UK Papal Trip: A Very Touching Moments

Photo Source: whisperintheloggia.blogspot

Still UK Muslims Wanted to Kill the Pope

I really cannot understand why extremist and Muslim activists can freely chant "Death to the Pope" in UK while quickly condemn anyone who exercizes his/her freedom to say "Death to Muslims", not even the halted "Burn the Quran" spared the lives of innocent victims in Islamic states around the world.

Choudary should be lectured on the historical facts why such Crusades did occur in history. Let me say this. It was because Muslims drove Christians out from the Middle East and spared no one until the sack of Jerusalem. Muslims attacked Christian pilgrims that prompted Christians to protect the Holy Land from "moors".

Of course there were abuses that happened but the late Servant of God Pope John Paul II had apologized for all the mistakes we as a Church did in the past. (Read Crusades from Wikipedia).

Now, it's HIGH TIDE for Muslims to apologized too.
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Islam Meets Catholicism as Muslim Protesters Call for Death of Pope Benedict
by Lisa Graas from newsrealblog:

Though the Crusades were fought centuries ago and are rarely, if ever, mentioned in Catholic classrooms, Muslims today who want Jihad continue to flaunt them in vengeful tones and wallow in hatred for Catholicism. So it was when Pope Benedict XVI visited the United Kingdom and was met on his itinerary by a group of angry Islamists urging for his death and calling him “responsible” for the Crusades.

Muslim demonstrators shouted “Pope Benedict, you will pay, Islam is on its way”, “Sharia is on its way”, “Justice is on its way” (a lot is coming our way, it seems) and threatened that Sharia would be “declared” against all who insult Muhammad. They shouted to the Pope, “Watch your back,” swore that he will “burn in hell” and claimed that he “deserves the death penalty.”

Watch the video here.

Anjem Choudary, who helped lead the protests, is the chief spokesman for Al-Muhajiroun, a fundamentalist Muslim organization based in England that was ostensibly “disbanded.” Choudary and fellow protester Abu Rayah, both participated in the burning of the American flag on the steps of the U.S. Embassy in London on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

"After a short speech by an MAC spokesman, Abu Rayah, explaining that while they were “not against one hillbilly trying to burn the Koran, we are against the constitution that attacks Muslims every day”, the US flag was set alight. Some 50 protesters chanted: “Democracy, you will burn.”

"At the far end of the square, a very different spectacle was taking place. Under a wooden pavilion bearing the inscription “Peace is the price we pay for love”, in the British Memorial Garden grown after 9/11, a steady stream of people came to lay flowers and wreaths. Some were from the families of the 67 British people killed nine years ago. Others, such as John Watts, came to pay respects. Now 60, he lost his wife shortly after the towers fell: 11 September 2001 was his last wedding anniversary. His memories of it, like those of so many with no direct connection to the attack, are overwhelmed by what happened that day."

Ambassadors of genuine peace in the world, no matter their creed or station in life, are not recognized as such by those who hold to the core teachings of Islam, a so-called “religion of peace“, where “peace” is defined as living in “submission“.

The “meeting” of Pope Benedict XVI and Anjem Choudary on the streets of London, though the Pope was apparently oblivious to it, is most noteworthy because in it we see the personification of the two largest religions that are contradictory at their core. On the one hand, we have the Pope who stands as “Vicarius Christi“, the “Vicar of Christ” or “servant overseer” of Christianity to 1.147 billion Catholics in the world. To them, the Pope is the representative of the core teachings of the Christian Faith which are, if nothing else, peaceful in nature. On the other hand, Anjem Choudary is rightly characterized as one who both knows and professes the core teachings of Islam, a religion that recently surpassed Catholicism in membership and claims about 1.27 billion members worldwide.

Though all Muslims do not hold to Choudary’s views, only the blind or ignorant could sincerely claim that he misunderstands what Islam teaches. At the same time, though all Catholics do not hold strictly to the catechism, it is clear to all but the blind or ignorant that it, at minimum, professes a peaceful message and one that the Pope consistently promulgates as the Bishop of Rome.

