Beatification of John Henry Newman

25 Sunday 2010        Homily – Abbot Mark (Beatification of John Henry Newman)           11.00 am In the gospel today (Lk 16.1-13) we are shown the parable of the Unjust Steward who continued to look after his own needs when his dishonest actions were brought to light.  Scripture scholars give some interesting explanations as to why Jesus praises his behaviour when he seems to continue acting unjustly.  The point Jesus is making is that we should learn to use our natural abilities to resolve our problems whatever they are.  And he did say elsewhere, that we should be as cunning as snakes though remain as simple as doves. But today I want to speak about two other men who have used their talents to good effect not just for their own ends but for the glory of God.   Pope Benedict begins the final day of his visit to the UK.  In spite of so much negative reaction to his visit and against himself, there has been a great groundswell of appreciation of him and of what he has to say.  His is surely a timely message of how to respond to negative feelings and opinions that dog the path of anyone who tries to do something positive.   Like Pope Benedict, if we know or believe something to be the correct thing to do, we should not hold back but reasonably and carefully act for the good of others.  The Pope has steadfastly preached the good news in season and out.  He has had to deal with the dreadful cases of clerical sex abuse, the problems of ethical controversies worldwide, how to promote a just and compassionate society at home and the proper way to deal justly with the poorer countries of the world, as well as meeting their immediate basic needs. His words have not always been favourably welcomed.  But by faithfully sticking to his informed understanding of the problems facing the church and the world, he has managed to bring the general public round to listen to what he has to say.  There won’t be many instant conversions to his way of thinking but, hopefully, there will be a readiness to listen to what he has to say.  People need the time and opportunity if their lives are to grow into the truth.  The Holy Father himself will need time to respond to any open dialogue that may well come about after these few days and many meetings in Britain.  But there will always be contrary opinions in any debate.  All that we can try to do is to investigate a matter as thoroughly as we can, make the right decision as we see it and act on it in a way that respects the opinions of others.  That way has the hallmark of goodness and holiness about it.   This morning Pope Benedict has been carrying out the main task that he came to do while in Britain: the Beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman.  The pope has been a long-time admirer of Newman and his writings.  Not-surprisingly, Newman epitomises much of what Pope Benedict is trying to convey in his homilies and messages during this visit.  Everyone, not just Catholics and other Christians, he says, needs to listen to the truths Christ shows us in the gospel if we want to become fully human and helpful to others in society.  We all need to be receptive to the truth wherever it may be found.  Newman himself was such a seeker *Cardinal Newman’s whole life was governed by his search for truth and holiness.  In every event and circumstance he asked himself the simple but complex question: is this particular thing true?  Is it real?  Does it lead to holiness?  And if it is true, then it must be acted upon.  Newman sought the truth wherever it led and whatever the cost.  He suffered when he felt compelled to leave the Church of England and join the Catholic Church, and later he suffered within the Catholic Church when his views became unwelcomed.  Conscience was the guiding light which he saw as the primary, God-given, way to seek and find the truth.  Obedience to conscience was the supreme rule of life and one in which he found assurance and reliance on God’s mercy.  Though he was always loyal to his friends and commitments he would propose a toast to conscience first before allegiance to any other authority.   *Holiness for Newman was the sign of life in the Church.  It was the true test of her credibility.  The miracle of Newman is the moral miracle of his influence for good in the Church.  By his teaching and example he has transformed the lives of countless men and women, strengthened their faith, renewed their hope and deepened their love for others. Newman is not being beatified today because he was perfect.  Like all of us, he had his faults.  It is because he didn’t let  these get in the way of his search for truth, that he is being held up to us for our imitation. *John Henry Newman now enjoys the “safe lodging and holy rest” he earnestly prayed for.  May he intercede for us and help us to pray as he once did in these memorable words, “May Christ support us all the day long, till the shades lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done!  Then in his mercy may he give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at last!” * Paragraph adapted from Blessed John Henry Newman, Fr Colm McKeating, Far East, Sept/Oct 2010, p.7)

20 September 2010 

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Pontiff's visit 'did Birmingham proud'

Organizers of the Pope's historic visit to Birmingham say it was a great success.

Father Richard Duffield said the Pope blessed the Oratory's cat during his visit

Pope Benedict XVI lead Mass at Cofton Park on Sunday at the culmination of his four-day UK state visit.

