The secret of success

Pope Benedict XVIth 's four-day visit to Great Britain has ended. Sean Patrick Lovett looks back at the trip and draws his conclusions...

“He came, he saw, he conquered”. No, not Julius Caesar – Benedict XVI.
And, no, I didn’t say that about him – a former Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury did. Even if I couldn’t think of a better way to describe one of the most anxiously anticipated papal visits ever, to anywhere.
So, it’s official: Benedict XVI’s state visit to the United Kingdom has been universally judged a “success” (the papal spokeman used the word “wonderful”). Before you say “I told you so”, remember that its success wouldn’t be news at all if it weren’t for the fact that, up until only a few days ago, a significant number of highly-placed-people-in-the-know (both in London and in Rome) were convinced it was going to be a disaster.
Their trepidation was largely based on a barrage of nasty news stories and the very vociferous protests of several anti-Catholic individuals and groups. What made these voices different from similar protests in the past was that they were so loud and insistent they gave the impression they were reflecting the views of the “silent majority” of people living in the United Kingdom. Conclusion: the Pope wasn’t welcome, no one cared, at worst he’d be insulted, at best he’d be ignored.
Now we know that’s not what happend. When did what was going to go so terribly wrong, start to go so terrifically right? Sociologists, psychologists and spin-doctors will undoubtedly have their own versions but, personally, I think the success of this trip is the result of a perfect fusion of content and form. Let me explain. On the one hand it was a truly historic event: there was pomp and ceremony, pageantry and colour – and everyone loves a good show. On the other there was the surprise effect of Benedict himself. Contrary to popular preconceptions, he was warm, gentle, and authentic. Here was someone who wasn ‘t doing and saying all the things that politicians and celebrities usually do and say. Nowhere did he use a big stick to chastise and condemn, nor did he grumble and lecture. Everything he did say appealed to a spirit of shared values and to good old common sense – and that’s something the British understand and appreciate. Not just the country’s 6 million Catholics, but its 60 million citizens of all faiths, and none at all.
In Great Britain with Pope Benedict, I'm Sean Patrick Lovett

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