UK prime minister offers Pope Benedict 'very warm welcome'
(September 16, 2010) British Prime Minister David Cameron offered the Holy Father
a “very warm welcome” in a September 14 video message. The Pope's visit, he said,
was an event of historic significance not only for Catholics, but for all citizens
seeking to work for the common good. “I would like to offer Pope Benedict a very
warm welcome to Britain for this incredibly important and historic visit,” the prime
minister stated in the video, which was posted on his own government website. The
“first ever Official Papal Visit to these shores” will be “a great honour for our
country,” Cameron acknowledged. “These will be a very special four days not just for
our six million Catholics, but for many people of faith right across Britain, and
millions more watching around the world.” The prime minister, who is a member of
the Anglican Communion, described the trip as “a unique opportunity to celebrate the
enormous contribution that all our faith communities make to our society.” A society
shaped by faith, he said, “should be about more than materialism. It should be about
shared values and working for the common good.” “The fellowship and solidarity that
unite us,” he said, “are not just Christian values, but British values.” While acknowledging
divisions in British society about the role of religion, Cameron said that the Pope's
message had universal importance, to people of all faiths and even the non-religious.
He affirmed that “the Pope's broader message can help challenge us to ask searching
questions about our society and how we treat ourselves and each other.” Prime Minister
Cameron also emphasized the importance of maintaining a productive relationship between
the United Kingdom and the Vatican. “The Holy See can also be a partner for us,” he
noted, “with great influence across the world.” He expressed his desire to work with
the Vatican on social causes such as poverty, disease, environmental protection and
world peace.