Since devout Muslims refuse to forget the Crusades and are shouting death threats to the Pope, perhaps it is time to bring this chapter of Catholic/Muslim history back into the Catholic classroom. Catholic students may do well to understand what the Crusades were really about from Catholic history, not the revised version currently popular thanks to leftist apologists for Islam. We have not forgotten, as a Church, that the Crusades were defensive wars in response to Muslim atrocities which occurred after Islamists conquered what had been Christian lands. If Muslims refuse to forget the Crusades and want to continue stabbing forks into that wound, neither should we forget what they were really about.

Opinion: What’s the difference? Media, The Koran Burning, and the Pope’s U.K. Visit

Commentary by Matthew Anderson

September 21, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One can’t help but notice that religion is all the rage in the news these days. First there was the planned burning of the Koran on September 11 by a Florida pastor, and second, the visceral reactions by some British against the Pope’s visit.

Interestingly (but perhaps unsurprisingly) the reaction from the mainstream media has been rather different regarding these two stories: One is decried as an outrage, while the other is protected under freedom of speech.

This gives rise to an important question: What is the difference between Islam and Christianity? Why are journalists, and the majority of people for that matter, ready to rush to the aid of Islam, but they allow Christianity to be openly attacked?

It goes without saying that burning the Koran was a terrible idea, and there should have been an outcry against it. I may not believe the Koran is inspired, but many people do; and destroying something that many people love (though that love may be misguided) for no constructive purpose, is against charity. For the same reason, non-Catholics should be disturbed by the treatment the pope has received at the hands of certain members of British society. It is extremely offensive to Catholics when the Holy Father is abused so viciously by such as British scholar Claire Rayner, who recently referred to the pope as “this creature,” and said that she has “never felt such animus against any individual” (See previous LSN Coverage here)

Yet, despite the similarities between the two situations, they haven’t been treated alike at all.

For instance, after the burning of the Koran didn’t happen, CNN posted a story on its blog called, “Lessons from the Whole Quran Episode.” For the large part, the comments from the CNN writers who contributed to the post were dead-on.

Akbar Ahmed, a contributing writer and professor at the American University in Washington said, “We … learned how Jews, Christians and people of other or no faiths all categorically rejected the idea of burning the Quran as disrespectful and even harmful. In that sense, Jones' story had a happy ending, showing that there is such a thing as reason and compassion in the hearts of the high and mighty and the ordinary folk, which trumped hatred and bigotry.”

But last week CNN posted a story under a picture of the pope entitled, “Opinion: Why I Oppose the Pope’s Visit,” that does anything but advocate for “reason and compassion in the hearts of the high and mighty.”

The author, Peter Tatchell, the UK’s most prominent gay activist, says, “As a democrat, I defend the right of Pope Benedict XVI to visit Britain and to express his opinions. But people who disagree with him also have a right to protest against his often harsh, intolerant views.” But Tatchell’s defense of the remarks of Rayner, or Richard Dawkins (who has been hurling an endless stream of abusive epithets at the pope for months now) is a far cry from the media’s reaction to the burning of the Koran. When the abuse is aimed at a Christian figure, the media is happy to allow it in the name of free speech.

So again I ask, what’s the difference between Islam and Christianity that leads to this disparate treatment? The primary difference may be found at the very root of each religion: man’s relationship with God. One believes God can never be subject to anything outside himself, the other believes God’s willingness to be a servant to man and humiliated by him is what defines His identity as Love itself.

In Islam, God is all powerful. He is far beyond man’s grasp, and thus to attack him strikes against his nature. He is incapable of being subject to anything. Even depicting God is forbidden. This “untouchable” aspect of God is transmitted to Islam as a whole, making any offense against Islam, such as drawing the prophet or burning the Koran, incompatible with God’s nature.

The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, expressed the Islamic view of God recently when he said, in reference to the planned Koran burning, “Humiliation of the holy book represents the humiliation of our people.” It is humiliation that cannot be tolerated. An all-powerful God cannot be humiliated; any attempt at humiliating him must be rejected.

