Archbishop Nichols Hopes Pope’s Visit Will Lead To Rediscovery of Gift of Faith

(August 21, 2010) "We hope that the illuminating presence of Pope Benedict XVI might help many in our lands to understand that faith in God is not a problem to resolve, be a gift to rediscover," wrote the head of the bishops of England and Wales on Friday. Several key moments during the Pope's visit will offer a platform to the Pope to emphasize the importance of bringing God into public life. With less than a month to go before Pope Benedict XVI's September 16-19 state visit to the U.K., the Primate of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols reflected on some important moments of the trip and their significance. The first event on the schedule, the Pope's visit to the Queen of England at her summer residence, "marks a new phase" in relations between the two sides, Archbishop Nichols said. During the Pope's meeting with representatives of Catholic schools on the second day of the visit, he will have the chance to emphasize the importance of religious education to society. Of his meeting with business leaders afterwards, Archbishop Nichols said that the Pope will speak about "the importance of God as a formative and inspirational guide for the common good." And that afternoon, noted the archbishop, the Pope's encounter with members of society in Westminster Hall where St. Thomas More was condemned to death. Commenting on the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, Archbishop Nichols said that Newman was a "man that understood how mind and heart should go hand in hand in the great enterprises of life, the greatest of which is the search for God and the salvific relationship with Him." Finally the Pope’s illuminating presence might help many to understand that the faith in God is not a problem to resolve, be a gift to rediscover.