HOLY FATHER'S STATE VISIT TO BRITAIN SEPTEMBER 2010

More articles and photos about today's events are on the previous page.


Vatican spokesman pleased with crowd of 100,000 in Edinburgh

Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Sep 16, 2010 / 11:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- “We couldn't desire a better start” for the Pope's visit to the U.K., said Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, referring to the great crowds in Edinburgh. The Pope spent the morning at the queen's residence, but the thousands were able to see him traveling to and from the palace.

Pope Benedict XVI was met by what locals estimated to be 100,000 people on Princes St. in central Edinburgh as he made his way to the queen's residence on Thursday morning. Among the throng were 1,000 bagpipers who accompanied the Holy Father in a parade.

Upon arriving at the palace, the Pope gave his state welcome, encouraging British leaders to be a force for good. In her speech, Queen Elizabeth II highlighted points of cooperation between the Holy See and the U.K., hoping for mutually better understanding through dialogue so that “old suspicions can be transcended and a greater mutual trust established.”

At a press conference following the occasion, the Vatican spokesman described the encounter between the two heads of state as a meeting between families due to the warm atmosphere in the Palace of Holyrood House. Their time together consisted of a private meeting along with the queen's husband Prince Philip, introductions to other members of the royal family, a gift exchange and a reception with around 400 guests representing different areas of British life.

Of the mix of members of parliament, education, healthcare and other British officials who were invited, around 120 were able to personally meet the Holy Father as he greeted them one by one.

Following the final reception in the back garden of the expansive estate, which is a former Augustinian monastery, the Holy Father made his way to Cardinal Keith O'Brien's house for lunch as the first scarce raindrops of a cool, but otherwise dry morning began to fall.

Speaking to journalists in the frenetically busy makeshift press office on site, Fr. Lombardi reflecting on the numbers of cheering people in the streets, saying, “We couldn't desire a better beginning for this trip ...”

Pope Benedict’s Historic Voyage to Britain, Day 1

Voyage of Reconciliation Takes Him to Edinburgh and London

BY EDWARD PENTIN, ROME CORRESPONDENT
National Catholic Register
09/16/2010

“It couldn’t have gone better,” said a senior government official as he boarded the plane from Glasgow to London. “Everything went exactly as planned.”

The first and very full day of Pope Benedict XVI’s much anticipated state visit to the United Kingdom has ended and he is currently residing at the apostolic nunciature in Wimbledon, south London.

He landed at Edinburgh, Scotland, airport shortly before 10:30 a.m. Sept. 16 and faced a blustery and chilly wind. But the sun was also shining and the Pope looked rested, at peace and happy as he came off the papal plane.

Speaking to journalists on the papal flight, he spoke of his “shock” and “sadness” that priests could abuse children. “How a man who has done this and said this may also fall into this perversion is difficult to understand,” he said. “It is a great sadness, a sadness that even the authority of the Church has not been sufficiently vigilant and not fast or decided enough in taking the necessary measures. Because of all of this, we are in a time of repentance, humility, and renewed sincerity.”

Regarding Britain, he noted its history of anti-Catholicism, but stressed it is also a country “with a great history of tolerance.” He said this made him sure of a positive reception from “Catholics, from believers in general, and attention from those who seek, as we move forward in our time, mutual respect and tolerance.”

Almost defiantly, he added: “Where there is anti-Catholicism I will go forward with great courage and joy.”

And that he did. The Pope’s was smiling constantly as he met Queen Elizabeth II and toured the Royal Palace of Holyroodhouse. His speech after the queen received him in private audience also set the mood for this truly historic visit, and contained themes that will doubtless be repeated over the next three days.

The Pope is in Britain essentially as a man of reconciliation, to bring the Church and state and their joint Christian heritage closer together. It is also a visit that aims to further the path towards Christian unity. He spoke movingly of Britain’s contribution to the world, stressing that the good the nation has achieved owes itself to the country’s “deep Christian roots.” He praised Britain’s resistance to Nazi tyranny, its achievements in reaching peace in Northern Ireland, and the country’s “key role” politically and economically on the international stage.

But he also criticized “aggressive secularism,” and warned of its dangers. “As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the 20th century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus to a reductive vision of the person and his destiny,” he said. It was an unveiled matching of radical atheism with the tyrannies of the past, something to which the Pope, who suffered as a child under the Nazis, is particularly sensitive.

He also directed a few words at the country’s media that has often been particularly hostile to this visit, and to the Holy Father personally.

“The British media have a graver responsibility than most and a greater opportunity to promote the peace of nations, the integral development of peoples and the spread of authentic human rights,” he said.

Queen Elizabeth is also well aware of the Pope’s benevolent intentions on this trip. In her speech, Elizabeth II, who is also the supreme governor of the Anglican Church of England, noted that Benedict’s presence “reminds us of our common Christian heritage” and the Catholic Church’s contribution to good in the world. She also stressed the importance of dialogue and that Britain and the Pope “stand united” in the conviction that “religions can never become vehicles of hatred.”

A reception and a trip in the popemobile through the streets of Edinburgh followed, with what the police estimate were 100,000 people lining the streets of Edinburgh and cheering him on. Later he celebrated Mass in front of a very lively crowd of tens of thousands of pilgrims who had gathered at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow. The festive and warm atmosphere surprised many who were anticipating a low turnout.

“It’s wonderful and we as Scots feel very privileged that the Pope has come here,” said pilgrim Alice Boyle who was also at the same venue when John Paul II visited in 1982. “The atmosphere is as good as it was then,” she said.

Most cast aside the protests and controversies over the visit. “They’re given too much airtime, and no one here pays attention to them,” said pilgrim Tom Emans, although he added that his non-Catholic friends were indifferent to the visit and some quite hostile to it.

In his homily, the Holy Father stressed the importance of Christian evangelization, saying it “is all the more important” at a time “when a “dictatorship of relativism” threatens to obscure the unchanging truth about man’s nature, his destiny and his ultimate good.” He noted that some want to exclude religious belief from public discourse, but he added that religion is in fact “a guarantee of authentic liberty and respect, leading us to look upon every person as a brother or sister.”

He also had words for the young. “There are many temptations placed before you every day — drugs, money, sex, pornography, alcohol — which the world tells you will bring you happiness, yet these things are destructive and divisive,” he said. But he added “there is only one thing which lasts: the love of Jesus Christ personally for each one of you.”

After Mass, the Pope was driven in a motorcade to Glasgow airport and a flight to London after a very full schedule. Another historic day awaits him tomorrow, one in which he’ll deliver a speech in the heart of Westminster, the place where St. Thomas More, the patron saint of politicians, was tried and condemned by King Henry VIII for holding to Christian principles in the face of state opposition.

For this reason, and the overall Catholic and state symbolism of the venue, it’s being billed as one of the most important addresses of his pontificate.

Hello, London
Sure, we might never see B16 captured using a computer... but tonight, a major victory for technology's progress in the church: a shot of Il Papa with a printer.

After an exuberant day in Scotland that elegantly mixed church and state -- before crowd-estimates of some 70,000 for the Glasgow Mass and over 120,000 flocking to see the Popemobile down Edinburgh's Royal Mile -- the Pope arrived in England after 9pm local time, heading immediately from Heathrow Airport to his residence for the next three nights: the Nunciature (Vatican embassy) to the Court of St James, located in London's Wimbledon section, literally a backhand away from tennis' most sacred turf, the All-England Club. (The visitor's shown above at a window of his temporary digs, greeting the onlookers who showed up.)

Tomorrow's program takes place in two parts -- first, a morning sprint beginning at 10am with the "world of Catholic education" in Britain, followed by a meeting with religious leaders, both of which will include speeches.

The afternoon, however, brings the day's three-part centrepiece: Benedict's 4pm trek to Lambeth Palace to visit with the archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams; the much-anticipated Westminster Hall speech an hour later, then the 6pm Evensong alongside the Anglican primate in Westminster Abbey. All three events will see further PopeTalks -- a total haul that, with five "full" discourses in all, comprises this visit's most prolific day as words go.

All times above are UK local (five hours ahead of the East, eight of the West); here's your livestream, and don't forget the Visit Missal -- which includes the prayer-texts to be used at the education meeting, in a brief rite at Lambeth and, above all, at the Abbey Vespers.

Hope you're all enjoying things so far... for all the rest, as always, stay tuned.

PHOTO: AP(1); Getty(2)

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POSTED BY ROCCO PALMO AT 20:50

Pope Benedict XVI is my hero.. as well as Celtic boss Neil Lennon, says brave cancer boy Anton, 9

By Craig McDonald
DailyRecord.co.uk
Sept. 17, 2010

THE little boy who asked the Pope to bless him and "make his cancer go to sleep" got his wish last night.

And brave nine-year-old Anton McManus said Benedict was his hero - along with Celtic boss Neil Lennon.

The Record told yesterday how Anton wrote to the Pope before his visit to Scotland to ask for his blessing.

And just minutes after yesterday's papal Mass at Glasgow's Bellahouston Park, Anton and his parents were taken to meet the Holy Father.

The Pope blessed Anton, kissed him and patted him tenderly on the shoulder as mum Tammi, 33, and dad Kevin, 35, looked on in tears.

Tammi, of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, said: "We can't thank the Pope enough.

"We didn't know exactly what to say or do - it was just a special off-the-cuff moment and a very humbling one as well."

Anton, overwhelmed by all the attention, could only say: "I have my suit and tie on. The Pope blessed me and I prayed for him to make my cancer go to sleep."

But earlier, the youngster was beside himself at the thought of meeting Benedict.

