Posted on 09/20/2010 1:52:55 PM PDT by NYer
“Pope Benedict’s declarations over the past few days have been remarkable and, in modern Britain, virtually unprecedented,” writes English columnist Stephen Glover in today’s Daily Mail. “They were delivered in the calmest, meekest and least ranting way possible, and yet they carried a great authority that largely comes, I think, from the Pope’s evident goodness as well as from the dignity of his office. Even hard-hearted cynics and skeptics could not fail to listen.”
“A very successful visit” was the general consensus in the British press this morning after Pope Benedict XVI ended his four-day state visit to Britain.
His presence brought 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. It defied predictions and vastly exceeded expectations.
The government and the Vatican were particularly delighted with how well it had gone. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said it had been a “wonderful visit” and, above all, a “spiritual success.”
Crowd numbers were far larger than any protests (200,000 on the streets of London on Sept. 18 compared to around 5,000 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.”
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 is submerged in a “highly secularized environment.”
(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...
Truly remarkable indeed.
EWTN's Raymond Arroyo recalled previous papal visits made by JPII and how they impacted those countries. The results were not visible until years later. Consider the impact of his visits to Poland and Cuba.
One of my favorite stories came out of Israel. During his visit to the Mount of Beatitudes, Pope JPII blessed an olive tree. 8 years later, during a major drought, that tree was the only one that produced olives. Yossi Kami from the Jewish National Fund, which maintains the plot, told the media it was a miracle. Karri explained that all the trees on the plot were treated equally but the ones that did not receive the blessing did not give fruit.
How could they not love him as much as we do? :)
'Cause, you know, that's all I got on this from CBS radio news.
Yeah, so did theinvisb1ehand a few days ago. He probably follows me here.
Cult of celebrity. I recall somebody recently spoke out against it. Was it Obama?
JPII was into the cult of celebrity (the press liked him, for some reason), but BXVI is not.
He says the hard things that have to be said, he’s not a big flashy personality, but he speaks with an incredible, quiet sanctity and obviously an intellect that could blast us all away. And that’s what is impressive.
England was prepared to hate him. But you will see conversions flowing like the Thames in no time at all. Unless, of course, Charles the Idiot declares himself to be Sufi Caliph of the New Islamic British Empire, in which case martyrdom may be back in vogue.
One more reason why you should turn off the mainstream media news and get your news "fix" on the internet. The benefits extend well beyond the exposure to broader sources. Your life will change ... for the better. That is what I did 4 years ago. Give it a try for a few weeks. You will miss nothing, especially the frustration of the one way form of communication.
CBS radio is the Home of the New York Yankees!
NYER I hear about that story yeah it still bloom
NYER I hear about that story yeah it still bloom
NYER I hear about that story yeah it still bloom
I think Pope Benedict had a very good visit. He served notice to the Christian faithful in the UK that we would fight to maintain their faith in the face of aggressive secularism and another “threat.”
A threat the Catholic Church has faced down for 1300+ years.
I think many people in the UK know what I am talking about.
I am not a practicing Catholic but I think the Church is the last force to stop - you know what. Let’s just say a 7th century force of darkness.
I hear you ;-)
Love the Yankees! I still recall those years when the biggest competition was between the NY Yankees and Dodgers. Those were the days when baseball was a true sport and players were in it for the glory, not the money. Today, "sports" have replaced religion in too many hearts and homes.
Yes, he did, and I think people understood that. It's hard to imagine that in the 21st century, we are facing this primitive, ignorant, horrible 7th c force again, but we are. And the Pope is the only one who has shown even a glimmer of leadership.
I think a lot of people in the UK quietly understood and turned out.
Secularism is just a trojan horse for you know what.
I think the whole world is “wowed” at this point. Of course, the anti-Catholics too, because they don’t quite know what to do about it! LOL!
It was. I have to admit, a remarkable success. Secularism obviously does not have the hold on Western Civ that is often ascribed to it. Who would have thunk it? /s
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