Christianity, however, is built upon the greatest humiliation God could ever endure. No one sums this up better than St. Paul who describes Christ as he “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2: 6-11)

In Christianity, unlike Islam, God allows himself to be attacked. It is a religion where God allows all to touch him, in love or in hate. Those who approach Him out of love are invited deeper; those who approach Him out of hate only advance His will and face judgment in the end. But all are allowed to approach Him.

The media takes advantage of God’s humility and allows any and all to attack Christianity. Because he won’t come down from the Cross, the media is not afraid of the Christian God, not realizing they will one day face judgment for their silence in the face of such attacks, or, indeed, their complicity in them.

More importantly, they do not realize the attacks they are allowing only further the mission of the Church they often criticize. They forget that the Crucifixion comes before the Resurrection. The Pharisees wanted to get rid of Christ so they had him murdered, but this only advanced his mission. By aiding those who attack Christianity, the media does not realize it has taken the place of the Pharisees in furthering Christ’s mission in our day. It still has not learned the lesson of the Cross: that God brings redemption out of suffering, and victory out of defeat.

The view of God as one who “humbles himself and becomes obedient unto death” and the view of God as “unapproachable” are polar opposites. Surely, the religions that espouse each view will be treated differently by outsiders. One will be accepted as the target of criticism while the other will remain untouchable. However, as Christians we must have faith. Good Friday always comes before Easter Sunday.

Benedict XVI in UK: Bold and Triumphant

LONDON,(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.

Beatification of Blessed John Henry Newman

Pope Benedict XVI blesses the people who attended the Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman
in Burmingham's Cofton Park today.

Burmingham RadioFree Europe - Pope Benedict XVI spent the last day of his four-day visit to Britain celebrating a Mass before some 50,000 people in Birmingham's Cofton Park at a ceremony where the pontiff also beatified a 19th-century Anglican convert.

It was the first beatification for Pope Benedict XVI.

Cardinal John Henry Newman is considered one of the Catholic Church's leading thinkers. In the 1830s, after an unsuccessful attempt to reform the Anglican Church, Newman turned to Catholicism. He converted to Catholicism in 1845, believing that was the true faith and then ascended through the hierarchy of the Catholic Church to become a cardinal.

Newman met the criteria for beatification after a man in the United States who suffered from a debilitating spinal disorder said he had been cured in 2001 after praying to Newman. Last year, Pope Benedict declared this a miracle.

Vatican officials are checking claims of a second miracle connected to Cardinal Newman in Mexico. If confirmed by Vatican officials, the second miracle would make Cardinal Newman eligible to be declared a saint.

'Strong Admiration'

The beatification of Cardinal Newman was the highlight of the day for many.

"The reason I am here today is because I have always had a very strong admiration for Cardinal Newman," said Michael Collinane, originally from Ireland but now a resident of Birmingham. "And anything I have learned about him I have always been impressed by."

For some, like Birmingham resident Marcia McCabe, it was simply enough that the pontiff was in Birmingham.

"It means a lot," she said. "It means I can go home and tell my children how special our faith is. How happy and caring everybody is being. It is just really nice to come and share this with everybody."

That was true also for 92-year-old Birmingham resident Margaret Andrews, who attended today's Mass.

"I think he is simply marvelous. He is my leader. He is the representative of God almighty," Andrews said. "I am a Catholic and I do go frequently. And when I knew that he was going to be as near to home as this, nothing would keep me away."

Catholics make up only about 10 percent of Britain's population, and not all of them were satisfied with the pope's visit. Demonstrations against sexual abuse by some priests of the church were held during the pontiff's trip, which started in Scotland and also took in London. Some people in those areas also rallied against Pope Benedict's stance on homosexuality and abortion.

The start of the pope's trip to Britain was marred after British police announced they had detained six men suspected of plotting a terrorist attack during Benedict's visit. Police later freed all six men without charges.

Pope visit: Five suspected Islamist terrorists arrested over assassination plot

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent from telegraph.co.uk

Published: 3:09PM BST 17 Sep 2010

The men were arrested during raids at 5.45am at a rubbish depot in central London based on an intelligence tip off received overnight.