He said: "It's the best day of my life."

And when asked who his hero was, he replied: "Neil Lennon and now the Pope."

He was too excited to say any more. He only wanted to play with his big sister, 11-year-old Rebecca.

Anton decided to ask the Pope to help him after he heard his Primary Four classmates at St Vincent's Primary in East Kilbride talking about Benedict's visit.

He took three-and-a-half hours to write a heartfelt letter to the Vatican.

And just 24 hours before Benedict's arrival in Scotland, Church officials told the family that Anton's plea for a blessing would be granted.

Anton's cancer is now in remission but he is frightened it will come back one day, and hopes Pope Benedict can help keep it away.

He told us: "If anyone can stop my disease returning, it is God."

Doctors found a tumour on Anton's spine when he was only four. He went through 14 chemotherapy sessions and endured 25 bouts of radiotherapy.

Because his spine was affected, Anton suffered partial paralysis on his right side. And his treatment weakened the bones in his neck and caused them to snap, leaving him unable to move his head from side to side.

Surgeons transplanted two of his ribs to his neck, and he has two metal rods and 10 screws in his body, "He was lucky to make it through," Tammi said. "We just hope this blessing will keep the cancer at bay."

Pope Benedict also blessed 18-month-old Alexander Frame, who has an incurable genetic disorder called neuroaxonal dystrophy.

The blessing was a dream come true for the tot's mum Kathleen and dad Allan.

Allan, a car salesman from Glasgow, said: "This means so much to my wife and I. To be able to have Alexander blessed by the Pope is really special to us and the whole family.

"Alexander has brought a lot of joy to us. It will get harder in the future as the doctors say at some stage he will go into a persistent vegetative state.

"I suppose what we are really praying for is a miracle."

Alexander's blessing was arranged by the Bishop of Paisley, Philip Tartaglia, who worked frantically over the last few days to make it happen.

Allan told the Record on Wednesday: "We can't thank him enough."

Cerebral palsy sufferer Rosemarie Stevenson yesterday became one of just a handful of people to receive Communion from two Pontiffs in her own country.

Rosemarie, now 36, was lifted to the altar as a child to be given Communion by John Paul II during his 1982 Mass at Bellahouston Park.

This time, she was helped up the staircase to the stage, but insisted on walking the final few steps towards the Pope.

Fr. Lombardi: Vatican entourage calm despite possible terrorist plot

London, England, Sep 17, 2010 / 10:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy Father and those accompanying him on the U.K. trip are "totally calm" in spite of the news that five arrests were made because of a possible terrorist plot. Fr. Federico Lombardi said that the trip will go on as before.

On the second day of the U.K. papal visit, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said things continue to go "very well." He spoke to journalists gathered at St. Mary's University College about the morning's events.

Reviewing the meeting with religious in the university chapel, the outdoor encounter with several thousand youth that had great reach across Britain and the meeting of 200 interfaith leaders, Fr. Lombardi said that the Pope is "very pleased" with how things went.

BBC had broken the story earlier in the day that five non-British citizens were arrested under suspicion of planning a terrorist act. Speculation continues to circulate on whether or not the Pope was the object of their plans.

Answering questions from the media about the arrest, he said he has "no idea" if there is a link between them and the visit. Asked by reporters why Vatican officials were told about it if it has nothing to do with the trip, he responded that "it is normal" for them to be informed about possible speculations so they can respond to the press.

He said, "we don't have any particular preoccupation, we are totally calm. The Pope is happy and we go on with the same joy as before."

Alexander DesForges of the U.K.'s Catholic Communications Network added that it "is important not to make the link," that there are ongoing investigations since the arrests this morning, and that they have "absolute confidence in the police security operation to protect the Pope and the public.

"Meanwhile, wherever the Pope has been he has been warmly welcomed, as Fr. Lombardi has said, he is very calm."

The Vatican spokesman urged the press forward to the important ecumenical events on Friday afternoon to be followed be Pope Benedict's meeting with British society in Westminster hall.

He encourage the press to be "very attentive" and to try to take in completely the Pope's "fundamental speech" at Westminster Hall, which he called "one of the main points of this visit."

from today in twickenham......


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What a happy looking Papa! Thanks for the pics, benedetto.fan. Keep 'em coming! I am SO glad nobody cut his hair before this trip.

Below is a story that I can't believe is real. What a lucky woman!


Of babies and beans on toast

by Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
Posted on September 17, 2010

LONDON — When the pope travels, the Vatican and the host government and local church prepare an incredibly detailed schedule. It’s as if everything is scripted.

Even if Pope Benedict XVI does not appear to be as spontaneous as Pope John Paul II was, unscripted moments are always part of the program.

Today, the pope had lunch and a rest at the Vatican nunciature in London’s Wimbledon neighborhood. Before the pope left to drive into town to meet the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, television cameras outside the nunciature showed a woman coming out the front door with a child.

The woman, an Anglican, told reporters she was babysitting her granddaughter and just stopped by the nunciature to see what was going on. The police waved her in and she and the baby met the pope.

There could be serious envy further along the papal motorcade route. Right near Westminster Abbey, where the pope is expected in a few hours, there is a woman holding a colorful sign saying, “We love U papa more than beans on toast.”

(In culinary terms, beans on toast is a VERY popular British comfort food.)

Pope, Anglican archbishop call for common Christian witness

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
Sept. 17, 2010

LONDON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI and Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury knelt together before the tomb of an 11th-century Christian king after affirming the need for Catholics and Anglicans to give a united witness to society.

St. Edward the Confessor, who is buried in the Anglicans' Westminster Abbey, reigned five centuries before English Christians became divided.

The pope and the primate of the Church of England paid homage together to the Christian king Sept. 17 at the end of an afternoon that included public speeches, a 30-minute private meeting and a joint ecumenical prayer service in Westminster Abbey.

Archbishop Williams welcomed Pope Benedict as the first pope ever to visit Westminster Abbey, which was home to a community of Catholic Benedictine monks until 1540 when King Henry VIII dissolved the monastic community.

Beginning in the afternoon with a visit to Lambeth Palace, the archbishop's residence, the pope told Anglican and Catholic bishops that he did not intend to discuss the difficulties the two communities have encountered on the path toward full unity, but rather to recognize the progress made in ecumenical relations and to encourage closer cooperation for the good of British society.

In his talk to the pope and bishops, Archbishop Williams made similar points, emphasizing particularly the need for Christians to give their neighbors concrete examples of what it means to live a faith- and hope-filled life.

Speaking in the library of Lambeth Palace before having tea with Archbishop Williams and his wife, Jane, Pope Benedict said that over the last 50 years society has grown "ever more distant from its Christian roots, despite a widespread hunger for spiritual nourishment."

At the same time, he said, the increasingly multicultural and multireligious makeup of modern societies gives Christians a chance to explore with members of other religions "ways of bearing witness to the transcendent dimension of the human person and the universal call to holiness, leading to the practice of virtue in our personal and social lives."

Still, the pope said, "we Christians must never hesitate to proclaim our faith in the uniqueness of the salvation won for us by Christ."

The ecumenical events were held just two days before Pope Benedict was scheduled to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman, a 19th-century theologian and intellectual who began his ministry as an Anglican and later joined the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict told Archbishop Williams and the others gathered at Lambeth that Cardinal Newman's vision of the church "was nurtured by his Anglican background and matured during his many years of ordained ministry in the Church of England."

"He can teach us the virtues that ecumenism demands: On the one hand, he was moved to follow his conscience, even at great personal cost; and on the other hand, the warmth of his continued friendship with his former colleagues" led them to explore the questions they differed on, "driven by a deep longing for unity in faith," the pope said.

Archbishop Williams told the pope and bishops that in 1845 when Cardinal Newman "finally decided that he must follow his conscience and seek his future in serving God in communion with the See of Rome," one of his closest Anglican friends "wrote a moving meditation on this 'parting of friends' in which he said of the separation between Anglicans and Roman Catholics: 'It is what is unholy on both sides that keeps us apart.'"

The archbishop said Catholics and Anglicans may not reach full unity quickly, "but no obstacles stand in the way of our seeking, as a matter of joyful obedience to the Lord, more ways in which to build up one another in holiness by prayer and public celebration together, by closer friendship" and by working together to help the poor and to spread the Gospel.

Arriving at Lambeth, Pope Benedict got out of his car with both his arms extended to greet the archbishop, who was waiting with a big smile. The two embraced and kissed each other on both cheeks.

A joint statement issued after the pope and archbishop's private meeting said, "They affirmed the need to proclaim the Gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ, both in a reasoned and convincing way in the contemporary context of profound cultural and social transformation, and in lives of holiness and transparency to God."

It also said, "They agreed on the importance of improving ecumenical relations and continuing theological dialogue in the face of new challenges to unity from within the Christian community and beyond it."

During evening prayer in Westminster Abbey, which included Methodists and Presbyterians as well as other Christians, the pope said that in a society "increasingly indifferent or even hostile to the Christian message," Christians must learn how to articulate together the reasons they believe and why faith in Christ fills them with hope.

At the same time, Pope Benedict said, the desire to present a united witness cannot mean that Christians take shortcuts to unity.

"Fidelity to the word of God, precisely because it is a true word, demands of us an obedience which leads us together to a deeper understanding of the Lord's will, an obedience which must be free of intellectual conformism or facile accommodation to the spirit of the age," he said.

In major speech, pope lays out vision of religion's role in public life

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
Sept. 17, 2010

LONDON (CNS) -- In a major address to British cultural and political leaders, Pope Benedict XVI warned that Christianity risks being marginalized in Western societies and said the "voice of religion" must be heard in the public square.

