassy church in Holborn and around Fleet Street there is a pub which was embassy property and still has a balcony where the occasionally persecuted Archbishop preached.
Of course London has churches associated with migrant communities, French at Leister Square, Irish at Quax Road but that ghetto mentality is directed from Westminster Cathedral and has facilitated the Englishness of the official church which likes to stress the continuity with the 16th century recurs ants.
I have found some “posh” English priests to be extremely anti-Irish.
As I am a political anorak and been a regular visitor to London since 1976, I always found Westminster Cathedral to be an excellent place to spot MPs….John Biggs Davison, Gerard Vaughan, Kevin McNamara, Edward Leigh among them.