The suspects, aged 26, 27, 36, 40 and 50 were arrested by officers from Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

They are said to be from a variety of nationalities including a number of Algerian origin.

The depot where they worked is less than a mile from Hyde Park where the Pope was due to hold a prayer vigil tomorrow evening.

As street cleaners they would have been able to move relatively freely and inconspicuously through the London crowds.

Westminster City Council said the men worked for Veolia Environmental Services, a contractor which employs 650 on-street staff to keep Westminster's streets clean and free from rubbish.

The men have been taken to a central London police station where they will be interviewed by detectives.

Searches are being carried out under the Terrorism Act 2000 at the rubbish depot and at residential premises in north and east London.

Sources said that initial searches had not uncovered any bomb-making or hazardous items.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said the arrests were made after they received “information” and added: “Following initial inquiries by detectives a decision was made to arrest the five men.”

Pope Benedict XVI’s security arrangements were reviewed following the arrests and Scotland Yard said “we are satisfied that our current policing plan remains appropriate. The itinerary has not changed.”

There was no change to the terrorism threat level which remains at “severe” meaning that a terrorist attack is highly likely.

The Pope continued with his engagements, unaffected by the developments.

The Pope has been informed of the arrests, Vatican spokesman Fr Lombardi said. He told reporters there was "no need to change anything about the programme with the Pope and the security for this trip".

"The Pope is calm and happy and we go on with this trip with courage and joy," he added.

"We are totally confident in the work of the police and Scotland Yard."

A multimillion-pound operation is in place to protect the Pope during his tour of Scotland, London and the West Midlands, with thousands of officers involved.

The pontiff is also protected by members of the Swiss Guard.

He often travels in the Popemobile, which has a bulletproof glass enclosure. The Vatican abandoned the use of an open-topped vehicle after the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981.

A spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales said: "We have absolute confidence in the security operation to protect both the Pope and the public.

"The Pope is enjoying a wonderful visit, warmly welcomed wherever he goes."

Pope in UK

You can watch it LIVE at BBC LIVE for the complete coverage.

UK: Ice Cream Ad Offends Catholics ahead of Papal Visit

Ahead of the UK Papal Trip today, anti-Catholic agenda has infiltrated even in icecream ads prompting authorities to BAN the said advertisements. Antonio Federici's ad is filled with bigotry and hatred against Catholics in Britain. Thanks to the Advertising Standard Authority decided to ban it.

Let all Catholics around the world pray for the safety and success of this papal trip. Let's invoke the intercession of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception for the Pope's protection as she protected the Blessed Pope John Paul II during his pontificate.

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Banned: pregnant nun ice cream ad campaign

UK, Belfast Telegraph - An ice cream company banned from using an advert showing a pregnant nun has vowed to defy regulators by placing similar posters along the route of the Pope's London visit.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announced today it had banned the ad for the Antonio Federici brand for "making a mockery" of the beliefs of Roman Catholics.

The advert, which appeared in The Lady and Grazia magazines earlier this year, showed the heavily pregnant nun standing in a church holding a tub of ice cream and a spoon, with text stating "Immaculately conceived" and "Ice cream is our religion".

Ten readers complained that the advert was offensive to Christians, particularly those who practised Catholicism.

A spokeswoman for Antonio Federici said the company intended to defy the ban by publishing another advert portraying "a continuation of the theme".

She said: "We intend to defy the ASA's ban and will publish another advert from the series before the Pope's visit later this week.

"We are in the process of securing a series of billboards close to and along the planned route of the Pope's cavalcade around Westminster Cathedral."

The ASA said its rulings "must be followed".

A spokesman said: "ASA rulings must be followed and we are taking steps to ensure Antonio Federici do so.

"We do not comment on the likely compliance of ads that have not yet appeared. However, we are continuing to conduct work behind the scenes, including with the advertiser, to ensure they comply with the rules."

Defending the banned ad, Antonio Federici said the idea of "conception" represented the development of their ice cream, and their use of religious imagery stemmed from their strong feelings towards their product.

The company said it also wished to "comment on and question, using satire and gentle humour, the relevance and hypocrisy of religion and the attitudes of the church to social issues".