More than 50,000 people at the event witnessed the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Councillor Martin Mullaney, of Birmingham City Council, said putting on such a large event had "done the city proud".

Peter Jennings, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Birmingham, said: "The whole visit itself has been a huge boost for everybody It's given new confidence to the Catholic Church and also to our relations with the Church of England and other churches."

Oratory cat

About 2,000 officers from West Midlands Police and other forces were on duty for one of the area's biggest security operations.

The Popemobile travelled from Cofton Park, near Longbridge, along Hagley Road, Edgbaston, to the Oratory, which was founded by Cardinal Newman.

Father Richard Duffield, Provost of the Birmingham Oratory, said the Pope met a group of parishioners there and also thanked workers at the Oratory.

He added the Pontiff had also given a blessing to the Oratory's cat.

Papal Chair

Thank you, Andy,

The talk does not stop as we share the wonder of the Visit.

The presence of Benedict 16 is still with us.

The art in the Papal Chair from school is lasting memory with the pupils and us all.

Domald

----- Forwarded Message ----From: Andy _ _ _To: Donald  _ _ _ _Sent: Sun, 19 September, 2010 14:08:32Subject: Papal Visit

Hi Fr Donald

What a tremendous blessing which the past four days have been for the Catholic Church in Great Britain.  

For me it was a tremendous joy, privilege and blessing to be part of  such a great choir participating in the liturgical celebration of the Papal Mass at Bellahouston Park on Thursday.  

The crowds were awesome.  I

t was like a carnival atmosphere prior to the start of Mass, but when asked for a period of silence prior to the start of Mass there was a tremendous silence over such a great crowd, estimated at 70,000.

 

The Papal Chair

I attach a photograph of a chair.  This chair was made for the Papal visit by a group of school children from Anne Marie's school.  It was situated in the Papal Sacristy and a booklet containing the background and development of the chair was presented to the Holy Father and each of the Scottish Bishops.  Again a great honour and privilege for the school children.

 

Hope to see you all soon.

 

God bless

Andy & Anne Marie

 

Pontiff's four-day trip

Thank you, Fr. Patrick.

D.

 

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: father patrick ___
Sent: Tue, 21 September, 2010 15:26:50
Subject: heart to heart

20-September-2010 -- ZENIT.org News Agency

UK Trip Coordinator: Pope Was Here as a Father

Says Pontiff Spoke to Hearts, From the Heart

LONDON, SEPT. 20, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The coordinator of Benedict XVI's state visit to the United Kingdom says the Pope "was here for all of us, as a father."

Monsignor Andrew Summersgill gave this evaluation to Vatican Radio in speaking about the Pontiff's four-day trip to Scotland and England, which concluded Sunday.

He also emphasized the "great consistency" of the papal message: "In all places he spoke of the importance of reason and faith: He spoke to civil society of the function of religion in public life, during the liturgies he taught us the faith and he showed his faith to young people and to the elderly."

The coordinator of the visit said that what impressed him most was "the welcome the Holy Father received, both by Catholics as well as other Christians, those belonging to other religions and those who only went to see him as he went through the city."

Do what he says

Referring to the motto of the visit, "Heart Speaks Unto Heart," the monsignor reflected that "the Pope spoke to the heart, but above all he spoke from the heart."

"The Pope gave himself to us from his heart, and he did so in his words and in his conduct," Monsignor Summersgill affirmed.

The coordinator also said the fruits are already "at every level."

"The Holy Father has invited us to address some challenges, above all to keep going, taking with us everything he has said to us in these days," he said. "I see this desire also in the people who participated, who were present and who feel the duty to do what he has told us."  

patrick

"Benedict bounce"

Thank you, Father,

The coverage on B16 is copious. 

A pick from selections is helpful. 

