Vatican letter saves sailors’ Dome of Home

May 19 2008 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

Vatican letter saves sailors’ Dome of Home

CAMPAIGNERS were claiming victory last night after receiving a letter from the Vatican assuring them of no plans to close a historic landmark church.

St Peter and Paul’s stands on the hill in New Brighton and had been the subject a massive campaign by locals after it was revealed its future was in doubt.

Last night, Cath Nelson, treasurer of SOUL (Save Our Unique Landmark) – which was set up to stop the closure – said it was “good news”, although she remained cautious about the letter.

They had been informed by Monsignor Giovanni Carru, an undersecretary at the Vatican that, following consultation with the Shrewsbury diocese, that there are “no current plans” to close the church.

Mrs Nelson said: “It means what you take from it, but it sounds like good news.”

The church is Grade II listed, visible to all sailing into the Mersey and known to sailors as the Dome of Home.

It is a monument to the remarkable priest Father Tom Mullins, known as the Pope of Wirral, who masterminded the building in the 1930s.

Another local campaigner and member of SOUL, Cllr Paul Hayes, was more emphatic in his reaction to the news and described it as “fantastic”.

He said: “The Vatican's intervention is very welcome indeed. I'm delighted that a building which has played such a huge role in Wirral's cultural and religious heritage will keep its doors open to the faithful of Wallasey and New Brighton.

"We will now be looking to the diocese to allow its parishioners to access its own funds for building repair work so that the parish will be provided with proper social facilities.

"I hope this action by the Holy See means we can now work constructively with the diocese to ensure the future of St Peter and Paul's as a magnificent, awe-inspiring place of worship on our peninsula which is secured for a long time to come."

The group decided to contact the Vatican authorities when parishioners were not consulted over moves to close the church, and even appealed to Prince Charles for help.