The publishers of The Lady received eight complaints made directly to them and said that, in hindsight, it had been a "misjudgement" on their part to publish the ad.

The magazine told the ASA that it "regretted the offence that had been caused to readers", adding that it would not publish the ad or anything similar to it in future.

Grazia magazine said it considered that the advert was intended to be lighthearted and not mocking of any religious groups.

The ASA noted that advertising rules stated ads "should contain nothing that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence".

It said: "We considered the use of a nun pregnant through immaculate conception was likely to be seen as a distortion and mockery of the beliefs of Roman Catholics.

"We concluded that to use such an image in a lighthearted way to advertise ice cream was likely to cause serious offence to readers, particularly those who practised the Roman Catholic faith."

The number of complaints was relatively small, but the advert had been placed in only a small number of publications.

It ruled that the advert must not appear again in its current form.

The ASA banned another advert for Antonio Federici in July last year that showed a priest and a nun looking as though they were about to kiss.

Similar Story: Pregnant nun ice cream advert banned for 'mockery'

Vatican releases new postmarks in honor of UK papal visit

Vatican City,(EWTN News)- Commemorating the Holy Father's upcoming papal visit to the U.K. this week, the Vatican Post Office announced the release of two new postmarks for the Sept. 16-19 trip.

The first frank depicts the Holy Father and the Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman surrounded by text which reads: “Benedictus XVI Regnum Unitumm Visit” along with the date, “Poste Vaticane 16-19.IX.2010.”

A second postmark will be issued to honor the beatification of Cardinal Newman, which the Pope will preside on Sept. 19 in Birmingham. This postmark illustrates the figures of the Holy Father and of the new blessed with the text, “Beatification of Cardinal Newman.”

Pope Benedict's U.K. visit will begin in Scotland on Sept. 16. Upon his arrival in Edinburgh on Thursday, he will meet with the Queen at the Royal Palace of Holyrood House. Later that evening he will go to Glasgow to celebrate an open-air Mass in Bellahouston Park.

On Friday, Sept. 17 he will fly to London, where he will begin the day in prayer with representatives of religious congregations. After separate meetings with Catholic school children and religious leaders, he will be joined by a delegation of Catholic bishops in a meeting with an Anglican delegation led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

That afternoon, a much-anticipated encounter will be held in Westminster Hall, the United Kingdom's house of parliament, with members of British society. An ecumenical celebration will be also be held at the nearby Westminster Abbey.

Saturday, Sept. 18, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass at Westminster Cathedral, visit a home for the elderly and preside over a prayer vigil in central London's Hyde Park.

On the final day of his visit to the U.K., Pope Benedict XVI will travel to Birmingham by helicopter to preside over the centerpiece of his visit: the celebration for the beatification rite of Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman in Cofton Park.

Benedict's new £75,000 Popemobile

Belfast Telegraph - Popemobiles are almost as ubiquitous a component of a papal visit as the Pope himself.

For many spectators – especially non-Catholics who will have had little opportunity to obtain "pilgrim passes" to the three main open-air events – the specially modified, £75,000 cars are the best opportunity to see the Pope in the flesh.

The latest incarnation to be used by the Vatican are a pair of custom-built Mercedes M-Class vehicles. They have 2in-thick armour plating, blast-proof undersides and bullet-proof glass that allows Benedict to be seen in full as he is slowly driven through crowds.

The Mercedes Popemobiles are a far cry from the enormous Polish-built van that was first converted into a moving platform for John Paul II's triumphant return to his homeland in 1979. For the Pope's trip to Ireland in the same year a converted transit van was used.

It was only after the assassination attempt on John Paul in 1981 that Vatican security chiefs decided they needed armoured transport.

In France, the Pope travelled around in a converted Peugeot, in Spain it was a Seat and in Germany he used Mercedes. For his visit to the UK, John Paul travelled in a converted Land Rover and a 24-tonne Leyland truck.

In recent years the Vatican has stuck with its fleet of armoured Mercedes for countries where threats are considered high. Each car's number plate has the letters SCV, which stands for Stato della Città del Vaticano, the official name for the Vatican State.