Donald

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: father patrick _ _ _
Sent: Tue, 21 September, 2010 15:21:02
Subject: BOLD AND triumphant

20-September-2010 -- ZENIT.org News Agency Share | Benedict XVI in UK: Bold and Triumphant Government and Vatican Hail Success of State Visit By Edward Pentin LONDON, SEPT. 20, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's four-day state visit to Britain defied doomsayers and the negative publicity that preceded it, bringing out an estimated 500,000 people in Scotland and England as well as countless others who heard his messages in the media and on the Internet. Both the government and the Vatican were delighted with how well it went. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said it was a "wonderful visit" and, above all, a "spiritual success." The numbers of cheering supporters were far greater than any protest groups (200,000 on the streets of London on Saturday compared to around 5,000 protesters who took part in a march that day), but the Vatican doesn't judge success by numbers. Father Lombardi said the Pope felt it was a success because "many, many people listened with profound interest to what he had to say." The British press, some of which has been extremely hostile to the visit, gave a virtually unanimous verdict that it could not have gone better for the Church. The Daily Mail described the visit as "triumphant," adding that "by last night, the protesters appeared defeated, with celebrity objectors virtually silent and demonstrations against the visit few and muted." Benedict XVI began his trip by telling Queen Elizabeth II of his concerns over "aggressive forms of secularism," but he ended it on a message of hope: Britons, he said, have a "deep thirst" for the message of Christianity, even if the country has become a "highly secularized environment." He constantly warned of the excesses of secularism and the perils of "atheist extremism," yet reminded the country of its deep Christian roots from which so much good has been achieved by its people in the course of history. Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron noted in his farewell address that the messages Benedict had delivered to the country had made it "sit up and think." He gave strong assurances that faith "has been and always will be" part of the fabric of British society. Won over An important factor in the visit's success was the chance for British people to see what the Pope is really like, as opposed to his media-concocted image. They were won over by his shyness, deep humility, and child-like innocence -- just as many in the Vatican predicted they would be. But they were also impressed by his courage and his willingness to speak his mind. "This was a much more successful visit than the Roman Catholic hierarchy could have dared to hope," wrote English commentator Stepehen Glover. "The Pope spoke to the soul of our country, affirming the eternal moral verities which our own political and religious leaders normally prefer to avoid. In essence, he has been asking us to examine what kind of country we want this to be." And perhaps more than on any other papal visit, he comprehensively addressed the sexual abuse scandal, first referring to his "shock" and "sadness" that priests had abused children, then voicing his "deep sorrow" over the "unspeakable crime" of pedophilia by clergy, and finally meeting five Britons who had suffered such abuse. He also called for better safety measures for children in schools and urged the Church in Britain, which over the past decade has handled the scandal well, to share its expertise. This was a truly historic visit designed to help bring reconciliation between Church and state and between Catholics and Anglicans. Half of all the nation's Parliamentarians turned out for the Pope's speech in Westminster Hall, where St. Thomas More, the patron saint of politicians, was tried and condemned in 1535. The Holy Father expressed his concern at the "marginalization" of religion in society, reminding them that religion is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a "vital contributor" to the national conversation. New chapter With the Church of England, the exchanges were remarkably friendly, despite relations having reached their lowest ebb in recent times. The Pope also reached out to interreligious leaders, and engaged teachers and young people, urging the latter not to follow a celebrity culture but to enter into relationship with God and pursue holiness. He also spoke from the heart to elderly people, stressing the importance of life from conception until natural death and telling them that ever longer lives offer an opportunity to remember in prayer those "whom we have cherished in this life." The Pope called Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman, the 19th-century theologian whom the Pope came to England to beatify, a "great son of England," recalling how he showed his priestly compassion to the poor, sick and imprisoned. The visit was also a historic first, which above all signified a new chapter for the Church in this historically Protestant country, one in which a line had finally been drawn under the sectarian and bloody disputes of the past. How much this visit will affect the country in the long term remains the subject of debate. Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien, the archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, has spoken of a "Benedict bounce" and a hoped-for growth in vocations. But for the Catholic lay faithful and Britons who value the Church's teaching and Christian principles -- evidently many more than the media tends to convey -- the Holy Father's visit was a much needed and very welcome "shot in the arm" after years of encroaching secularist intolerance.

patrick

Papal Visit Personal Account

Thank you, Father,

for your vivid response to the 'papal presence' even in solitude.

D.

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: A C - - -
Sent: Tue, 21 September, 2010 15:46:05
Subject: the Pope in the UK

Hi all,

I don't go in for blogging or twittering or facebooking etc

but some of you have asked me if I went to see the Pope.

No. But............. here is a personalised account of his visit:

The Pope's visit to the UK, (Edinburg, Glasgow, London and Birmingham) 

has turned out to be a huge success despite the Jeremiahs who predicted dismal failure with embarrassment, humiliation and worse, for him.