The pope's speech Sept. 17 laid out his vision of how religious belief can influence the political process and preserve the ethical principles necessary for true democracy. Religion, he said, is "not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation."

The German pontiff addressed about 2,000 leading figures in politics, business, the arts and diplomacy in Westminster Hall, a site rich in church-state history. State trumpeters greeted the pope with a fanfare, and he was escorted into the hall by the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, whose official duties include the welcoming of outside guests.

An ovation filled the hall as the pope, wearing a red cape, took the podium and delivered a speech televised across the country.

The pope recalled that Westminster Hall was where St. Thomas More, the 16th-century English scholar and statesman, was sentenced to death for opposing King Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church. He said the saint's trial underscored a perennial question about how much governments can impose upon citizens and their religious beliefs.

Modern democracies, he said, face a particular challenge: making sure that fundamental moral principles are not determined by mere social consensus.

The pope said the church teaches that the ethical foundations for political choices can be found through reason; the church does not dictate these norms as religious truths, but it does promote them in a "corrective" role, he said.

This contribution of religion is not always accepted, he said, in part because "distortions of religion" like fundamentalism are seen as creating serious social problems. But he said reason, too, can fall prey to distortions, as when it is manipulated by ideology.

In short, he said, the world of reason and faith need each other, and their relationship is a "two-way process."

Pope Benedict then turned to the present and warned about what he called "the increasing marginalization of religion, particularly of Christianity," which he said is occurring even in countries that have a reputation for tolerance.

He said there are some who argue, for example, that Christmas should not be publicly celebrated because it might somehow offend those of other religions or of no religion. He also complained of a failure to appreciate freedom of conscience and the legitimate role of religion in public debate.

Some, he said, openly advocate that "the voice of religion be silenced, or at least relegated to the purely private sphere." On the contrary, religion and politics need to be in dialogue, he said, and one step in that direction was the "unprecedented invitation extended to me today."

In his speech, the pope was returning to a favorite theme, one he has written and spoken about for years. At Westminster, to better drive his points home, he connected these arguments with some real-life situations -- including a pointed reference to the U.S. banking bailout over the past two years.

The pope said it was clear that global poverty requires fresh thinking and firm financial commitments by richer countries in order to improve living conditions in areas such as family support, jobs, clean water, education and health care.

"Where human lives are concerned, time is always short: Yet the world has witnessed the vast resources that governments can draw upon to rescue financial institutions deemed 'too big to fail.' Surely the integral development of the world's peoples is no less important: Here is an enterprise, worthy of the world's attention, that is truly 'too big to fail,'" he said.

The pope said the global economic crisis, which has severely impacted millions of people, reveals the inadequacy of pragmatic, short-term solutions to problems caused in part by "the lack of a solid ethical foundation for economic activity."

The pope also offered an example of where ethical and moral influences have brought about a notable achievement: the abolition of the slave trade by the British Parliament in 1807.

In Westminster Hall, which is part of the Parliament complex, the pope said that "the angels looking down on us from the magnificent ceiling" were a reminder of the traditional religious element in British democracy.

"They remind us that God is constantly watching over us to guide and protect us. And they summon us to acknowledge the vital contribution that religious belief has made and can continue to make to the life of the nation," he said.

Among those welcoming the pope was House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, who spoke of a "healthy tension" in the relationship between church and state in Great Britain, including robust debate on social, scientific and sexual issues.

Bercow endorsed one of the pope's main points when he said: "Faith is not a relic, either in political discourse or in modern society, but is embedded in its fabric."

Before leaving, the pope briefly greeted a number of dignitaries, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who became a Catholic after leaving office three years ago.

Holy Father addresses 'question' of existence


London, England, Sep 17, 2010 / 12:19 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Following the recent claim by U.K. physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking that the universe “created itself from nothing,” the Holy Father spoke about “the most important question” of existence on Friday. Addressing interfaith leaders, the Pontiff explained that religion operates on “another level” than science in the question of explaining human existence.

The Holy Father spoke to leaders from Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh traditions present for an inter-religious meeting on Friday morning. There was a visible mutual respect and warmth between the leaders, especially the Pope and the two other speakers, Dr. Khaled Azzam, a school director and Muslim, and Chief Rabbi Baron Sacks of Aldgate.

In his address, the Pope told all present that he appreciated their commitment to religion at a time "when religious convictions are not always understood or appreciated.

"The presence of committed believers in various fields of social and economic life speaks eloquently of the fact that the spiritual dimension of our lives is fundamental to our identity as human beings, that man, in other words, does not live by bread alone," he said.

Noting the importance of cooperation and dialogue to all the religions, he said that all are in search of an answer to the "most important question of all - the question concerning the ultimate meaning of our human existence."

The initiative for this "adventure," he said, "lies not with us, but with the Lord: it is not so much we who are seeking him, but rather he who is seeking us, indeed it was he who placed that longing for him deep within our hearts."

Observing that human and natural sciences provide humanity with "invaluable understanding of aspects of our existence and they deepen our grasp of the workings of the physical universe," he emphasized that "these disciplines do not and cannot answer the fundamental question, because they operate on another level altogether."

"They cannot satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart, they cannot fully explain to us our origin and our destiny, why and for what purpose we exist, nor indeed can they provide us with an exhaustive answer to the question, 'Why is there something rather than nothing?'"

This takes nothing away from the scope of human investigation, noted the Pope. "On the contrary, it places them in a context which magnifies their importance, as ways of responsibly exercising our stewardship over creation."

In Genesis, he pointed out, one can read of God entrusting mankind with "the task of exploring and harnessing the mysteries of nature in order to serve a higher good," when he says, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it."

This higher good, he explained, is the love for God and neighbor in the Christian faith, from which inspiration is drawn to "engage with the world wholeheartedly and enthusiastically."

But, he added, this is always done "with a view to serving that higher good, lest we disfigure the beauty of creation by exploiting it for selfish purposes."

"So," said the Pope, "that genuine religious belief points us beyond present utility towards the transcendent. It reminds us of the possibility and the imperative of moral conversion, of the duty to live peaceably with our neighbor, of the importance of living a life of integrity."

"Properly understood, it brings enlightenment, it purifies our hearts and it inspires noble and generous action, to the benefit of the entire human family. It motivates us to cultivate the practice of virtue and to reach out towards one another in love, with the greatest respect for religious traditions different from our own."

BENEDICT XVI UNDAUNTED BY ALLEGED ATTACK

Holy See Expresses Confidence in British Police

LONDON, SEPT. 17, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is continuing his planned itinerary for the present U.K. visit, despite the news that the British police arrested six suspects thought to be organizing a terrorist attack.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, explained that despite these threats, "the Pope is happy about this trip and is calm." The four-day visit began Thursday.

The Vatican spokesman described the Holy Father's attitude by recalling what the Pontiff said to journalists on the plane en route to the United Kingdom: "I go forward with great courage and joy."

A communiqué issued by the Scotland Yard, the police headquarters, explained that "at approximately 5:45 a.m. today, Sept. 17, 2010, five men were arrested by officers from the [Metropolitan Police Service] Counter Terrorism Command on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism."

It reported that "the men, aged 26, 27, 36, 40, and 50, were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 at business premises in central London." Later in the day, a sixth man, 29, was arrested at his home.

"Today's arrests were made after police received information," the communiqué stated. "Following initial inquiries by detectives a decision was made to arrest the five men."

The police statement continued: "Following today's arrests the policing arrangements for the Papal visit were reviewed and we are satisfied that our current policing plan remains appropriate.

"The itinerary was not changed. There is no change to the United Kingdom threat level."

A spokesman of the Westminster City Council explained that the suspects are employees of a private cleaning firm in charge of the city's streets.

Father Lombardi said, "We are fully confident in the police; it is not necessary to change the program."

He added, "The police are taking the necessary measures; the situation is not particularly dangerous."

MORE CHEERS THAN JEERS FOR POPE'S LONDON VISIT

Day 3 of UK Trip the Most Intense, Significant

By Edward Pentin

LONDON, SEPT. 17, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Today was the most intense and historically significant of the Pope's state visit to Britain.

The Holy Father made six speeches that addressed teachers, students, inter-faith and ecumenical leaders, and civil and political leaders at the Houses of Parliament.

His speech at Westminster Hall, delivered shortly after 5 p.m., will form the core of the state visit. Crowds cheered him on as he made this short journey by popemobile to St. Stephen' s Gate, the entrance to the Palace of Westminster, sometimes referred to as the mother of all parliaments.

On arrival he was met by John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, a position once held by St. Thomas More, the patron saint of politicians who was tried and condemned in Westminster Hall. A fanfare by the State Trumpeters heralded the Pope' s arrival in the chamber.

As the Speaker reminded those present in his welcome speech, this was the first ever visit by the Successor of Peter to the British parliament -- a fact which on its own holds historical significance and would have been "inconceivable" not long ago.

In the Holy Father' s speech, delivered in front of Britain's four former Prime Ministers, Church leaders and heads of other faiths, the Pope revisited a theme close to his heart: the importance of faith and reason. He spoke of "worrying signs" that the faith is being marginalized in society and stressed the role that religion plays in helping lawmakers discover "moral principles."

He praised Britain' s role in international development, but recalled how some financial institutions were "too big to fail," leading to the spending of vast resources to prevent them from doing so. Benedict stressed that human development of the world' s peoples was no less important -- an "enterprise, worthy of the world's attention, that is truly 'too big to fail.'"