Read more: BelfastTelegraph

The Pope's Visit 2010

From BBC Blog by Aaqil Ahmed London - On the morning of 28 May 1982, an Alitalia 727 aircraft touched down at London Gatwick airport. Minutes later Pope John Paul II knelt down and kissed the tarmac [site here].

What followed was an historic and demanding six-day tour of the UK that gripped the nation, and dominated the news both in the UK and around the globe.

I was a football-mad boy just about to turn thirteen and residing in Bolton when I watched his arrival in 1982. I - like others of around my age - remember being enthralled by Blue Peter and Newsround features about the visit - and who can forget marveling at the all-important Pope mobile.

I had little concept of what the Pope's visit to our shores really meant to the millions of Catholics in the UK. I just knew that this man was causing a bit of a stir when he turned up in his very different looking car. Like all things when you are a child, the fascination passed quickly, but my memory of his visit remains, and what really sticks in my mind especially is the sheer size of the crowds who came to see him in Heaton Park in Manchester.

Today - as a forty-one year-old man - I am now preparing for the first visit of a Pontiff for 28 years (and the first ever State visit) and I am in a very different place. I am obviously a lot older, I hope wiser, a father myself, and I am very proud to now be the BBC's Head of Religion and Ethics and the Commissioning Editor for Religion TV. And this papal visit by the current pope - Benedict XVI - rather than being a passing fascination, is on my mind every minute of every day, morning, noon and night. Why? Because I, along with many of my colleagues across BBC TV, radio and online, are getting ready to cover this historic State occasion with a myriad of eclectic programming.

The Pope's visit from 16 -19 September is being organised and paid for by the Catholic Church (in England and in Scotland) and by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It has polarised public opinion like no other before and you only have to open a paper to see that it has got the nation talking. What will happen when he gets here and, more importantly, what he may say, is sure to dominate the news agenda. His arrival on the 16 September will also mark - and be the culmination of - many months of planning and organisation (not to mention sleepless nights) for our BBC teams working on all the aspects of covering the Pope's Visit 2010.

From the production crews working on all the live events, to the news teams across the BBC, down to the documentary producers finalising programmes giving an important insight into some of the wider issues that surround the papacy of Joseph Ratzinger, this has been an extremely busy, fraught but entirely fascinating few months.

The UK has changed a lot in those 28 years since the last time we greeted a Pontiff, and the Britain that awaits Pope Benedict XVI as he ascends to the tarmac is a very different place than the Britain that awaited Pope John Paul II. It is more multicultural, secular and, thanks to the recent controversies that have rocked the Catholic Church, the current Pope will no doubt be met by some very vocal groups who are against him being here altogether. However, for the majority of the many millions of Catholics in the UK, the Pope's arrival will be much looked forward to and also celebrated.

One thing is for sure, this is a State event, that will be both newsworthy and of national interest and significance, and, as the nation's broadcaster, it is appropriate that we cover it in the best way we can - with the scale, depth and overall balance of programming across all our platforms - TV, radio and online - that only the BBC can deliver.

I hope you manage to watch some of the coverage, and you find it as fascinating as I undoubtedly will.

You can find details of all the programmes to coincide with the Pope's Visit 2010 by following the below link.

Aaqil Ahmed is Commissioning Editor for Television. Head of Religion and Ethics

• BBC announces event coverage of the Pope's Visit 2010

Pope UK Visit: First Ever State Visit by a Pope

London BBC Radio 4 - Pope Benedict XVI will visit England and Scotland from 16-19 September 2010. This is the first visit by a Pontiff in 28 years, and the first ever State visit by a Pope.

Radio 4 has a series of special programmes to mark the visit.

Cardinal John Newman Pope Benedict XVI was elected the 264th successor of St Peter on 19 April 2005. His Holiness is only the second non-Italian pope since 1522 - the other being his predecessor Pope John Paul II. To date, Pope Benedict has visited 15 countries.

Catholics in England Suffered Long Repression

For nearly three centuries after the Reformation, Catholics in England were outlaws.

