An extraordinary visit
Benedict XVI's trip to the United Kingdom
recalled by the Archbishop of Westminster
by Mons. Vincent Nichols
Translated from the August-September 2010 issue of
As soon as Pope Benedict's apostolic trip to the United Kingdom came to an end, we started to receive messages of joy and gratitude from everywhere in the world.
It was well known that for us in Great Britain, it was a visit of particular importance and encouragement, but also an event of worldwide significance. And indeed, we got messages from the farthest places, from Bangladesh, Buenos Aires, Peru and New Zealand simply to share our joy.
Many congratulated those who took part in preparing the visit, but we are all aware that the real success was the effect of incessant prayer.
Obviously, it was necesssary to organize all the events, great and small, but
the effect of touching the hearts of millions belongs to quite a different order of things: the order of grace as the outcome of unending prayer for the Holy Father by the entire Church.
An indelible memory of the visit is the intensity and spontaneous expression of love and joy with which the Pope was greeted. I had the privilege of going through the streets of London with the Pope. And there were more than 200,000 people on Saturday evening
[enroute to the prayer at Hyde Park], not to mention the great crowds present the day before
[for the Pope's visit to Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall].
There was a continuous explosion of joy and enthusiasm as the Holy Father passed through. Faces were radiant and hearts inspired by his presence. It was the same on that first extraordinary day of his visit in Scotland.
The more formal moments were distinguished by the same atmosphere. Her Majesty the Queen, who had issued the official invitation for the Pope to visit the United Kingdom for this state visit, was radiant. The political leaders who came to the Archbishop's Palce to meet him were all smiles afterwards.
But above all, I will never forget the warmth of the reception for him in that most solemn of places, Westminister Hall, by an extraordinary gathering of representatives of British social and political life.
It was surprising to see the applause and the smiles which accompanied the Holy Father throughout his long and slow procession up the length of the Great Hall.
And if the welcome for the Holy Father and the reactions he inspired were truly splendid, equally memorable were the message and example that he himself conveyed, and which deserve our most careful consideration.
The Pope came to sustain and reinforce the place occupied by faith in God in our pluralistic society. He came to underscore the richness of our Christian traditions and the danger of minimizing and marginalizing these.
I believe his message has been heard. I believe that the regular folk understood the importance of his words. I believe that all who were gathered in Westminster Hall were sincerely struck by the depth and precision of his discourse.
The Pope had presented the crucial question in the following terms: "If the moral principles underpinning the democratic process are themselves determined by nothing more solid than social consensus, then the fragility of the process becomes all too evident".
He went on to analyze the role of faith and reason, which is to furnish a solid ethical basis for political decisions. He said clearly: "Religion... is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation". An argument that everyone should reflect upon with great attention.
I believe that the Holy Father has offered a truly significant contribution to our history, to the way in which we speak and with which we occupy ourselves about our future.
In his farewell address, the Prime Minister had extremely warm words for the Holy Father. =He called the visit 'a great honor for our nation'. He assured the Pope that "faith is part of the fabric of our nation. It always has been and always will be", adding, "You have challenged the entire nation to pause and reflect".
The visit will have many consequences in the long run. There will most probably be closer collaboration between the Holy See and our government in facing some of the great problems of the world: poverty, the lack of primary instruction, care of the environment, and the battle against diseases.
We too have much to learn from the visit. I think the Holy Father has taught us how to present our faith to a society that is so complex. We should learn to do what he did in a way that is careful and consistent.
He was kind and courteous to all he met. He was sincere. He was respectful of all those he spoke with, acknowledging our concerns as well as our gains. He spoke with clarity and good sense, without fear of confronting thorny issues, rather treating them with attention and sensitivity.
He did not dwell on the exigencies of religious belief, but acknowledged how reason and faith can be integrated and correct each other. He has offered us a model that we must follow. The Holy Father intervened in many of the fundamental fields of dialog to which we ought to commit ourselves.
He spent time to pray and talk with Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. They prayed together, and together they addressed their bishops and the great assembly in Westminster Abbey.
The Holy Father met with important representatives of other faiths and religions - who are leaders in their respective societies as well as spiritual leaders.