The national papers have all used superlatives today to describe it and are non-plussed at the spontaneously rapturous welcome he received everywhere.

One said we expected a Rottweiler and we got a gentle grandfather.

The vociferous opposition by 'People against the Pope' turned out to be a mere blip despite their demonstration being much larger than even they had expected,  -- 5k, while 300k lined the London streets to cheer him!!! 

Their spurious argumentations were little less than barely concealed hatred. 

Poor people, with spiritual cancers eating them away.

For me the 4 days were a papal telethon (television marathon), as I spent about 7 hours each day, on 3 TV channels, following the Pope's every step and listening to his every word (with difficulty, due to accented speech andtoo fast delivery).

The words of others were very good too, especially the Chief Rabbi's.

There were quite a few emotional highs for me, especially in London where I ministered 24 years ago. I was based at the Cathedral for 2 years and said Mass very often at the altar where the Pope said his, also in the chapel of the Home for the Elderly that he visited and I dined in the reception room in which he held court. I had even been inside the Apostolic Nunciature where he slept. So many old memories came flooding back. I noticed in the congregation people from that time, like Pat O'Donoghue, the retired bishop of Lancaster (& Cumbria) who was sub-administrator of the cathedral at the time. While the Pope was at the (Anglican) Westminster Abbey, I thought of the time I preached in the adjacent St Margaret's chapel. Even the many references in Birmingham, to the new Blessed, Cardinal Newman, and his founding of University College Dublin, did it for me, for I was a student there for 3 years.

I also realised that I have been missing the majesty of liturgical celebration.

The music at the Cathedral and the Abbey was magical and the singing heavenly.

To me, the liturgies were a baptised compilation of theatre, opera and military pageantry, all in one sacred spectacle, dimming Broadway and the West End into insignificant childsplay. I used to sit at the back of the cathedral during celebrations just to enjoy the music and singing; somehow I've survived all these years without it.

The Pope's visit was like a Retreat for me, more than. Conscious of my hermit's ministry, I fasted the whole week (and lost 11 pounds) for the success of the visit, especially that it would not rain, for there were many open-air events which would be disastrous shambles in the rain. Even for non-events, like the Pope going from A to B in his popemobile with the streets lined with cheering people, rain would have been a calamity.

It rained here where I live. But it never rained where the Pope was, even though on Sunday morning for a short while it threatened to. Allah Bu Akbar. God is Good. Thanks be to HIM.

The organisation, with complicated logistics, was superb. There were no hitches,--just a few minor errors that can be overlooked. I was disappointed though that there was not more Gregorian Chant.

We have had a papal visit once in 30 years or so and we are very excited and overwhelmed. We forget that this year alone,the Pope is making 5 such visits to foreign countries. This visit to the UK was his 17th since becoming Pope in 2005.

For an 83 year old man his stamina is remarkable;  this visit was 'chock-a-block' with events and speeches, as I suppose it is with all his other visits.

During these 4 days, there were 6 people arrested for 3 days then released, suspected of planning an attack on the Pope. My cynical mind suggests to me that it was  planned  and 'staged' by the Government to give validity to the very controversial millions of £s spent on security for the 4 days.

I feel certain that, as a result of the great enthusiasm and positivity engendered by the Pope's visit, people of Faith, Christian and others, will feel less apologetic towards the secularists and atheists, about their believing in God and in spiritual values. And I suspect that many lapsed Catholics will return to church-going at least, and that some atheists and non-believers will secretly experience conversion. So may it be: Amen. 

Love & Blessings

ajc

Papal Visit Thougts

----- Forwarded Message ----
From:  
Independent Catholic News
To: nunraw ......
Sent: Tue, 21 September, 2010 0:13:06
Subject: ICN News - 21 September 2010 - Saint Matthew
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 12:13 AM BST

---

Latest news

Papal Visit – Thoughts from a Laywoman I was glued to the TV for four days. As the papal programme in Britain worked through it felt like reality was being redefined! The main news channels were dominated by pictures of Pope Benedict’s sweet smile, yellow and white flags, discussion about the role of Christianity in society, and all with familiar hymns playing in the background. Read More ... Ellen Teague - Posted: Monday, September 20, 2010 11:59 pm

