Pope recalls UK visit at Sept. 22 general audience
(September 22, 2010) Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting, called
the general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance
of seeing and hearing him speak to them in several languages The general audience
of Sept. 22 was held in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. This week he spoke about his
memorable visit to the United Kingdom, last week (Sept. 16-19).
Listen:
Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As you know, I have just returned from
my first Apostolic Journey to the United Kingdom, and I wish to send my affectionate
greetings to all those I met and those who contributed to the visit through the media
during four days, which have begun a new and important phase in the long-standing
relations between the Holy See and Great Britain. Last Thursday, I was
honoured by the warm welcome of Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in
Scotland’s historic capital Edinburgh. Later that day, I celebrated Mass in Glasgow
in the presence of many bishops, priests, religious and a great concourse of the faithful
against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset at Bellahouston Park, within sight of the
place where my beloved predecessor celebrated Mass with the Scots twenty-eight years
ago. Upon arriving in London, I met thousands of Catholic students and
schoolchildren at a very joyful celebration, reminding all of us of the excellent
and essential work being done by Catholic schools and teachers throughout the land.
I then had the pleasure of meeting the clerical and lay representatives of different
religions and of discussing the search for the sacred common to all men. Later,
I had the honour of calling upon His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury who has come
on several occasions to meet me in Rome. Our meeting at Lambeth Palace, in the presence
of the Bishops of the Church of the England, was very cordial and fraternal. I then
crossed the river to Westminster where I was given the unprecedented opportunity to
address both Houses of Parliament gathered in Westminster Hall on the importance of
a fruitful dialogue between religion and reason, a theme as relevant in the time of
Saint Thomas More as it is in our own day. Finally that day, I had the privilege
of kneeling in prayer with the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Tomb of Saint Edward
in Westminster Abbey, and of giving thanks to God with the Archbishop, the Moderator
of the Church of Scotland and other British Christian leaders, for the many blessings
God has bestowed upon our efforts to re-knit the fabric of our Christian fellowship.
The next morning, I had the pleasure of greeting Prime Minister David Cameron,
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Ms Harriet Harman, leader of the Opposition,
before celebrating Mass in Westminster Cathedral, with a liturgy evocative of the
best of the English musical tradition in the celebration of the Roman rite. That
afternoon, I was welcomed very cordially by the Little Sisters of the Poor and the
elderly people they look after. There I also had the chance to thank and encourage
those charged with the safeguarding of children in Britain. That evening I participated
at a beautiful vigil of deep prayerfulness and stillness at Hyde Park with tens of
thousands of the faithful. On Sunday morning, I travelled to Birmingham
where I had the joy of celebrating the Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman.
Later that day, after a warm and fraternal meeting with all the Bishops of Britain,
I was bidden farewell by Prime Minister Cameron during a very cordial speech at Birmingham
International Airport on the Government’s wish to build a partnership for development
with the Catholic Church and others. Sunday, then, was a moment of deep
personal satisfaction, as the Church celebrated the blessedness of a great Englishman,
whose life and writings I have admired for many years and who has come to be appreciated
by countless people far beyond the shores of his native land. Blessed John Henry
Newman’s clear-minded search to know and express the truth in charity, at whatever
cost to his own personal comfort, status and even friendships, is a wonderful testimony
of a pure desire to know and love God in the communion of the Church. His is surely
an example that can inspire us all.
At the end of the audience the Pope
urged for prayers for the Mixed International Commission for Theological Dialogue
between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church that began its weeklong meeting
on Monday in Vienna, Austria. The Sept. 20-27 meeting is studying the role of the
Bishop of Rome in the communion of the universal Church in the course of the first
millennium, the Pope noted. “The obedience to the will of the Lord Jesus, and the
great challenges facing Christianity today, oblige us to commit ourselves seriously
to the cause of re-establi9shing full communion among the Churches,” the Pope said
speaking in Italian. He therefore called on all to pray intensely for the work of
the mixed commission and for a continuous development and consolidation of peace and
harmony among the baptized so that Christians are able to give greater authentic witness
to the Gospel. The Pope concluded Wednesday’s General Audience with his blessing. Listen: