Yet another petition.....

The LFR people have swamped FB with calls for people to sign a new petition regarding their desire to have a RC priest present when the remains of Richard are placed in his coffin (I refuse to use the verb which has been created from the perfectly good noun of coffin) and for his bones to rest in a place of sanctity before the reburial.

This has led to a further outbreak of anti-Leicester arrangements posts on the various anywhere but Leicester sites and a great deal of annoyance on the pro-Leicester sites.

In response, Leicester Cathedral has published a joint press release (Church of England and Roman Catholic Church in England) reiterating the arrangements have been agreed by both churches and are in line with current Christian practice. (it is posted on the Cathedral's FB page).

For the life of me, I cannot see what purpose this petition will achieve except to stir up all the angst between various factions of the once united Ricardian community. It is obvious that neither Church will alter the arrangements. As the time approaches for Richard's reburial, surely it is time to focus on him rather than on the desires of certain people.

Part of the backlash is now aimed at the LFR people who are seen by some as being concerned with their own egos, rather than Richard himself. I am sure that is not necessarily true, but unfortunately their constant complaints about various things and the deliberate attempts to get people riled up about aspects of the reburial certainly give that impression.

Neither Annette Carson nor Philippa Langley could resist a couple of swipes at Leicester at the end of the recent BBC radio programme - Great Lives - not necessary in the context of the programme.

It is time to give it all a rest, and let us get on with giving Richard the reburial he deserves.

And please, please, no replies talking about how we KNOW Richard wanted to be buried in York Minister, because we know no such thing - there is only inferred assumptions.