Papal Visit: at care home Pope recalls last years of John Paul II Before the Hyde Park Prayer Vigil on Saturday, the Holy Father travelled to St Peter's old people's home in Lambeth. The institution, which houses seventy-six elderly people including nine priests and religious, is run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.  Read More ...Posted: Monday, September 20, 2010 11:16 pm

New Shrine for Our Lady of the Taper On Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI blessed the statue of Our Lady of the Taper from the National Shrine of Wales in Cardigan and, just 24 hours later the statue has been re-located to a side chapel in the main Church. Read More ...Posted: Monday, September 20, 2010 10:45 pm

‘It’s a great day to be Catholic’ So says Mike Stanley of CJM Music who alongside Jo Boyce, their six piece band and a 40-strong choir opened the Cardinal Newman Beatification celebrations at Cofton Park, Birmingham on Sunday.  Using some of Newman’s prayers and other devotional writings along with a mixture of contemporary styled music including two new musical settings of Newman’s poetry, Read More ...Posted: Monday, September 20, 2010 10:31 pm

Bishop Crispian Hollis reflects on Papal Visit We have been witnessing remarkable events during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI.  I was privileged to be present for the meeting with Archbishop Rowan Williams and his fellow Anglican Bishops at Lambeth. It was a meeting of particular warmth and welcome. Read More ...Posted: Monday, September 20, 2010 10:15 pm

Cathedral stewards help Papal Visit run smoothly When Pope Benedict  XV1 visited Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, the security was very strict and much of the stewarding was carried out by members of the Catholic Police Guild as well as the Catenian Association.  Their job was to check the credentials of the 1,739 invited pilgrims before allowing them to enter the Cathedral. Read More ...Posted: Monday, September 20, 2010 9:16 pm

Cardinal O'Brien thanks Pope for being 'Honorary Scot' In his farewell address to Pope Benedict XVI delivered at Oscott College in Birmingham yesterday, Cardinal Keith O'Brien the President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland thanked the pope for agreeing to be 'an honorary Scot for the day'.  As Britain's senior Catholic, Cardinal O'Brien addressed his farewell remarks to the pope at the end of his four day visit to Scotland Read More ...Posted: Monday, September 20, 2010 8:58 pm

Kevin goes to see Pope Benedict I was very happy when we got on the train to go to Bellahouston Park. The Police Officers gave us directions when we got there and made sure we had our green wrist bands on. My Mum and my brother were carrying two cool bags with food and drinks and me and my two sisters were carrying our pilgrim packs and Mass books. Read More ... Posted: Monday, September 20, 2010 10:09 am

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Saint of the day: 21st September

Saint Matthew

Apostle and evangelist, St Matthew was called Levi by St Mark and St Luke. He was a Jewish tax collector for the Romans working and living in Capernum before he was called by Jesus.

St Matthew wrote first of all for his fellow Jews, longing to show them how Jesus had fulfilled their deepest hopes. He brought a message of a Saviour who would never desert his followers. The last words of Matthew's Gospel, quotes Jesus' command that his followers must baptise disciples from all mankind before he promises: "I am with you always, to the end of the world."

Though Matthew was writing for his own people, he alone tells of the first non-Jews to worship Jesus: the three Magi who followed a star that lead them to the stable at Bethlehem.

It was Matthew who set down the words at the Sermon on the Mount. Of the Parables that Matthew tells us, which we know from no one else, one stands out especially: the story of the sheep and the goats. The parable ends with the message that whatever we do to the least of our brethren we do to Jesus.

No one knows when or how St Matthew died. Tradition says he was martyred in Ethiopia.

With acknowledgment to ICN

Papal Visit Album

Princes Street and Edinburgh Castle

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: 
To: Donald ...
Sent: Thu, 16 September, 2010 20:56:54
Subject: Re: [Blog] Papal Visit Homily

Dear Fr. Donald,

Thank you so much for forwarding The Holy Father's homily....

what a wonderful day, myself and Gillie were in Princes St. with Gillie's two wee girls from 9.15 and it was such a joy, the pageant which little Robyn (nearly three) really enjoyed, but she kept asking where's our Pope, when he did appear we were fortunate to get a Blessing from him, I thought Robyn's hand was going to fly off she was waving vigorously, and since then she is waving the flag all around the house chanting we love the Pope, what a wonderful day, I hope it reaches out to most people the way it has reached out to little Robyn, indeed a day we call all say "we are proud to be Christians"  

Infant blessed at the window of the Pope-mobile
on the Princes Street Edinburgh

God Bless Father Donald, it is our weekend at Nunraw so we will all see you over the weekend

God bless and thank you

Helen ... 