His speech was essentially an application of his social encyclical Caritas in Veritate, a reminder that "every economic decision has a moral consequence," but taking it further and applying it to the political sphere. It was, as one commentator put it, "a rallying call, and a plea -- for religion not to be squeezed out by secular society."

His reception by politicians in Westminster Hall was impressive. "No one could have guessed the warmth they showed him," said Father Christopher Jamison, until recently the Abbot of Worth Abbey in Sussex. "His speech was very significant for the country." It was also well timed. The new coalition government is embracing the role of faith in society, with one minister saying recently that the new administration "does God."

The Pope's first day in London began with a private Mass at the nunciature where the Pope is residing. He first made a visit to St. Mary's University College in Twickenham, a respected Catholic teacher training college, where he was greeted by a large number of excitable schoolchildren. He spoke of the importance of wisdom in teaching; he invited students of Catholic schools to become saints, and to enter into a relationship with God rather than follow a celebrity culture, fame or merely wealth.

The Holy Father then met interreligious leaders, during which news broke that 6 people had been arrested by London police on suspicion of hatching a plot to attack the Pope. The Holy Father was informed of the news during the morning. Father Federico Lombardi played down the news, saying the situation wasn't "particularly dangerous."

A lunch at the apostolic nunciature and short rest was followed by a motorcade through London to Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of the archbishop of Canterbury. After the Westminster Hall speech, a final moment of history was made when the Pope prayed with the archbishop of Canterbury at the tomb of St. Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey, a church he had had constructed.

100% with the Pope

The atmosphere around Westminster was lively throughout the day, with the faithful voicing their support for the Holy Father amid a few protestors who tried to drown out the cheers with boos. They didn't succeed. Too many well-wishers lining the barricades were voicing their support: One group of women from the Neocatechumenal way sang "Alleluia," while others held placards that read: "We Love U Pope" and "We Are With U 100% Papa."
Around 30 campaigners for women priests had gathered at Lambeth Palace while Benedict XVI was meeting the archbishop of Canterbury. Among them was homosexual rights campaigner Peter Tatchell who has been one of the leaders of the "Protest the Pope" campaign. After all the media attention they have attracted, Tatchell was playing down talk of large protests saying he now only expected small groups.

But for all of Tatchell' s militancy, he is not completely closed to dialogue. He told me he understood where the Pope was coming from on issues he disagrees with; he just believes he' s wrong. Yet he says he supports religious liberty and even protested on behalf of the Church in favour of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia.

Arguably a harder group of protestors to deal with were the Free Church Protestants. A group of mostly elderly members of the Protestant Truth Society had gathered outside Westminster Abbey to shout at the Pope. To all my questions about whether they were willing to listen to the Pope, open to reading his works, or coming together on common values, the answer was a straight: "No."

But the mood was good-humoured with plenty of banter between them and passing Catholic priests. A large sign saying "No Popery" was unravelled to which an English priest gave a hearty cheer and took a picture. "Good to see good some old fashioned Protestants here!" he joked.

Many of the Catholics in the crowd holding flags and banners said they were delighted so far with how the visit has gone. The consensus is that the turnout has been good and there's been a great sense of enthusiasm among the faithful.

The kindness of Anglicans has also not gone unnoticed. "They have been extremely generous and gracious," said Father Jamison.

Benedict in Britain: We get it, we've got it, let's share it

By John L Allen Jr
National Catholic Reporter
Created Sep 17, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI is midway through his trip to the United Kingdom, and so far reaction has been all over the map, from wild enthusiasm among devotees, to overt hostility among determined protestors, to benign indifference in a broad swath of secular society. Of course, the pope always evokes a range of opinions, but they’re rarely on full public view as they are here.

Predictions of disaster in the run-up to the trip have largely failed to materialize, in part because Benedict XVI is simply a more gracious and kindly figure than his stern public image suggests, in part because Benedict has once again dialed up his “Affirmative Orthodoxy,” striking a deliberately positive tone. Within minutes of his arrival, he had told Queen Elizabeth II that Britain should be proud of its Christian and humanitarian traditions and praised the Northern Ireland peace agreement, and this German pope even thanked the British for standing up to the Nazis.

Yet dissent still dogs the visit, which was clear this evening outside Westminster Abbey. A large throng of pilgrims lustily sang hymns in an attempt to drown out an assortment of protestors, including advocates for victims of priestly sexual abuse, radical Evangelicals who regard the pope as the anti-Christ, and secularists who have a truckload of objections to the pope’s position on issues such as abortion and gay marriage. Tomorrow, a major anti-papal march is scheduled in downtown London.

(For the record, some protestors along the way have shown a lively sense of humor. My personal favorite was the guy in Scotland holding a sign that read, “Down with this sort of thing!” Second place goes to the three members of a gay rights group that stood outside a papal meeting with Catholic schools this morning, clad only in tight shorts and golden wings.)

If Benedict doesn’t seem to be winning over his most determined critics, there is some evidence that the PR tide may be turning in his favor. Today, Labor MP Kate Hoey, a liberal who disagrees with the Catholic church on a wide variety of issues, announced that she was fed up with “carping about the trip from atheists with an axe to grind and a book to plug,” and would therefore join a welcoming party for the pope when he visits a center run by the Little Sisters of the Poor in her south London district.

Beyond giving a shot in the arm to the Catholic minority in the U.K., Benedict is trying to reach out this week to three constituencies: all those inside and outside the church scandalized by the sexual abuse crisis; secular society, whose attitudes towards religion range from benign indifference to outright hostility; and the Anglican Communion, whose members often look upon popes generally, and this pope in particular, with deep skepticism.

In a sound-bite, Benedict’s message to each group could be summed up as follows: We get it; we’ve got it; let’s share it.

We Get It

Though the Catholic church in the U.K. has been largely spared the massive sex abuse scandals that have rocked the United States, Ireland, Germany, now Belgium, and other nations, the British press has been relentless in covering the story, and public attitudes show it. A poll commissioned by CNN on the eve of Benedict's trip show that 77 percent of British adults, and 56 percent of British Catholics, believe the pope has not done enough to punish priests guilty of sexual abuse. Only 4 percent of the general British public said he has done enough; the rest said they didn't know.

One expression of that climate of opinion came from a Welshman named Bryan Junor, who came down to London today to hold a banner reading "Abstinence makes the church grow fondlers."

As he has during several past papal trips, Benedict didn't wait to touch down in the U.K. to tackle the sexual abuse crisis. Instead, he chose to take a question on the subject during a brief session with reporters aboard the papal plane.

The pope confessed to "sadness that the authorities of the Church were not sufficiently vigilant and not sufficiently quick and decisive in taking the necessary measures" to combat the crisis. He called the church's commitment to victims its "first priority," promising "material, psychological and spiritual help." He also said that priests who have abused must never again be allowed access to young people, because they suffer from an ilness that cannot be cured with "willpower."

Benedict also expressed personal incomprehension that a priest, who has promised to devote "his entire existence so that the Good Shepherd who loves, helps and guides us to the truth will be present in the world," could then fall into what the pope described as "this perversion of the priestly ministry."

In a more spiritual key, the pope described the sexual abuse crisis as an invitation "to experience precisely a time of penance, a time of humility, and to renew, to learn again, absolute sincerity."

The pope obviously wanted to say all that at the outset, because the Vatican collects questions from reporters in advance and thus allows Benedict a chance to craft his replies.

In a speech to Catholic educators today, Benedict also made a more oblique reference to the crisis, talking about the importance of creating "a safe environment for children and young people."

"Our responsibility toward those entrusted to us for their Christian formation demands nothing less," the pope said.

In terms of persuading the pope's critics, it's not clear his comments will cut much ice. When Benedict came to the United States in April 2008, he hadn't really yet engaged the crisis in a public way, so his candor on that occasion – speaking about it on five occasions, and meeting with victims for the first time – won wide praise, and was largely responsible for making the trip a public relations triumph. A Gallup poll afterwards showed that Benedict got a ten-point bump in his favorability ratings in America, and 60 percent of Americans said the trip had given them a more positive impression of the church.

Now, however, papal expressions of contrition and determination have become more routine, so they don't have the same impact. Critics say we've heard it all before, and what we want is action: for example, accountability for bishops who have mismanaged the crisis, transparent cooperation with police and civil authorities, and a uniform global "zero tolerance" policy.

The Survivor's Network of Those Abused by Priests, the main victims' advocacy group in the States, issued a statement calling Benedict's words "disingenuous." The problem wasn't that the church failed to be fast, SNAP asserted; it moved very fast, they charged, in the wrong direction, covering up the problem rather than facing it.

Yet Benedict's comments at least provided a reasonably positive news day for the pope vis-à-vis the crisis – especially compared to the alternative, which was saying nothing and creating impressions that he was ducking the issue. Benedict's words on the plane also provided talking points to innumerable local Catholic commentators when faced with questions about the crisis.

Whatever one thinks of the pope's policy response, his comments may at least suggest to some skeptical onlookers that he "gets it" in terms of the magnitude of what's happened.

We've Got It

Perhaps the most keenly anticipated speech of Benedict's four-day trip came this afternoon in Westminster Hall, where the pope spoke to political, social and business leaders about the role of faith in politics. The setting was evocative; Westminster Hall is where St. Thomas More, the great English scholar and statesman, was tried and condemned in 1535 for refusing to acknowledge the King as also the head of the church.

Among the other VIPs in attendance were four former British Prime Ministers: Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

In principle, this could have been an explosive address, given the clear differences between the Catholic church and the U.K. on any number of hot-button social issues, from gay marriage to abortion to embryonic stem cell research. Instead, Benedict delivered an "Affirmative Orthodoxy" tour de force. He lauded Britain's legal and political tradition, with its emphasis on individual rights and the separation of powers, as "an inspiration to many across the globe," and said that it shares much common ground with Catholic social teaching.

The heart of the speech was a pitch for constructive dialogue between faith and reason, and therefore between church and state. Reason shorn of faith, he warned, becomes destructive ideology; faith without reason, shades off into a distorted "sectarianism and fundamentalism."

Praising Benedict's democratic tradition, he argued that democracy needs an ethical foundation in order to function successfully.

"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 said.

That, the pope argued, is where religion enters the picture, as a source of values that provide an orientation for public life. He pointed to Britain's role in abolishing the slave trade, a crusade he said was inspired by "ethical principles, rooted in the natural law."

Benedict laid out a laundry list of issues where church and state can work together: curbing the arms trade, spreading democracy, debt relief, fair trade and development, environmental protection, clean water, job creation, education, support to families, immigration, and healthcare.

Defense of the world's poor was a special emphasis, and Benedict used sharp language to drive home the point.

"The world has witnessed the vast resources that governments can draw upon to rescue financial institutions deemed 'too big to fail,'" the pope said. "Surely the integral human development of the world's peoples is no less important."

"Here is an enterprise," he said, "worthy of the world's attention, that is truly 'too big to fail.'"

In order for that cooperation to succeed, the pope argued, political leaders need to see religion not "as a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation." In that context, he warned against "the increasing marginalization of religion, particularly of Christianity," insisting that public expressions of faith such as Christmas festivals should not be discouraged and that Christians in public roles should not be compelled to act against their conscience.

In a phrase, the pope's case for religious faith in a pluralistic culture boiled down to "we've got it" – with the "it" referring to the spiritual and moral instincts which a democratic society needs in order to thrive.

It's hard to know what the long-term effect of that argument may be, but for an afternoon, Benedict at least made Catholicism look rational, constructive, and committed to partnership in pursuit of the common good. In the secular milieu of contemporary Britain, where the historical tradition of anti-Catholicism has drawn new life from the sex abuse mess, that alone is no mean feat.

Let's Share It

So many obituaries have been written of Anglican/Catholic relations in recent years that people could be forgiven for thinking it's already dead. God knows headaches abound, from long-standing differences over women's ordination and homosexuality, to the more recent contretemps created by Benedict's decision to create new structures, called "ordinariates," to welcome Anglicans who decide to jump ship.

Benedict, however, put a largely positive spin on things in his meeting this afternoon with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, at Lambeth Palace. Benedict and Williams are both accomplished theologians, both somewhat shy and cerebral, and thus share a strong personal rapport.

At the outset, Benedict said he did not come to dwell on "the difficulties that the ecumenical path has encountered and continues to encounter," but rather on "the deep friendship that has grown between us" and the "remarkable progress" in Anglican/Catholic ties in the last forty years.

Benedict has long stressed that different Christian churches and different religions, despite theological disagreements, share core values that can foster partnerships in social, cultural and political affairs. That's the "let's share it" component of the pope's pitch.

He returned to the theme today, calling on Anglicans and Catholics to promote "peace and harmony in a world that so often seems at risk of fragmentation."

The pope didn't entirely pull his punches, insisting that Christians "must never hesitate" to proclaim the uniqueness of the salvation won by Christ, and that while the church is called to be inclusive, that must never come "at the expense of Christian truth." Some Anglicans no doubt heard a gentle rebuke in those words, especially because inclusion has long been the mantra of progressive Anglicans in favor of women priests and bishops and blessing gay marriages.

Yet Benedict's tone remained largely upbeat, offering Cardinal John Henry Newman, an Anglican convert to Catholicism whom the pope will beatify on Sunday, as a model of handling differences "in a truly eirenical spirit" and a "deep longing for unity in faith."

While no new breakthrough in Anglican/Catholic ties seems imminent, today's events at least confirmed that the dialogue will go on.

benedetto.fan:

>it seems, we both are alone here, aren't we? where are the others? well, stupid question, they're in england!


It does seem that way, doesn't it? I know a few of them are in England but the rest could be glued to their TV sets watching all the papal events. It would be nice if we could get input from some of them.

Here are some early reports about Papa's activities today:



Benedict XVI: Christ's precious blood source of Church's life

London, England, Sep 18, 2010 / 06:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The unity of Christ's sacrifice on the cross and his eternal priesthood is seen in Christ's most precious blood, said Pope Benedict XVI at Saturday Mass. Calling it "the source of the Church's life," he explained that the Church continues to share in the passion through the Eucharist and to be unified to Him through suffering and priestly dedication.

The Pope's homily on Saturday morning focused on the name of the cathedral where he was celebrating in London's city of Westminster, that of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The celebration of the votive Mass of the Most Precious Blood in place of the day's regular liturgy and the red vestments worn by the concelebrants made the message even more powerful.

Greeting the Holy Father after a phenomenal procession to the altar punctuated by the organ, trumpets, cymbal crashes and solemn song was Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, who pledged the fidelity of the Church to the Pope's pastorship and called him a "sign and servant of unity in the whole church."

During his homily, the Holy Father referred to the symbolism of the cathedral's massive cross showing the "crushed" Christ on a red background, saying that the mystery of the precious blood illustrates the unity of Christ's sacrifice on the cross and his eternal priesthood.

Jesus' blood shed on the cross, he explained, is "the source of the Church's life." And, he added, as the Church obeys His command of "do this in memory of me" until his return, through the Eucharist it "rejoic(es) in His sacramental presence and draw(s) upon the power of His saving grace for the redemption of the world."

"The Eucharistic sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ embraces in turn the mystery of our Lord's continuing passion in the members of his Mystical Body, the Church in every age."

Christ still unites himself to humanity's sufferings, needs, hopes and aspirations from the Cross, explained the Pope, and in the trials and tribulations in the life of the Church, "Christ continues ... to be in agony until the end of the world."

This aspect of the mystery is represented by martyrs who joined in His sacrifice by shedding their own blood, in those who suffer persecution for the faith, said Benedict XVI, adding "yet (it) is also present, often hidden in the suffering of all those individual Christians who daily unite their sacrifices to those of the Lord for the sanctification of the Church and the redemption of the world."

Those particularly "united to the Eucharist," he explained, are the sick, elderly, handicapped and everyone who suffers mentally and spiritually. "Here too," said the Pope, "I think of the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the Church and by her ministers."

Continuing his reflection by examining the eternal priesthood of the Lord, the Pope said that, "as members of his body," all Christians are called to responsibility of bringing "the reconciling power of his sacrifice" into the world.

He prayed that the example of Cardinal John Henry Newman, who will be beatified on Sunday, would inspire believers to dedicate every part of their being to Christ and commit themselves to defending "those unchanging moral truths which ... stand at the foundation of a truly humane, just and free society."

Of the importance of the witness of lay people to perpetuating the Church's mission, he asked for prayer that Catholics might have greater consciousness of "their dignity as a priestly people, called to consecrate the world to God through lives of faith and holiness."

Inviting prayers for vocations to the priesthood so that the celebration of the sacrifice of the Eucharist might continue on earth, he asked also for the ever fuller unity of the faithful to Christ, to share in His sacrifice and offer him "that spiritual worship which embraces every aspect of our lives and finds expression in our efforts to contribute to the coming of his Kingdom."


********************


Man made for love, Pope teaches at lively youth gathering

London, England, Sep 18, 2010 / 08:41 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy Father explained the meaning of mankind being created for love to a throng of young people on Saturday morning. To love, he said, is a decision made each day and at the source of it one can find his “true self” and vocation.

After Mass in the Westminster Cathedral, Benedict XVI stepped out the front door to greet the youth who were so vocal in greeting him upon his arrival. The crowd was equally enthusiastic to see him a second time, welcoming him with raucous applause and chants of "Benedetto" which brought a smile to his face.

British, Scottish, Welsh and Vatican flags flew over their hands and among the signs held up in support of the Pope, one read "We love our German Shepherd."

One of the string of youth representatives from U.K. dioceses accompanying him at the top of the cathedral steps along with the concelebrating cardinals and bishops addressed the Holy Father in greeting before he turned to the crowd with his own words.

Making reference to Cardinal Newman's motto of "Heart speaks unto Heart," Pope Benedict said that he wished to speak to them from his own heart and asked them to open theirs to his message.

He asked them to peer into their hearts and reflect on how much they have loved, observing, "(a)fter all, we were meant to love.

"This is what the Bible means when it says that we are made in the image and likeness of God: we were made to know the God of love, the God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to find our supreme fulfilment in that divine love that knows no beginning or end."

Noting man's vocation to "receive" love, said the Pope, "(e)very day we should thank God for the love we have already known, for the love that has made us who we are, the love that has shown us what is truly important in life."

Turning to man's disposition to "give" love, he explained that "we were made to (do so), to make it the inspiration for all we do and the most enduring thing in our lives. Sometimes this is easier than others, he conceded, but, as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, giving this love results from a daily decision.

"Every day we have to choose to love, and this requires help, the help that comes from Christ, from prayer and from the wisdom found in his word, an from the grace which he bestows on us in the sacraments of his Church."

Highlighting his message, he said, "I ask you to look into your hearts each day to find the source of all true love." There, he added, Jesus is waiting to lead them to the discovery of their "true self" through silent prayer.

"(I)n discovering our true self," he concluded, "we discover the particular vocation which God has given us for the building up of his Church and the redemption of our world."

Returning back into the cathedral to more applause, the Holy Father blessed a mosaic brought by a representation of Welsh Catholics. He told them he was glad to meet them, despite "sadly" not being able to do so on their own soil.


