News reports prior to the Holy Father’s recent four day visit to Britain were filled with dire predictions of mass protests and general disinterest by the British people. However, the Vatican and many secular commentators have hailed his visit a great success on many levels. After four days which took Pope Benedict to Scotland and England before celebrating a beautiful beatification Mass for the 19th century Cardinal John Henry Newman, the Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi remarked that the visit was “wonderful, a spiritual success.” He added, “Hundreds of thousands of people have met the pope personally in the street and at the major events and also, through television and the internet, many others have seen him and heard what he has to say. I think also that the message that he has about the positive contributions of the Catholic Church and of Christian faith to society has been received very well.”
In Westminster Hall, the Holy Father addressed the emptiness of secularism. In Westminster Abbey he spoke to both Catholic and Anglican listeners about how important it is to give Christian witness in today’s world. In Westminster Cathedral Pope Benedict asked for forgiveness for the crimes and sins against children perpetuated by clergy and religious. In Hyde Park he spoke to the masses about the importance of the Blessed Sacrament. And in Birmingham, he beatified John Henry Newman, quoting Blessed Newman by saying, “I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men (and women) who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it.”
One of the highlights of the pilgrimage was his meetings with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. This was the first time a pope had been welcomed to Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the head of the world’s Anglican Church. Together they addressed a meeting of Anglican and Roman Catholic diocesan bishops from England, Scotland and Wales in the Great Hall of the Archbishop’s Library. Archbishop Williams in his speech to the pope and bishops stressed the common goal both churches have in defending Christianity in the public sphere and working together as much as possible despite our differences. He said, “Our task as bishops is to preach the Gospel and shepherd the flock of Christ and this includes the responsibility not only to feed but also to protect it from harm. Today, this involves a readiness to respond to the various trends in our cultural environment that seek to present Christian faith as both an obstacle to human freedom and a scandal to human intellect. We need to be clear that the Gospel of the new creation in Jesus Christ is the door through which we enter into true liberty and true understanding, we are made free to be human as God intends us to be human, we are given the illumination that helps us see on another and all created things in the light of divine love and intelligence….”
Pope Benedict’s response was, “It is not my intention today to speak of the difficulties that the ecumenical path has encountered and continues to encounter. Those difficulties are well known to everyone here. Rather, I wish to join you in giving thanks for the deep friendship that has grown between us and for the remarkable progress that has been made in so many areas of dialogue during the 40 years that have elapsed since the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission began its work. Let us entrust the fruits of that work to the Lord of the harvest, confident that he will bless our friendship with further significant growth…. Ecumenical cooperation remains essential and will surely bear fruit in promoting peace and harmony in a world that so often seems at risk of fragmentation. We Christians must never hesitate to proclaim our faith in the uniqueness of the salvation won for us by Christ and to explore together a deeper understanding of the means he has placed at our disposal for attaining that salvation.…”
Pope Benedict’s final words to Archbishop Williams captures the desire of all those who long for the restoration of unity among Catholics and Anglicans: “Your Grace, in that same spirit of friendship, let us renew our determination to pursue the goal of unity in faith, hope and love, in accordance with the will of our one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
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