St Michael Society

In the age we live in, real time television and Reality TV shows have captured the imagination and the ratings.  Indeed, people often watch cable television in their homes and offices all day to see and witness what will happen next.  So it was for Pope Benedict’s visit to Great Britain this past week.  The British tabloids and protesting hooligans were doing their best to stoke the fire of discontent and warning — even suggesting that the Pope would be arrested by a group of Atheists when he stepped foot on this ancient land of Christianity. Indeed, the world watched as it anticipated a royal flop by the Pope.

As all eyes were on the visit, a remarkable turn of events occurred.  Huge crowds, in the hundreds of thousands lined the streets to see the Pope — 200,000 plus in London on Saturday.  Millions listened to and welcomed him and his message, including elected officials.  Protestors were drowned out and rarely covered.  Even the British tabloids and commentators are calling the trip a “triumphant” success for the Catholic Church and the Holy Father.

Cutting through all the media hype and histerics, was a truly inspirational and historic visit.  Not only because the Holy Father declared 19th Century Englishman and Catholic convert Cardinal John Henry Newman Blessed, but also because the Pope spoke truth to power in the age we live in and in the heart of a relativist world.  Indeed his theme for the visit “Heart Speaks to Heart” rang true.

He spoke of the need for faith and reason to be a staple in the political conversation; he stood for the unborn, and elaborated on the Dictatorship of Relativism that not only plagues Europe but also America.  And, he called us to a challenge to reject relativism and turn to Christ — that only through developing a loyal friendship with Jesus could we find true happiness and peace.

As Edward Pentin writes for Zenit:

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.

“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.”

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.

Indeed, Pope Benedict has left Britain awed and in deep reflection.  As Deacon Keith Fournier of Catholic Online writes: The Pope did more than call the UK to ‘”sit up and think”, he called the Nation to kneel down and pray.