Benedict left Rome and Peter arrived in Britain

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Rome: The Tablet

 The Tablet is a British Catholic weekly journal.  It leans far enough to the left to cause those who lean far enough to the right to claim that the publication isn't Catholic in any way, shape or form.  I'll not try to settle that dispute here.  I only draw your attention to it to provide context for your reading its Rome correspondent's (Robert Mickens) report on the recent papal trip to the UK.

The link to the Tablet's page brings you to a links for photos and the texts of all the speeches/homilies given by the pope during his visit.

And don't miss the Tablet's editorial on the same topic.

Mickens' view from the press pool of Benedict's against-all-predictions successful trip is a lesson for US readers who may have already forgotten the warm welcome Peter's successor received when visiting on this side of the pond in April 2008. 

Two items are worth noting here:

1) The thousands upon thousands who lined the streets and filled churches and parks for an opportunity to glimpse, hear and sing and pray with the pope were not hordes of mindless Catholics who agree with everything the Church teaches or the pope says.  Rather, they were Christians, and others of all stripes, who turned out to meet this remarkable man who is more than himself: he is a man whose identity is mysteriously and historically linked to a man named Peter, a follower of Christ Jesus.

2) Among us who are brothers and sisters in Christ, no disappointment or disagreement gives us license to despise the other.  No matter how woefully we may grieve one another, we are yet called to love one another as Christ has loved us.  In just this way did Christ love Peter who, in the hour of need, cowardly denied and abandoned him.

What Peter's successor accomplished in just a few days will take years to parse and understand.  Some of what he did is summed up in his farewell remarks to the Prime Minister (below) but only a reading of his words will begin to reveal the importance of the trip this one man made:

During my time with you, I have been able to meet representatives of the many communities, cultures, languages and religions that make up British society. The very diversity of modern Britain is a challenge to its Government and people, but it also represents a great opportunity to further intercultural and interreligious dialogue for the enrichment of the entire community.

In these days, I was grateful for the opportunity to meet Her Majesty The Queen, as well as yourself and other political leaders, and to be able to discuss matters of common interest, both at home and abroad. I was particularly honoured to be invited to address both Houses of Parliament in the historic precincts of Westminster Hall. I sincerely hope that these occasions will contribute to confirming and strengthening the excellent relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom, especially in cooperation for international development, in care for the natural environment, and in the building of a civil society with a renewed sense of shared values and common purpose.

It was also my pleasure to visit His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishops of the Church of England, and later to pray with them and our fellow Christians in the evocative surroundings of Westminster Abbey, a place which speaks so eloquently of our shared traditions and culture. As Britain is home to so many religious traditions, I was grateful to have the opportunity to meet their representatives and to share some thoughts with them about the contribution that the religions can offer to the development of a healthy pluralistic society.

Naturally, my visit was directed in a special way to the Catholics of the United Kingdom. I treasure the time spent with the bishops, clergy, religious and laity, and with teachers, pupils and older people. It was especially moving to celebrate with them, here in Birmingham, the beatification of a great son of England, Cardinal John Henry Newman. With his vast legacy of scholarly and spiritual writings, I am certain that he still has much to teach us about Christian living and witness amid the challenges of today’s world, challenges which he foresaw with such remarkable clarity.

As I take my leave of you, let me assure you once again of my good wishes and prayers for the peace and prosperity of Great Britain. Thank you very much and God bless you all!

Subscribe to A Concord Pastor Comments