**************


At London Mass, pope expresses sorrow, sense of shame over sex abuse

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
Sept. 18, 2010

LONDON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI expressed his "deep sorrow" to the victims of clerical sexual abuse, saying these crimes have caused immense suffering and feelings of "shame and humiliation" throughout the church.

The pope made his remarks Sept. 18 in Westminster Cathedral, where an overflow crowd of faithful spilled out into the street for his only public Mass in London.

The 83-year-old pontiff, wearing a brilliant red chasuble, looked good on the third day of a four-day visit that featured a packed schedule of events with civil and religious leaders.

The pope's homily, delivered in English and broadcast on national TV, focused on the image of the suffering Christ, and he connected it to "the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the church and by her ministers."

"Above all, I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes, along with my hope that the power of Christ's grace, his sacrifice of reconciliation, will bring deep healing and peace to their lives," he said.

"I also acknowledge, with you, the shame and humiliation which all of us have suffered because of these sins; and I invite you to offer it to the Lord with trust that this chastisement will contribute to the healing of the victims, the purification of the church and the renewal of her age-old commitment to the education and care of young people," he said.

The pope expressed his gratitude for the efforts to confront the sex abuse problem in the church, and he asked all Catholics to "show your concern for the victims and solidarity with your priests."

In Britain, after dozens of priestly sex abuse cases came to light in the late 1990s, bishops adopted a series of measures to protect children, setting up a national office for child protection and encouraging the appointment of trained child protection officers in each parish and school. The bishops also made a commitment to turn every case of alleged child abuse over to the police.

On the plane carrying him to Great Britain Sept. 16, Pope Benedict said the church was not vigilant enough or fast enough in responding to cases of sexual abuse.

"These revelations were for me a shock, and a great sadness. It is difficult to understand how this perversion of the priestly ministry was possible," he said. He said helping the victims overcome trauma was the church's first priority, and said perpetrators must never be allowed access to children.

The pope's comments have consistently drawn criticism from sex abuse victims' advocacy groups like the U.S.-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP. His remarks on the plane were also dismissed by critics.

"It's disingenuous to say church officials have been slow and insufficiently vigilant in dealing with clergy sex crimes and cover ups. On the contrary, they've been prompt and vigilant, but in concealing, not preventing, these horrors," said Joelle Casteix in a statement published on the SNAP Website.

Among the relatively small number of protesters demonstrating against the pope's visit in Britain, were those holding signs and banners that read: "Put the pope on trial" and "Pope, protector of pedophile priests."

The liturgy at Westminster Cathedral featured Latin and English-language prayers, and was attended by representatives of other Christian churches, including Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams, who hosted the pope the day before at the Anglican headquarters in London.

The pope noted the giant crucifix that dominates the nave of the cathedral, and said this striking image and its connection with the Eucharistic sacrifice was at the heart of the Catholic faith.

"Here in England, as we know, there were many who staunchly defended the Mass, often at great cost, giving rise to that devotion to the most holy Eucharist," he said.

He said the sacrificial mystery of Christ's precious blood is reflected by people today who endure discrimination and persecution for their faith, as well as those who suffer in hidden ways -- including the sick, the handicapped and those who suffer mentally and physically.

The pope spoke of the importance of the laity in the modern church, especially in witnessing the "beauty of holiness" and the "splendor of truth" to a world that needs both. But he also asked for an outpouring of prayers for new priestly vocations, saying that "the more the lay apostolate grows, the more urgently the need for priests is felt."

At the end of the Mass, the pope spoke to thousands of cheering young people who gathered outside the church.

Pascal Uche, who welcomed the pontiff on behalf of the youths, told him: "Before today, you were a face on television or a picture in a church, but today we greet you face to face." A big sign in the front of the crowd proclaimed: "We (heart) our German shepherd."

The pope then went back inside the cathedral to salute a group of Welsh Catholics, and said he was sorry he couldn't visit Wales on this trip. He unveiled a mosaic of St. David, the patron saint of Wales, and lit a candle of the statue of Our Lady of Cardigan.

It seems so. I didn’t watch everything that K-TV has televised, but I saw enough to recognize, that Papa’s visit to Great Britain is much more successful than anyone has expected.
Also the fact that the German TV news are not reporting completely negative shows me that I’m probably right.

It seems that he captures again everybody’s heart, he, the Fisher of Men, like he did it before so often, just with his sweetness, humbleness and wisdom.
Papa definitely is a Holy Man who enchants everybody within his aura.

Btw, during the today’s evening prayer at Hyde Park I saw a banner “Papa we love you”.
Hey, Nan, Mary, Wulfrune! Was it you?

Thanks for posting the great photos, bendetto.fan.
I’m sorry you can’t be in England right now but maybe the next time again.

"The Drama of Newman's Life"

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
VIGIL OF THE BEATIFICATION
OF VENERABLE JOHN HENRY NEWMAN
HYDE PARK
LONDON
18 SEPTEMBER 2010

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This is an evening of joy, of immense spiritual joy, for all of us. We are gathered here in prayerful vigil to prepare for tomorrow’s Mass, during which a great son of this nation, Cardinal John Henry Newman, will be declared Blessed. How many people, in England and throughout the world, have longed for this moment! It is also a great joy for me, personally, to share this experience with you. As you know, Newman has long been an important influence in my own life and thought, as he has been for so many people beyond these isles. The drama of Newman’s life invites us to examine our lives, to see them against the vast horizon of God’s plan, and to grow in communion with the Church of every time and place: the Church of the apostles, the Church of the martyrs, the Church of the saints, the Church which Newman loved and to whose mission he devoted his entire life.

I thank Archbishop Peter Smith for his kind words of welcome in your name, and I am especially pleased to see the many young people who are present for this vigil. This evening, in the context of our common prayer, I would like to reflect with you about a few aspects of Newman’s life which I consider very relevant to our lives as believers and to the life of the Church today.

Let me begin by recalling that Newman, by his own account, traced the course of his whole life back to a powerful experience of conversion which he had as a young man. It was an immediate experience of the truth of God’s word, of the objective reality of Christian revelation as handed down in the Church. This experience, at once religious and intellectual, would inspire his vocation to be a minister of the Gospel, his discernment of the source of authoritative teaching in the Church of God, and his zeal for the renewal of ecclesial life in fidelity to the apostolic tradition. At the end of his life, Newman would describe his life’s work as a struggle against the growing tendency to view religion as a purely private and subjective matter, a question of personal opinion. Here is the first lesson we can learn from his life: in our day, when an intellectual and moral relativism threatens to sap the very foundations of our society, Newman reminds us that, as men and women made in the image and likeness of God, we were created to know the truth, to find in that truth our ultimate freedom and the fulfilment of our deepest human aspirations. In a word, we are meant to know Christ, who is himself “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6).

Newman’s life also teaches us that passion for the truth, intellectual honesty and genuine conversion are costly. The truth that sets us free cannot be kept to ourselves; it calls for testimony, it begs to be heard, and in the end its convincing power comes from itself and not from the human eloquence or arguments in which it may be couched. Not far from here, at Tyburn, great numbers of our brothers and sisters died for the faith; the witness of their fidelity to the end was ever more powerful than the inspired words that so many of them spoke before surrendering everything to the Lord. In our own time, the price to be paid for fidelity to the Gospel is no longer being hanged, drawn and quartered but it often involves being dismissed out of hand, ridiculed or parodied. And yet, the Church cannot withdraw from the task of proclaiming Christ and his Gospel as saving truth, the source of our ultimate happiness as individuals and as the foundation of a just and humane society.

Finally, Newman teaches us that if we have accepted the truth of Christ and committed our lives to him, there can be no separation between what we believe and the way we live our lives. Our every thought, word and action must be directed to the glory of God and the spread of his Kingdom. Newman understood this, and was the great champion of the prophetic office of the Christian laity. He saw clearly that we do not so much accept the truth in a purely intellectual act as embrace it in a spiritual dynamic that penetrates to the core of our being. Truth is passed on not merely by formal teaching, important as that is, but also by the witness of lives lived in integrity, fidelity and holiness; those who live in and by the truth instinctively recognize what is false and, precisely as false, inimical to the beauty and goodness which accompany the splendour of truth, veritatis splendor.

Tonight’s first reading is the magnificent prayer in which Saint Paul asks that we be granted to know “the love of Christ which surpasses all understanding” (Eph 3:14-21). The Apostle prays that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith (cf. Eph 3:17) and that we may come to “grasp, with all the saints, the breadth and the length, the height and the depth” of that love. Through faith we come to see God’s word as a lamp for our steps and light for our path (cf. Ps 119:105). Newman, like the countless saints who preceded him along the path of Christian discipleship, taught that the “kindly light” of faith leads us to realize the truth about ourselves, our dignity as God’s children, and the sublime destiny which awaits us in heaven. By letting the light of faith shine in our hearts, and by abiding in that light through our daily union with the Lord in prayer and participation in the life-giving sacraments of the Church, we ourselves become light to those around us; we exercise our “prophetic office”; often, without even knowing it, we draw people one step closer to the Lord and his truth. Without the life of prayer, without the interior transformation which takes place through the grace of the sacraments, we cannot, in Newman’s words, “radiate Christ”; we become just another “clashing cymbal” (1 Cor 13:1) in a world filled with growing noise and confusion, filled with false paths leading only to heartbreak and illusion.