He met with ministrants, cleaners and cooks; with policemen and employees; with teachers and religious men and women.
He presented himself with an open heart and conquered the hearts of everyone. The motto chosen for the visit could not have been more appropriate: 'Heart speaks unto heart'.
I believe he also showed us what should be at the heart of the Christian witness that we bear. In his homily at Westminster Cathedral, he said that we must, first of all, bear witness to the beauty of holiness.
In my opinion, it was largely the beauty of the liturgical celebrations during the visit that made it so fascinating. The moments of silence that characterized each of them were so pure!
Who could ever forget the intensity of silence among the 80,000 gathered in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament at Hyde Park? That silence was golden, beautiful and profoundly fulfilling.
The Pope also said that we should bear witness to the goodness and the attractiveness of the faith - to 'the splendor of truth'. It is an approach that is so different from that which understands truth as something to be presented in a forced and rigid manner! Truth has its own fascination.
Thirdly, he asked us to bear witness to "the joy and the freedom that arise from a relationship with Christ". Obviously, joy and freedom come from the experience of being forgiven and healed, an experience that we undergo most clearly through the sacraments of the Church. The Blood of Christ is our salvation and the source of our freedom and joy.
The climax of the visit was, of course, the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. The ceremony in Cofton park was stupendous. All those who had learned to love Blessed John Henry through his writings, his poetry or his ministry as a parish priest, were overcome with joy at this event. And now we have an English parish priest who is Blessed. What a privilege and source of inspiration!
We thank God for the miracle of this extraordinary visit. We look forward to the months and years ahead, during which we shall assimilate the graces and the teachings from this marvelous apostolic visit.
Here's a concrete - and bright - pastoral spin-off from the papal visit. The news item dates from two weeks ago, but I came across it because tomorrow's isue of the OR carries an item about the planned Night of Light:
Window light campaign intended to
‘reclaim’ Halloween as a Christian holiday
London, Oct 14, 2010 (CNA).- In an international effort to “reclaim” Halloween as a “joyful” Christian celebration, a founder of a U.K.-based Catholic community has asked Christians to place a light in their window on Oct. 31 as a sign of their faith.
Damian Stayne, founder of the community Cor et Lumen Christi (Heart and Light of Christ), said the “Night of Light” initiative will take place on the vigil of the Feast of All Saints, when Catholics celebrate “the glory of God in His saints, the victory of light over darkness in the lives of God's holy ones in heaven.” Jesus is the “Light of the World” by whom the saints lived and became a beacon to their generation, he explained.
Sayne said that in many countries, prayer gatherings and children’s celebrations are being organized and participants are encouraged to place a light in their window in order to “visibly witness to neighbors and friends.”
This will show passersby that their household is Christian and that Christ is their light, organizers said. They suggested participants in the “Night of Light” also attend a vigil Mass for the Feast of All Saints, spend a night adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, or provide treats and fun for children by lighting a bonfire or dressing up as saints.
“Everyone is called by Jesus to live out this vocation - to be the ‘light of the world’ for others today,” Sayne continued.
The “Night of Light” event has taken place before, but this year it has established a partnership with the Home Mission Desk of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBEW). Organizers are presenting it as a follow-up activity for the papal visit to the U.K.
Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton, chair of the CBEW’s Department for Evangelization and Catechesis, said Halloween is now the biggest commercial festival after Christmas and Easter and Christians need a reminder of its true nature.
“The celebration of feast days is an important part of our Catholic culture. On the evening of 31st October why not do something to make your faith respectfully seen and heard? Light a candle or display publicly another kind of light, for example, perhaps alongside an image of Christ.”
The bishop suggested this could be a “powerful way” to show Christians’ hope in “someone other than ourselves.”
“The light will provoke questions and is a way that people can be signposted to goodness. I encourage everyone to participate,” Bishop Conry commente
[A welcome positive contribution from Bishop Conry after he pubicly criticized the papal Mass held in Westminster Cathedral on Sept.18 for 'using too much Latin'. He obviously has no interest in following Benedict's liturgies, in which the prayers in the Canon of the Mass are always said in Latin now.]
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 28/10/2010 19:36]