% % % % % % % % % % % % % % .

Thank you, Helen.
There are so many pictures for the Album.
D.

Papal Visit - Home Rome

20 September 2010 Last updated at 12:07

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Pope's visit is deemed to challenge stereotypes

By David WilleyBBC News, Rome

The Pope praised Britain's 'instinct for moderation'

After all the fears expressed before the Pope left Rome of a possible debacle - street protests and a poor turnout - there was a tangible sense of relief, even of euphoria, among Pope Benedict's entourage during the return flight to Rome from Birmingham.

As the Pope and his cardinals dined in their chartered Alitalia Airbus (on pate de foie gras, pasta with egg plant, cold meats, cheese and wild fruit tart) the Vatican entourage were enthusiastic about the results of the four-day trip.

Their excitement was echoed by Prime Minister David Cameron in an unexpected accolade as he bade farewell to the Pope at the airport.

Mr Cameron said the Pope had challenged the whole country "to sit up and think" about the relative roles of religion and politics.

Does Mr Cameron's vision of a British "Big Society" coincide with the social teaching of the Roman Catholic Church? Surprisingly, there seem to be many points in common.

'Wonderful' visit

The Pope had talked about "the development of a healthy pluralistic society". He expressed his admiration for Britain's "instinct for moderation" which found an echo in the prime minister's vision of a country that is "deeply but quietly compassionate".

Father Federico Lombardi, the Pope's official spokesman, described the visit as "wonderful".

The big crowds that gathered along The Mall in central London on Saturday afternoon to greet Pope Benedict on his way to the Hyde Park prayer vigil had been impressive, by any royal standards.

But it was not the size of the crowds that impressed the Pope so much as the fact that so many people were listening to his speeches, most of which were broadcast live on TV. They understood with their hearts and minds, Father Lombardi said.

The Pope beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman, a prolific theologian, during his UK visit

Although the visit overall may have lacked the panache of a British royal event, the Pope's tour developed a momentum of its own from the moment he was welcomed by the Queen in her Edinburgh palace of Holyroodhouse, with all its memories of the unfortunate Catholic monarch Mary Queen of Scots.

In Rome, we are used to seeing the Pope kissing and blessing babies held up to him as he tours around the crowds during general audiences.

But in the eyes of British people he was certainly humanised by the media during his visit, even being photographed patting a police sniffer dog as he lined up for a souvenir photograph with a small group of the 2,000 policemen and women who have been in charge of his security.

A pope who had previously been regarded as someone rather cold, professorial, aloof and authoritarian; had suddenly been perceived as a rather kindly and gentle grandfather figure.

Throughout the trip, I was a member of the Vatican Accredited Media Personnel (because of the acronym that appeared on our press passes, we quickly became known as the Vamp) which accompanied Pope Benedict.

Italian journalists travelling with the Vamp seemed surprised at the orderly way in which the 10,000 street demonstrators against the papal visit had marched in London on Saturday "without a whiff of tear gas being shed".

'Sheer magic'

But Marco Politi, a veteran Vatican reporter, noted that although the Pope commiserated with five carefully selected British victims of clerical sexual abuse in the chapel at the Nunciature in Twickenham, some victims had refused the Vatican offer to meet the Pontiff as they had actually been abused on church premises.

The Pope's triumph was really his speech to leaders of civil society at Westminster. One political mover and shaker told me afterwards his performance had been "sheer magic".

Within the space of two hours Pope Benedict penetrated the heart of the Anglican Establishment. In Lambeth Palace, Westminster Hall and the Abbey, he delivered a rather flattering tribute to what he found attractive about British culture and traditions.

I watched it all from a sort of BBC transparent bubble - a TV studio which had been hoisted on a crane high onto the roof of the Methodist Central Hall, giving us unprecedented views of the great West Door of the Coronation Abbey and the London landscape.

I reflected that travelling around Britain inside the papal bubble does give one a unique bird's eye view of contemporary British society.

How much the Pope actually observed for himself as he travelled from Edinburgh to Glasgow and on to London and Birmingham I do not know, but this journey did also cause me to "sit up and think" about how stereotyped the view of the Vatican from afar can become.