One of the Cardinal’s best-loved meditations includes the words, “God has created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another” (Meditations on Christian Doctrine). Here we see Newman’s fine Christian realism, the point at which faith and life inevitably intersect. Faith is meant to bear fruit in the transformation of our world through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives and activity of believers. No one who looks realistically at our world today could think that Christians can afford to go on with business as usual, ignoring the profound crisis of faith which has overtaken our society, or simply trusting that the patrimony of values handed down by the Christian centuries will continue to inspire and shape the future of our society. We know that in times of crisis and upheaval God has raised up great saints and prophets for the renewal of the Church and Christian society; we trust in his providence and we pray for his continued guidance. But each of us, in accordance with his or her state of life, is called to work for the advancement of God’s Kingdom by imbuing temporal life with the values of the Gospel. Each of us has a mission, each of us is called to change the world, to work for a culture of life, a culture forged by love and respect for the dignity of each human person. As our Lord tells us in the Gospel we have just heard, our light must shine in the sight of all, so that, seeing our good works, they may give praise to our heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:16).

Here I wish to say a special word to the many young people present. Dear young friends: only Jesus knows what “definite service” he has in mind for you. Be open to his voice resounding in the depths of your heart: even now his heart is speaking to your heart. Christ has need of families to remind the world of the dignity of human love and the beauty of family life. He needs men and women who devote their lives to the noble task of education, tending the young and forming them in the ways of the Gospel. He needs those who will consecrate their lives to the pursuit of perfect charity, following him in chastity, poverty and obedience, and serving him in the least of our brothers and sisters. He needs the powerful love of contemplative religious, who sustain the Church’s witness and activity through their constant prayer. And he needs priests, good and holy priests, men who are willing to lay down their lives for their sheep. Ask our Lord what he has in mind for you! Ask him for the generosity to say “yes!” Do not be afraid to give yourself totally to Jesus. He will give you the grace you need to fulfil your vocation. Let me finish these few words by warmly inviting you to join me next year in Madrid for World Youth Day. It is always a wonderful occasion to grow in love for Christ and to be encouraged in a joyful life of faith along with thousands of other young people. I hope to see many of you there!

And now, dear friends, let us continue our vigil of prayer by preparing to encounter Christ, present among us in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Together, in the silence of our common adoration, let us open our minds and hearts to his presence, his love, and the convincing power of his truth. In a special way, let us thank him for the enduring witness to that truth offered by Cardinal John Henry Newman. Trusting in his prayers, let us ask the Lord to illumine our path, and the path of all British society, with the kindly light of his truth, his love and his peace. Amen.

PHOTO: Getty

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POSTED BY ROCCO PALMO AT 16:14

"Life Is a Unique Gift at Every Stage"

ADDRESS OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
ST PETER'S RESIDENCE FOR THE ELDERLY
18 SEPTEMBER 2010

My dear brothers and sisters,

I am very pleased to be among you, the residents of Saint Peter’s and to thank Sister Marie Claire and Mrs Fasky for their kind words of welcome on your behalf. I am also pleased to greet Archbishop Smith of Southwark, as well as the Little Sisters of the Poor and the personnel and volunteers who look after you.

As advances in medicine and other factors lead to increased longevity, it is important to recognise the presence of the growing numbers of older people as a blessing for society. Every generation can learn from the experience and wisdom of the elderly, of the generation that preceded it. Indeed the provision of care for the elderly should be considered not so much an act of generosity as a repayment of a debt of gratitude.

For her part the Church has always had great respect for the elderly. The Fourth Commandment, ‘Honour your father and your mother as the Lord your God commanded you’ is linked to the promise, “that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you, in the land which the Lord your God gives you’.

This work of the Church for the infirm not only provides love and care for them, but is also rewarded by God with the blessings he promises on the land where this commandment is observed. God wills a proper respect for the dignity and worth the health and well-being of the elderly and through her charitable institutions in Britain and beyond, the Church seeks to fulfil the Lord’s command to respect life, regardless of age or circumstances.

At the very start of my pontificate I said, “Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary’. (Homily at the Mass for the beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome, 24 April 2005).

Life is a unique gift, at every stage from conception until natural death and it is God’s alone to give and take. One may enjoy good health in old age; but equally Christians should not be afraid to share in the suffering of Christ, if God wills that we struggle with infirmity.

My predecessor, the late Pope John Paul, suffered very publicly during the last years of his life. It was clear to all of us that he did so in union with the sufferings of our Saviour. His cheerfulness and forbearance as he faced his final days were a remarkable and moving example to all of us who have to carry the burden of advancing years.

In this sense, I come among you not only as a father, but also as a brother who knows well the joys and the struggles that come with age. Our long years of life afford us the opportunity to appreciate both the beauty of God’s greatest gift to us, the gift of life, as well as the fragility of the human spirit. Those of us who live many years are given a marvellous chance to deepen our awareness of the mystery of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity. As the normal span of our lives increases, our physical capacities are often diminished; and yet these times may well be among the most spiritually fruitful years of our lives. These years are an opportunity to remember in affectionate prayer all those whom we have cherished in this life, and to place all that we have personally been and done before the mercy and tenderness of God. This will surely be a great spiritual comfort and enable us to discover anew his love and goodness all the days of our life.

With these sentiments, dear brothers and sisters, I am pleased to assure you of my prayers for you all and I ask you for your prayers for me. May our blessed Lady and her spouse Saint Joseph intercede for our happiness in this life and obtain for us the blessing of a serene passage to the next.

May God bless you all! Thank you.

PHOTO: AP

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POSTED BY ROCCO PALMO AT 12:54

Pope's 'Astonishing' Visit to Britain
Share BY EDWARD PENTIN Saturday, September 18, 2010 8:35 AM Comments (5)

A nun laughs as she chats with a police officer while she waits to see Pope Benedict XVI's popemobile cross Lambeth Bridge in central London Sept. 17. (CNS photo/Andrew Winning, Reuters)

Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster described the events of yesterday in which the Pope gave addresses in Westminster Hall, Westminster Abbey, and Lambeth Palace as “astonishing.”

It was the first time the Successor of Peter had ever set foot in any of these historic buildings which have been pillars of Church and State in Britain for the past two millennia.

In his first briefing of the visit to journalists today, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the welcome the Pope received at Westminster Hall and Abbey were “extraordinary”. He added that the Pope was “very impressed” by the richness of the Anglican liturgy in Westminster Abbey.

The Vatican spokesman said the Holy Father has was “obviously grateful” for the kind hospitality that has been shown him during his four day visit. Summaries of all of yesterday’s historic speeches can be found here.

Benedict XVI made a second reference on this trip to the sexual abuse scandal today, during his homily during Mass at Westminster Cathedral. He expressed “deep sorrow” for sexual abuse by priests, and called them “unspeakable crimes”. But he also spoke about it in the context of Christ’s suffering which has been imitated through the history of Christian martyrdom.
Some commentators were wondering whether the Pope was equating being a victim of child abuse to being a martyr, but Fr. Lombardi said there was no parallel. Although both clearly involve suffering, they are of “different” kinds, he said.

Fr. Jonathan How, a spokesman for the bishops conference, told me the Pope was simply placing the “humiliation and shame” of Christ in the context of the abuse scandal. “If we feel shamed and humiliated by [the abuse],” he said, “we are only sharing in what the victims and Christ experienced.”

At the briefing with Fr. Lombardi, a journalist pointed out that the Pope looked tired but happy during the visit. Fr. Lombardi responded by stressing that the Pope is 83 years old, but has a “profound spirit and serenity” on this visit. He said the Holy Father’s attitude on these visits, ones which are preceded by a good deal of controversy, is that they always work out well.

“He is perhaps more in touch with the reality than the media,” he said, adding that the general attitudes of society and the faithful are always more favourable than hostile. Fr. Lombardi said he himself is “not surprised or shocked” by protestors who are marching near Hyde Park this afternoon.

“We know there are groups that criticize and have the right to express their views – something the Pope has said is a positive tradition in the United Kingdom,” he said. “We recognize what the reality is and that large numbers want to meet the Pope.”

Later today, the Pope will visit an old people’s home during which he will probably address issues related to marriage, life and the family. Afterwards he will lead a prayer vigil in Hyde Park on the eve of the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Pope expresses sorrow, sense of shame to sex abuse victims

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
Sept. 18, 2010

LONDON (CNS) -- In a personal meeting with five victims of clerical sexual abuse, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his "deep sorrow and shame" over their suffering and promised the church would do "all in its power" to investigate cases of abuse and safeguard the young.

The encounter Sept. 18 in London took place just hours after the German pontiff, speaking at a Mass in Westminster Cathedral, denounced what he called the "unspeakable crimes" committed by some priests against young people.

The Vatican said in a statement that during the 30-minute meeting with victims, the 83-year-old pope was "moved by what they had to say and expressed his deep sorrow and shame over what victims and their families had suffered."

"He prayed with them and assured them that the Catholic Church is continuing to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people, and that it is doing all in its power to investigate allegations, to collaborate with civil authorities and to bring to justice clergy and religious accused of these egregious crimes," the statement said.

The group included four women and one man, all adults, who came from England, Scotland and Wales. Each had time to speak "with great intensity and emotion" about their suffering, the Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters.

He said the pope prayed with them at the beginning and the end of the encounter; the only other people present were three people who work with abuse victims and a translator.

The Vatican said the pope had "prayed that all the victims of abuse might experience healing and reconciliation, and be able to overcome their past and present distress with serenity and hope for the future."

Asked whether 30 minutes was enough time for the pope to have given the victims, Bill Kilgallon, head of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission, said: "It's longer than the prime minister got."

Although the encounter was unannounced, it had been widely expected. The pope has previously met with abuse victims in the United States, Australia and Malta, and the Vatican has said such meetings are part of an effort to implement the pope's own call for "absolute transparency" over sexual abuse and its commitment to reconciliation with victims.

