I met the UK's Catholic cardinal but his football shirt left me speechless

I visited the UK's only Catholic cardinal at Westminster Cathedral - but I never expected a framed Liverpool FC shirt above his door! I wanted to interview the highly-respected 79 year-old Cardinal Vincent Nichols for many reasons but the main one was the feeling that the UK has never felt so polarised and fractured as it does right now.

Even what should have been the musical and feel-good escape that is Glastonbury descended into alleged hate speech and chants of "death to the IDF", on the back of the terrible scenes in Gaza. We also have street tensions over the small boats and migrants crisis, rising bills and taxes leaving more families facing poverty as well as two recent bills in Parliament on assisted dying and abortion.

But on top of all that, we also have startling new data showing young Britons are flocking to churches like never before - what is fuelling this Gen Z interest in spirituality after the Covid lockdown?

The Archbishop of York generously gave his valuable time to write lengthy responses to my questions on these topics during one of his busiest times of the year - as he addressed the General Synod while leading the Church of England, in the absence of there being an Archbishop of Canterbury.

So I was thrilled when Cardinal Nichols agreed to meet me in his office and be videoed as we chatted on comfy armchairs in his cool office in the middle of a blistering July heatwave.

But the first thing I noticed when led into his private office was his framed Liverpool FC shirt hanging above the door. I cheekily asked: "Is that a Manchester United shirt?"

"Nooooo!" he laughingly replied in his gentle Merseyside

accent as we shook hands and he gave me a quick tour of his headquarters in the heart of London's Victoria.

The red Liverpool shirt was at a tempting height. You almost want to reach up and slap it, like the same side's iconic 'Welcome to Anfield' sign that stars for decades have touched as they ran out onto the pitch.

The second thing I spotted was the plate of custard creams on the table. This will sorely test my Slimming World plan - not sure I can resist.

Reminding myself to call him 'Your Eminence', we shook hands and I was greeted by his thoughtful face with a twinkle in his eyes, matured over a lifetime of putting people at ease.

As we sat down side-by side to talk I asked him the million dollar question: Why then did he think young, often male, Gen Zs are becoming increasingly interested in becoming Catholics?

He spoke of a "fragmented society" we are living in and how young people may be looking at their parents battling day by day to pay their bills and wonder: "Is this what life is just about?"

He reflected how for some people, spending time inside a church can bring as much peace as being sat in a beauty spot looking out to nature.

He explained: "So there's something of a deep community, faithful investment in a place of prayer, in a place of worship, and it touches people.

"It's a kind of beauty, really. And it's not a kind of beauty to say, I want to possess that, I want to buy that, I want this to be mine. It's the kind of beauty that says, wow, can I give myself something into this?"

As we ended our chat we returned to his love of Liverpool and the recent earth-shattering news of the tragic death of Anfield's Portuguese star Diogo Jota, 28, and his younger brother Andre Silva, 25.

He was dewy-eyed as he recalled the haunting image of Jota's widow, they only married 11 days before his fateful car crash on 3rd July, placing her hand and head on his coffin at his public funeral.

Discussing the tragedy he added: "A person I know quite well prepared Diogo and his wife for their wedding, and was in their home and his own personal testament was the same as the others - what a lovely family this was.

"What a fine background in the village or town where they grew up. They had known each other since they were children.

"There's this whole sense that with their marriage all of this was going to come together - all of this was whole. Then 11 days later it's broken apart.

"I think of his young bride, 11 days before and it was very moving because at the end of the wedding ceremony they had the singing of the Ave Maria - and they did the same at the end of the funeral. It connected these two things so closely ... it was very upsetting."

Discussing the fans at Anfield after the tragic news he added: "It's the club motto. You'll never walk alone. All of those things express something which is deeply true of our humanity."

As we end our fascinating, 40 minute interview and chat over a cup of tea (and that biscuit ..my will power crumbled) Cardinal Nichols is keen to show me some pictures of him with Liverpool legends like Fernando Torres. "He was a great player", he mused.

After posing for some more photos, including with a very agreeable nun (thank you Sister Clement!), myself and photographer Adam but my mind was buzzing.

Maybe we all need little moments of reflection in our lives - in 25 years of journalism that's certainly the most spiritual interview I've ever done.