The Papal coordination officials from the Vatican made their final visits to the sites that Pope Benedict would be visiting about a week ago. According to thepapalvisit.org.uk, the prayer Missal has gone to the printers, and I'd suspect will soon be available from your Parishes in the coming weeks. On this website you will also be able to find the liturgies (available if you want to follow the Pope from your Parishes, or even your homes), and also souvenirs with the Vatican emblem.
There will also be opportunities to greet the Pope outside of the Mass and Vigil times. Details of this will be available on the program released towards the end of August.
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Just yesterday, an interview with the Archbishop of Westminster was published on The Sunday Telegraph's website.
Archbishop Vincent Nichols speaks of his hope that the new government will do whatever it can to achieve the common good. I particularly like the way Archbishop Vincent speaks openly about the idea of becoming a more united, and cohesive society; and his optimism that faith groups can once again potentially play a big part in helping to rebuild communities. He also speaks very briefly of the Papal Visit, introducing the Sunday Telegraph readers to the concept of hope through humanitarianism and faith in God. What an inspirational man!
The interview was conducted by Jonathan Wynne-Jones of The Sunday Telegraph - click the link above for the full article.
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"I hope he is arrested for attempting to cover up child molestation across the world"...
It can be difficult to tell what is controversial and what isn't, when gauging responses from your friends, colleagues, and local community about the Pope's visit... the response, will more often than not be a negative one. Just the other day, I posted a status on my facebook asking for positive responses. Almost immediately, the response in inverted commas above was posted, by a person I used to live with in halls during the first year of Bradford University.
I've recently been on a pilgrimage - I walked El Camino. And one very valuable thing I learned from that experience, was that things will happen in God's good time. This includes communicating what you feel on the spot! I've learned the gift of patience: it's better to wait, and gather your thoughts, before you communicate a response to something that has ignited a strong feeling within yourself. I've noticed that, quite often, what I felt as an immediate response, didn't need to be communicated in the end.
As a person of faith, my opinion is that judgement day will come, and we will all be judged ultimately by God. And you're right... there is absolutely no justification in the sickening thoughts and acts of child abuse. For such cases as these, I'm ashamed to be associated with such evil-doers, even by my own faith, and am deeply sorry to those victims, and sorry for the perpetrators. I would just like to post what I feel is a message of hope which Archbishop Peter Smith gave during his homily at his Installation Mass in the Diocese of Southwark nearly two months ago:
... The Church is a Church of saints and sinners, constantly in need of redemption and reformation. Yet we know it is also true that in spite of the weakness and failures of individuals, and at times the institution of the Church, it is within the Church that the risen Christ continues his redeeming work through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.”
So I simply want to say to you today, “Be of good heart!”
Source: catholic-ew.org.uk
The theme for the Holy See's visit is 'Heart Speaks unto Heart'. So if there is anything you wish to speak of, to a Catholic stranger, good or bad, then you can always email me through pilgrim.claz@gmail.com. Or you could simply leave a comment below. I'm not a psychologist, counsellor, or a preacher, but I'm a good listening ear. After all, I'm learning to curb my reactive self, and keep these things internal, and offering them up to God.
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