Triumph of the Pope

Pope Benedict’s visit to the United Kingdom last month was as close to a miracle as I have ever seen.

Before he left Rome the British media were filled with stories of how he would be met with mass protests and how local Catholics would largely shun the four-day event. There was a lot of talk about the wisdom of Pope Benedict being exposed to so high a level of criticism and vociferous denigration particularly in view of the uproar caused by new charges of child abuse by Belgian clergy.
Pope Benedict was expected to arrive in the UK as “God’s Rottweiler”—a title he acquired as a cardinal.

But, within hours of arriving at his first port of call in Scotland and smilingly donning a tartan scarf, he started changing from God’s Rottweiler into the Holy Grandfather. A title benevolently bestowed on him by the ususally ultra-cyncical British press.

Any Catholic here in South Africa who watched, as I did, the exceptional wall-to-wall coverage accorded to the Pontiff’s visit by Sky News, must surely have been left in absolute awe and wonder at this quite remarkable victory over cynicism.

A miraculous victory that saw Catholics, Anglicans and heaven knows how many others from agnostics to atheists, getting caught up in the joy of the occasion. Of hanging on to the words of a small, humble man who was not afraid to admit to and apologise for the behaviours of his Church, but who mostly preached peace, love, co-operation and reconciliation. Local Catholics did not shun the visit. On the contrary, as Prime Minister David Cameron said, he was welcomed by all six million British Catholics and touched the hearts of the 60 million inhabitants of the British Isles.
Upwards of 200000 people lined Pall Mall as he made his way from an old age home in Vauxhall to a prayer meeting in Hyde Park where another 85000 waited for him.

The relatively tiny number of protestors, some 5000 at various stages of the tour, were dwarfed into virtual silence by the sheer weight of exuberant enthusiasm of the masses.

The Holy Grandfather went out of his way to be in touch with the people, often breaking away from his rigorously set programme and stopping to talk to ordinary people lining the streets, staff at events venues, a policeman here and there, blessing a few babies and most of all listening with intensity to what everyone had to say.

But, the most emotional moment for me was when he was invited to attend a service in the very heart of Anglican England, Westminster Abbey.
And the way in which the Archbishop of Canterbury echoed with such deep emotional eloquence, the Pope’s call for unity within the Christian churches.
It cannot have gone unnoticed by both Catholics and Anglicans in the UK how the Archbishop of Canterbury attended so many events on the papal visit and how every time, the pope would go up to him and clasp his hand.

But, also in Westminster Abbey and latter at Westminster Cathedral, not only was the Anglican hierarchy present but representatives of almost all of the orthodox churches.
Equally impressive was the pope’s decision to visit and pray with five victims of abuse.

He made no bones about the severity of these crimes and promised unambiguously to do all in his power to root out this damning evil.
Pope Benedict has never been considered to have the charisma and public appeal of his predecessor but on this visit to the UK he came extraordinarily close.
It was a remarkable event which must surely have left Catholics, Anglicans and many others, extremely proud of their faith and their beliefs.

Particularly with regard to strong messages that went out from not only the pope but also the Archbishop of Canterbury and British Prime Minister David Cameron, in hammering home the power and importance of faith in a Britain which has been perceived to have become far too much of a politically correct and atheist society.

David Cameron made mention more than once of the fact that Britain has
30000 faith based charities—a simple straightforward statistic that proved beyond doubt that religion and faith in the UK remain strong and powerful.
Just as it is in Africa, where religion and particularly the Catholic Church is one of the biggest and longest established investors in social development.

This was a tour that put Christianity back into perspective and could well be a watershed moment in which the Catholic Church swings once more onto the path of its original intention of evangelism, working for world peace and most of all, being a powerful pillar of support for the poor.

Hopefully our Holy Grandfather has once and for all rid himself of the reputation that has so far dogged his papacy.