Blessed John Paul II in Britain: an historical milestone

(Vatican Radio) On the 28th May 1982 for the first time in history a Bishop of Rome set foot on English soil, four centuries since the break of the Church of England with Rome. That was over thirty years ago and the Pope was Blessed John Paul II.

This Apostolic visit had been scheduled long before 1982, at the last minute owing to the dire circumstances of the Falklands war it was almost called off.

So beyond this historical dimension as well as the pastoral one which was centred around the seven sacraments of the Church, the hallmark of this six day journey which took this Polish Pontiff to England, Scotland and Wales was his constant call to peace and reconciliation.

As he himself said upon arrival at Gatwick airport : "My visit is taking place at a time of tension and anxiety, a time when the attention of the world has been focused on the delicate situation of the conflict in the South Atlantic.. As I stand here today , I renew my heartfelt appeal and I pray that such a settlement will soon be reached . "...

The Archbishop of Liverpool Patrick Kelly was present at the Holy Mass the Holy Father presided over in Coventry and recalls in a special way the Pope's words during the homily there on Pentecost Sunday.

This is an excerpt from John Paul II's homily on that occasion : " Today, the scale and the horror of modern warfare - whether nuclear or not - makes it totally unacceptable as a means of settling differences between nations. War should belong to the tragic past , to history ; it should find no place on humanitys' agenda for the future "....

Catholic author Joanna Bogle also picks up on John Paul II's impassioned pleas for peace as she shares her personal memories of this six day trip . Among the things she pinpoints in a special way are the simplicity of his repeated request to English Catholics to pray and his insistance they attend Sunday Mass on a regular basis.

On a lighter note both Joanna Bogle and Archbishop Kelly highlight how the Pope was received and indeed had tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace .
A programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick.
Listen :