Even as the London meeting took place, however, protesters in another part of the city -- including some sex abuse victims -- accused the pope of protecting priests who have abused minors. Critics said the pope's actions to date have failed to address the accountability issue in the church.

Later in the afternoon, the pope held an unscheduled meeting with the church's child protection officers and said their efforts have helped ensure that allegations of abuse are dealt with "swiftly and justly."

"While there are never grounds for complacency, credit should be given where it is due: the efforts of the church in this country and elsewhere, especially in the last 10 years, to guarantee the safety of children and young people and to show them every respect as they grow to maturity, should be acknowledged," he said.

At Westminster Cathedral, speaking in a homily to an overflow crowd at his only public Mass in London, the pope focused on the image of the suffering Christ, and he connected it to "the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the church and by her ministers."

"Above all, I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes, along with my hope that the power of Christ's grace, his sacrifice of reconciliation, will bring deep healing and peace to their lives," he said.

"I also acknowledge, with you, the shame and humiliation which all of us have suffered because of these sins; and I invite you to offer it to the Lord with trust that this chastisement will contribute to the healing of the victims, the purification of the church and the renewal of her age-old commitment to the education and care of young people," he said.

The pope expressed his gratitude for the efforts to confront the sex abuse problem in the church, and he asked all Catholics to "show your concern for the victims and solidarity with your priests."

In Britain, after dozens of priestly sex abuse cases came to light in the late 1990s, bishops adopted a series of measures to protect children, setting up a national office for child protection and encouraging the appointment of trained child protection officers in each parish and school. The bishops also made a commitment to turn every case of alleged child abuse over to the police.

On the plane carrying him to Great Britain Sept. 16, Pope Benedict said the church was not vigilant enough or fast enough in responding to cases of sexual abuse.

"These revelations were for me a shock, and a great sadness. It is difficult to understand how this perversion of the priestly ministry was possible," he said. He said helping the victims overcome trauma was the church's first priority, and said perpetrators must never be allowed access to children.

The pope's comments have consistently drawn criticism from sex abuse victims' advocacy groups like the U.S.-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP. His remarks on the plane were also dismissed by critics.

"It's disingenuous to say church officials have been slow and insufficiently vigilant in dealing with clergy sex crimes and cover ups. On the contrary, they've been prompt and vigilant, but in concealing, not preventing, these horrors," said Joelle Casteix in a statement published on the SNAP Website.

Among the relatively small number of protesters demonstrating against the pope's visit in Britain, were those holding signs and banners that read: "Put the pope on trial" and "Pope, protector of pedophile priests."

The liturgy at Westminster Cathedral featured Latin and English-language prayers, and was attended by representatives of other Christian churches, including Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams, who hosted the pope the day before at the Anglican headquarters in London.

The pope noted the giant crucifix that dominates the nave of the cathedral, and said this striking image and its connection with the eucharistic sacrifice was at the heart of the Catholic faith.

"Here in England, as we know, there were many who staunchly defended the Mass, often at great cost, giving rise to that devotion to the most holy Eucharist," he said.


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Pope says golden years can be spiritually fruitful

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
Sept. 18, 2010

LONDON (CNS) -- Although he walks quickly and appears to have no serious medical problems, the 83-year-old Pope Benedict XVI said he knows what it's like to get old and experience increasing physical frailty.

Greeting a small gathering of his peers and elders in London Sept. 18, the pope said, "Our long years of life afford us the opportunity to appreciate both the beauty of God's greatest gift to us -- the gift of life -- as well as the fragility of the human spirit."

In the midst of a four-day visit filled with the pomp of papal liturgies and the formality of meeting royalty and government officials, Pope Benedict visited St. Peter's Residence, a home for the aged run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.

"Those of us who live many years are given a marvelous chance to deepen our awareness of the mystery of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity," the pope told the 76 residents, who include nine priests and members of religious orders.

"As the normal span of our lives increases, our physical capacities are often diminished; and yet these times may well be among the most spiritually fruitful years of our lives," the pope said.

Patricia Fasky, who lives at St. Peter's, welcomed the pope to the residence's small theater and told him, "we all love you and we pray for you."

The tiny stage was decked with yellow and white flowers; in front of it stood a mosaic of St. Peter, which the pope gave to the home, and a gold chasuble, which the residents and nuns gave the pope.

While the sisters and staff members energetically reached out to shake or kiss the pope's hand, it was the pope who approached many of the elderly, grasping their hands with both of his.

Pope Benedict also used his visit to St. Peter's as an opportunity to reaffirm church teaching about the value of human life at every stage of its development and to urge people to love and respect the elderly.

As human longevity increases in many countries, he said, people must learn to see the growing number of elderly as a blessing for society.

"Every generation can learn from the experience and wisdom of the generation that preceded it," he said, adding that care for older citizens is not a burden, but the repayment of a debt of gratitude.


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Hijacking or setting him free, Benedict loves Newman

By John L Allen Jr
National Catholic Reporter
Created Sep 19, 2010

In the final act of his four-day trip to the United Kingdom, Benedict XVI travelled today to Birmingham to formally beatify the great English theologian and apologist Cardinal John Henry Newman, praising him as an apostle of “the vital place of revealed religion in civilized society.”

The pope also underlined Newman’s commitment to education, especially the need for an informed Catholic laity, and his commitment to complementing his intellectual work by serving as a generous “priest and pastor of souls.”

A crowd estimated at 65,000 braved cold and rainy weather to greet Benedict XVI in Birmingham’s Cofton Park, some arriving as early as 3:00 am when the gates to the park opened.

Newman’s life covered virtually the entire 19th century, born in 1801 and died in 1890. An Anglican convert to Catholicism in 1845, Newman remains a widely influential figure because of his vast writings, including two landmarks books: Apologia Pro Vita Sua and The Grammar of Assent.

Theologically, Newman is often seen as a hero to more liberal Catholics because of his emphasis on the development of doctrine, suggesting that church teaching can change, and on conscience, suggesting that individual Catholics may occasionally be compelled to challenge official formula.

That liberals remain an important constituency within the Catholic fold was driven home today by a poll published in Britain’s Sunday Independent, which showed that solid majorities of Catholics in the U.K. disagree with the pope on a wide range of issues, including abortion after rape and contraception.

The bold headline was, “You’re Wrong, Catholics tell Pope.”

British Catholic writer John Cornwall, whose earlier claim to fame is as the author of Hitler’s Pope, suggested in a Sept. 10 piece in the Financial Times that Newman has been “pontifically hijacked,” meaning co-opted by Benedict to suppress dissent rather than to encourage it.

Yet Ratzinger is no Johnny-come-lately to his fondness for Newman. He studied the Grammar of Assent in the seminary, and a fellow student at the time, Alfred Laepple, has said that for him and the young Ratzinger, “Newman was our hero.”

During a workshop for American bishops in Dallas in 1991, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger reflected at length on Newman’s legacy, arguing that Newman’s emphasis on conscience rests on a prior commitment to truth.

“Conscience is central for [Newman] because truth stands in the middle,” Ratzinger said then. “Conscience signifies the perceptible and demanding presence of the voice of truth in the subject himself.”

In that sense, Ratzinger argued, it’s a mistake to style Newman as a patron saint of dissent.

For Newman, Ratzinger argued, “A man of conscience is one who never acquires tolerance, well- being, success, public standing, and approval on the part of prevailing opinion, at the expense of truth.”

That led Ratzinger to identify two standards for a genuine sense of the role of conscience.

“First, conscience is not identical to personal wishes and taste,” he said. “Secondly, conscience cannot be reduced to social advantage, to group consensus or to the demands of political and social power.”

That, in effect, is the version of John Henry Newman whom Benedict beatified this morning.

Benedict acknowledged that while Newman was one of the great personalities of Victorian-era England, “he continues today to inspire and enlighten many all over the world.”

“Firmly opposed to any reductive or utilitarian approach, he sought to achieve an educational environment in which intellectual training, moral discipline and religious commitment would come together,” Benedict said.

Benedict put special emphasis on Newman’s commitment to education, especially the need for an informed Catholic laity.

The pope quoted Newman: “I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men 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.”

Finally, Benedict also said that was beatifying not just a towering intellectual, but also a “priest and pastor of souls” who exercised a ministry of “warmth and humanity.”

Benedict lauded Newman’s “devoted care for the people of Birmingham during the years that he spent at the Oratory he founded, visiting the sick and the poor, comforting the bereaved, caring for those in prison.”

If additional proof of Benedict’s fondness for Newman were needed, consider this: When the pontiff was elected in April 2005, he made it clear that the pope would no longer celebrate beatification Masses in Rome. Instead, they were to be performed in the diocese by the local bishop, to underscore that a “blessed” belongs to a local church.

Over these past five years, Benedict XVI has stuck to that policy, declining to celebrate a single beatification Mass – until today. Benedict chose to make Newman his first, and potentially his only, beatification Mass, confirmation indeed that Newman is close to this theologian-pope’s heart.

Whether Benedict this morning is “hijacking” Newman, or setting free the real man beneath ideologically charged interpretations, will continue to be a matter of debate. That Benedict XVI takes Newman’s life and legacy seriously, however, is beyond any doubt.

One American footnote to this morning’s events: The miracle report which qualified Newman to become “blessed” involves Jack Sullivan, a Catholic deacon in Boston, who reported being miraculously cured of a spinal disorder after praying for Newman’s intercession. Sullivan was one of the deacons who assisted with this morning’s beatification Mass.