Absolutely Fabulous star  June Whitfield has called on nuns in charge of St Raphael’s Hospice to answer questions about its future.

The hospice is not considered to be under immediate threat but as the charity that owns it, the Daughters of the Cross, move towards selling the neighbouring private hospital St Anthony’s for millions of pounds, it is feared the hospice will be left with a hugely problematic £1m funding gap each year.

St Anthony’s provides about £1m of services for the hospice, and it is unclear if in the long-term a private organisation would provide the same assistance.

Miss Whitfield, who lives in Wimbledon, has been a long-running supporter of St Raphael’s and a patient at St Anthony’s Hospital.

In a heartfelt plea to the chairman of the trustees, Sister Veronica Hagen, Miss Whitfield asked her why they rejected a proposal from staff at both St Anthony’s and St Raphael’s to form a new charity with new trustees who would continue to run both for the benefit of the community.

Miss Whitfield also asked the trustees why they need the proceeds from the sale of St Anthony’s, citing that a year ago the Daughters of the Cross charity had more than £80m in stock market investments and cash in the bank.

Sources close to the hospital have raised concerns about the potential loss of Christian ethos when St Anthony’s is sold.

Your Local Guardian:

St Raphael's Hospice

Nuns will remain in the convent on site but if St Anthony’s is sold to a private provider they could potentially end up living next door to a hospital carrying out abortions and gender-changing operations – things the Catholic Church is opposed to.

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Paul Burstow, MP for Sutton and Cheam, has written to the Charity Commission with concerns that the Daughters of the Cross have not fully considered alternative proposals.

He has also written to the Archbishop Peter Smith, who could be in a position to lobby the pope if the issue is referred to the Vatican.

He said he thought what was happening would be bad for the reputation of the Catholic Church.

Sister Hagen said the proposed new charity would have required a long-term financial commitment and they felt it had the potential to put the future of their other works, including St Raphael’s, at risk.

She said they have worked out how a practical separation between St Anthony’s and St Raphael’s could work and cost “far less” than £1m.

She said: “I know the amounts listed in our accounts can seem surprisingly large but, to put them into context, the charity spends £65m per year.

“We have been planning for this transition for many years and we have always known we will need significant reserves to secure the future of St Raphael’s and all our other works. 

“We will be investing in all of them as well as continuing our support to the international works of the congregation.”

READ THE LETTER IN FULL:

June Whitfield letter (page 1 of 2).pdf

June Whitfield letter (page 2 of 2).pdf