The Pope's Visit to the UK. Reflections No 503, 15 September 2010
Submitted by FatherSean on Tue, 09/21/2010 - 02:12.
Pope Benedict with Queen Elizabeth in Edinburgh, capital of Scotland
Dublin, Ireland.
The visit this week of Pope Benedict XVI is for me and many Catholics a recognition and celebration of the long history of courage, faithfulness, and commitment to the gospel of Catholics of the United Kingdom. The visit underlines the importance and wide ranging impact on moral issues with political consequences that the Catholic Church has had despite its small numbers.
The United Kingdom is a secular non-religious nation so the issues raised during the Pope's visit may not interest the majority of the population. The visit however may help people focus more on Christianity itself and hopefully on the social teachings of the church that the Catholics in the UK have striven to practice.
Glasgow, Scotland
While the media will continue to zoom in on the Pope himself and on the relationship between the Vatican and the Anglican Church, it will not be a big issue for the majority of Britons who are mostly indifferent to religious matters.
For some, the Pope's invitation to Anglican priests to defect to Rome might come up, and the Vatican's recent declaration that for a Catholic priest to attempt to ordain a woman is a church crime, might cause discomfort among Anglicans who plan to do just that in the Anglican Church. I hope these issues will not dominate the visit.
The visit, while it is officially a state visit, ought not be misinterpreted as a mission to evangelize, convert or promote Catholicism rather as a visit to promote mutual understanding and common commitment to all areas of human need and suffering and to work for world peace, justice and equality.
Pope Benedict with schoolchildren and students in London
While the Beatification of the Anglican priest theologian John Henry Newman who converted to Catholicism in the 19th century and was made a cardinal might be seen as a silent invitation to others to follow his example, instead of being seen for what it is: the honoring of a great and holy man.
The visit should not focus on the personality of Pope Benedict but help the public to see the great Christian values and social teachings of the church that lie behind the office of the Pope. His role is that of a man of God striving to represent and implement the teachings and the practice of Jesus of Nazareth. He ought not to be solely painted as an enforcer of dogma or as a church leader who failed to act immediately and directly to protect victims of clerical sexual abuse and bring abusers to justice as some claim him to be.
The Pope addressing members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords in the place where St Thomas More was sentenced to death in 1535.
Ideally we want our Pope to be a humble spiritual leader who mirrors the words and mission of Jesus Christ, one who speaks as directly as Jesus did on behalf of the poor, the sick, the hungry, the landless and downtrodden wretched of the earth. In this shared faith as Christians we can find strength and unity with all believers and non-believers in serving humankind.
It’s a common cause of uplifting the dignity of every individual especially of the destitute and taking a stand against the exploitation of human persons, especially of women and children, that will unite us. We need to work together in what unifies us rather than be isolated by what divides us.
The visit is clearly a recognition of the strong faith and commitment of the great Catholics to be found in the UK, despite their small numbers have bravely upheld with fortitude and have given witness to the faith and strengthened the moral fiber of the nation. They have supported the missionary work abroad with generosity, dedication and commitment. The Catholic media ought to be recognized and blessed by the Pope for its role in standing up for Gospel values in the face of a cynical and critical secular society.
And one last word in recognition of the thousands of immigrants who over the years have helped build up the Catholic Church in the UK. The Irish by their hundredths of thousands and the thousands of Filipino overseas workers who joyfully practice their faith in Catholic communities all over the country, all deserve a special recognition and blessing during the Pope's visit. They are present, singing, praying mingling and sharing friendship and their love of community.
Some protestors in London
I am grateful to Fr Tim Finigan whose blog The Hermeneutic of Continuity provided the photos above.
Preda@info.com.ph , PO Box 68, 2200 Olongapo City, Philippines
The United Kingdom (UK) and Britain
The government of the UK invited Pope Benedict to visit, in the name of Queen Elizabeth II. So officially this was a state visit to the United Kingdom, not a pastoral one. However, much of the visit was pastoral, to the people of Britain, ie, England, Wales and Scotland, the three countries that comprise Britain or Great Britain. Northern Ireland where Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, lives, is part of the UK but not part of Britain. However, none of the bishops of Ireland were involved in any activities during the Pope's visit, as far as I could see. Yesterday, Sunday, Pope Benedict addressed the bishops of England & Wales and the bishops of Scotland in Birmingham.
However, he visited only Scotland and England.
The official name of the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. On a number of occasions Pope Benedict very clearly recognised that the UK consists of three very different countries, each with its own history, culture and language, though English is known by all, and part of Ireland. The visit also highlighted that the UK is now very much a society with people from very diverse backgrounds in terms of ethnic origins and faith.