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Benedict Wows Britain
NC Register ^ | September 20, 2010 | EDWARD PENTIN

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 ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: pope; uk

WEARING HER HEART ON HER ... BOOTS. A pilgrim wears decorated Wellington boots as Pope Benedict XVI leads Mass and the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman Sept. 19 at Cofton Park in Birmingham, England.
1 posted on 09/20/2010 1:52:56 PM PDT by NYer
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To: NYer

Truly remarkable indeed.


2 posted on 09/20/2010 1:57:02 PM PDT by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: netmilsmom; thefrankbaum; markomalley; Tax-chick; GregB; saradippity; Berlin_Freeper; Litany; ...
An important factor in the visit’s success was the chance for the British people to see what the Pope was really like, as opposed to his media-concocted image. They were won over by his shyness, deep humility and child-like innocence — as many in the Vatican predicted they would be. But they were also impressed by his courage and his willingness to speak his mind.

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.

3 posted on 09/20/2010 1:58:59 PM PDT by NYer ("God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar." St. Maximilian Kolbe)
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To: NYer

How could they not love him as much as we do? :)


4 posted on 09/20/2010 2:02:09 PM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: NYer
so, you're saying, the crowds weren't all screaming, "get your rosaries off of my ovaries?"

'Cause, you know, that's all I got on this from CBS radio news.

5 posted on 09/20/2010 2:03:32 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand
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To: NYer
EWTN's Raymond Arroyo recalled previous papal visits made by JPII and how they impacted those countries

Yeah, so did theinvisb1ehand a few days ago. He probably follows me here.

6 posted on 09/20/2010 2:04:41 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand
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To: NYer

Cult of celebrity. I recall somebody recently spoke out against it. Was it Obama?


7 posted on 09/20/2010 2:08:14 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy (Pardon him...he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe ... are the laws of nature)
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To: Oztrich Boy

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.


8 posted on 09/20/2010 2:13:57 PM PDT by livius
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To: the invisib1e hand
that's all I got on this from CBS radio news.

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.

9 posted on 09/20/2010 2:15:38 PM PDT by NYer ("God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar." St. Maximilian Kolbe)
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To: NYer
You're preaching to the choir. I got rid of my TV in 1992, way before it was cool.

CBS radio is the Home of the New York Yankees!

10 posted on 09/20/2010 2:19:01 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand
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To: NYer

NYER I hear about that story yeah it still bloom


11 posted on 09/20/2010 2:19:11 PM PDT by SevenofNine ("We are Freepers, all your media belong to us ,resistance is futile")
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To: NYer

NYER I hear about that story yeah it still bloom


12 posted on 09/20/2010 2:19:23 PM PDT by SevenofNine ("We are Freepers, all your media belong to us ,resistance is futile")
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To: NYer

NYER I hear about that story yeah it still bloom


13 posted on 09/20/2010 2:19:23 PM PDT by SevenofNine ("We are Freepers, all your media belong to us ,resistance is futile")
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To: livius

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.


14 posted on 09/20/2010 2:28:17 PM PDT by Frantzie (Imam Ob*m* & Democrats support the VICTORY MOSQUE & TV supports Imam)
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To: the invisib1e hand
CBS radio is the Home of the New York Yankees!

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.

15 posted on 09/20/2010 2:50:53 PM PDT by NYer ("God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar." St. Maximilian Kolbe)
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To: Frantzie
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.”

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.

16 posted on 09/20/2010 3:24:03 PM PDT by livius
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To: livius

I think a lot of people in the UK quietly understood and turned out.

Secularism is just a trojan horse for you know what.


17 posted on 09/20/2010 3:36:55 PM PDT by Frantzie (Imam Ob*m* & Democrats support the VICTORY MOSQUE & TV supports Imam)
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To: NYer
Continue to Pray for Pope Benedict [Ecumenical]
18 posted on 09/20/2010 4:23:59 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: NYer

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!


19 posted on 09/20/2010 4:28:09 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: pnh102

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


20 posted on 09/21/2010 1:19:36 AM PDT by Vanders9
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