The State Visit of Pope Benedict XVI.
The Pope receives the Royal Salute.
Part of the Speech of Pope Benedict XVI
to
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
Your Majesty,
Thank you for your gracious invitation to make an official visit to the United Kingdom and for your warm words of greeting on behalf of the British people. In thanking Your Majesty, allow me to extend my own greetings to all the people of the United Kingdom and to hold out a hand of friendship to each one.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
The name of Holyroodhouse, Your Majesty’s official residence in Scotland, recalls the “Holy Cross” and points to the deep Christian roots that are still present in every layer of British life. The monarchs of England and Scotland have been Christians from very early times and include outstanding saints like Edward the Confessor and Margaret of Scotland. As you know, many of them consciously exercised their sovereign duty in the light of the Gospel, and in this way shaped the nation for good at the deepest level. As a result, the Christian message has been an integral part of the language, thought and culture of the peoples of these islands for more than a thousand years. ...
Florence Nightingale -The Lady with the Lamp-
We find many examples of this force for good throughout Britain’s long history. Even in comparatively recent times, due to figures like William Wilberforce and David Livingstone, Britain intervened directly to stop the international slave trade. Inspired by faith, women like Florence Nightingale served the poor and the sick and set new standards in healthcare that were subsequently copied everywhere. John Henry Newman, whose beatification I will celebrate shortly, was one of many British Christians of his age whose goodness, eloquence and action were a credit to their countrymen and women. These, and many people like them, were inspired by a deep faith born and nurtured in these islands.
Even in our own lifetime, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society ...
As we reflect on the sobering lessons
of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century,
let us never forget
how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life
leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society
and thus to a “reductive vision of the person and his destiny”
(Caritas in Veritate, 29).
Looking abroad, the United Kingdom remains a key figure politically and economically on the international stage. Your Government and people are the shapers of ideas that still have an impact far beyond the British Isles. This places upon them a particular duty to act wisely for the common good.
May God bless Your Majesty and all the people of your realm. Thank you.
Similarly, because their opinions reach such a wide audience, the British media have a graver responsibility than most and a greater opportunity to promote the peace of nations, the integral development of peoples and the spread of authentic human rights. May all Britons continue to live by the values of honesty, respect and fair-mindedness that have won them the esteem and admiration of many.
Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society. In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate. Let it not obscure the Christian foundation that underpins its freedoms; and may that patrimony, which has always served the nation well, constantly inform the example your Government and people set before the two billion members of the Commonwealth and the great family of English-speaking nations throughout the world.
May God bless Your Majesty and all the people of your realm. Thank you.
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The Pope receives the Royal Salute.
Part of the Speech of Pope Benedict XVI
to
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
Your Majesty,
Thank you for your gracious invitation to make an official visit to the United Kingdom and for your warm words of greeting on behalf of the British people. In thanking Your Majesty, allow me to extend my own greetings to all the people of the United Kingdom and to hold out a hand of friendship to each one.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
The name of Holyroodhouse, Your Majesty’s official residence in Scotland, recalls the “Holy Cross” and points to the deep Christian roots that are still present in every layer of British life. The monarchs of England and Scotland have been Christians from very early times and include outstanding saints like Edward the Confessor and Margaret of Scotland. As you know, many of them consciously exercised their sovereign duty in the light of the Gospel, and in this way shaped the nation for good at the deepest level. As a result, the Christian message has been an integral part of the language, thought and culture of the peoples of these islands for more than a thousand years. ...
Florence Nightingale -The Lady with the Lamp-
We find many examples of this force for good throughout Britain’s long history. Even in comparatively recent times, due to figures like William Wilberforce and David Livingstone, Britain intervened directly to stop the international slave trade. Inspired by faith, women like Florence Nightingale served the poor and the sick and set new standards in healthcare that were subsequently copied everywhere. John Henry Newman, whose beatification I will celebrate shortly, was one of many British Christians of his age whose goodness, eloquence and action were a credit to their countrymen and women. These, and many people like them, were inspired by a deep faith born and nurtured in these islands.
Even in our own lifetime, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society ...
As we reflect on the sobering lessons
of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century,
let us never forget
how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life
leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society
and thus to a “reductive vision of the person and his destiny”
(Caritas in Veritate, 29).
Looking abroad, the United Kingdom remains a key figure politically and economically on the international stage. Your Government and people are the shapers of ideas that still have an impact far beyond the British Isles. This places upon them a particular duty to act wisely for the common good.
May God bless Your Majesty and all the people of your realm. Thank you.
Similarly, because their opinions reach such a wide audience, the British media have a graver responsibility than most and a greater opportunity to promote the peace of nations, the integral development of peoples and the spread of authentic human rights. May all Britons continue to live by the values of honesty, respect and fair-mindedness that have won them the esteem and admiration of many.
Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society. In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate. Let it not obscure the Christian foundation that underpins its freedoms; and may that patrimony, which has always served the nation well, constantly inform the example your Government and people set before the two billion members of the Commonwealth and the great family of English-speaking nations throughout the world.
May God bless Your Majesty and all the people of your realm. Thank you.
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The Holy Father wearing the papal tartan
Entered Edinburgh
to 1,000 Pipers playing
"Highland Cathedral" !
After our arrival in Glasgow
with the hospitable members
of the parish of Buckie.
The arrival of the Holy Father.
Pope Benedict XVI came very close to where we stood.
...His shadow at least...
Graces are received when the successor of Peter passes by.
Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets,
and laid them on beds and couches,
that when Peter came, his shadow at the least,
might overshadow any of them,
and they might be delivered from their infirmities.
(Acts. 5:15)
Joyful pilgrims leaving for home.
A day of graces.
Returning home through the Highlands.
Thank you Holy Father.
"Will ye no come back again?
Will ye no come back again?"
Entered Edinburgh
to 1,000 Pipers playing
"Highland Cathedral" !
After our arrival in Glasgow
with the hospitable members
of the parish of Buckie.
The arrival of the Holy Father.
Pope Benedict XVI came very close to where we stood.
...His shadow at least...
Graces are received when the successor of Peter passes by.
Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets,
and laid them on beds and couches,
that when Peter came, his shadow at the least,
might overshadow any of them,
and they might be delivered from their infirmities.
(Acts. 5:15)
Joyful pilgrims leaving for home.
A day of graces.
Returning home through the Highlands.
Thank you Holy Father.
"Will ye no come back again?
Will ye no come back again?"
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