But in the turmoil and persecution that followed the break between King Henry VIII and Rome, noble families such as the Stonors clung to their faith, "in spite of dungeon, fire and sword," as the Victorian hymn "Faith of our Fathers" put it.

"We're just stubborn, really," says Ralph Thomas Campion Stonor, the seventh Lord Camoys, a title bestowed on an ancestor for valor in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Pope Benedict XVI will recall the years of persecution during his upcoming tour of Britain Sept. 16-19. He will visit Westminster Hall, the medieval chamber within the Houses of Parliament where the Catholic Thomas More was tried and convicted of treason in 1535. More refused to swear an oath accepting the annulment of King Henry's marriage, thus becoming one of the first of the legion of English Catholic martyrs.

The Stonor family's history mirrors the vicissitudes of Catholics, both noble and humble, who defied the law and risked death to preserve their faith through times of persecution until they regained full legal rights in the 19th century.

The Stonors were among those described as respectable "recusants," people who refused to attend Church of England services; respectable because they did not join in any plots to overthrow the monarchy.

It was possible, even in the turbulent times of Queen Elizabeth I, to be openly Catholic and still enjoy royal favor. A notable case was the composer William Byrd, who wrote music for the Chapel Royal and for the Catholic Mass.

The Stonor family sheltered another famous martyr, the Jesuit priest Edmund Campion. Campion's printing press was discovered at the Stonor house after Campion was arrested in 1581. Dame Cecily Stonor, who had already been paying yearly fines equivalent to 50,000 pounds ($77,000) in today's money, and her son John were arrested as well, [... read more...]

UK Poll Tests Public Opinion Ahead of Papal Visit

Photo Source: St. Mary's University College Twickenham London

LONDON, SEPT. 3, 2010 (Zenit.org).- How many people would recognize Benedict XVI if he walked down the street without his papal apparel? In Britain, two out of three adults correctly identified him.

This was one of the results reported by The Tablet, a U.K. Catholic newspaper, from a poll undertaken by the survey organization Ipsos.

The poll, which surveyed face-to-face 996 British adults (including 117 Catholics), found that at least one in five are planning to follow closely the Pontiff's Sept. 16-19 visit, by means of newspaper, television, radio or internet.

In the general population, 10% are planning to attend the events of the papal visit. Of the Catholics interviewed, 71% will be participating in these events.

The results showed that 25% of the general population supports the Holy Father's visit, with 11% opposed and 63% stating that they are neither for nor against it.

The majority (67%) of the adults surveyed agreed that British society should retain its Christian culture, with only 8% opposing this idea.

In the general population, 49% expressed the belief that it is a good thing the Catholic Church has strong moral views.

The poll found that a great majority (93%) of people know that the Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, while only 77% affirm that the queen is the head of the Church of England.

With historic visit, pope to challenge indifferent, agnostic Brits

Photo Source: thepapalvisit.org.uk

(Source: OSV) -Benedict XVI walks into a swirl of paradoxes and a storm of controversy with historic state visit

Pope Benedict XVI later this month visits Great Britain in a swirl of paradoxes.

Relations with its government are far closer than ever before — he comes at the invitation of the queen for the first-ever state visit by a pope — yet tensions over recent equality laws have put in serious doubt the willingness of the British state to protect the Church’s presence in the public square. The voices of militant Protestantism are largely silent, but protests by radical secularists and gay rights campaigners will be far stronger than during the first and last papal visit in 1982.

State event? Or pastoral?

The state nature of the visit has involved Church-state negotiations of sometimes Byzantine complexity over costs and logistics. Technically, the government meets the expenses of the “state” elements of the visit, while the Church foots the bills of the “pastoral” parts — a prayer vigil in Hyde Park, Mass at Westminster Cathedral and, what is for Catholics the highlight of the visit, the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman at Cofton Park outside Birmingham. Negotiations with the government have been fraught with tortuous discussions over exactly when the visit passes from “state” to “pastoral.” Both sides have struggled to keep down spiralling costs — the Church has raised $9.25 million for its share, but is $6.2 million in the red — at a time when the new administration has introduced painful budget cuts across government.

Nervousness about costs and stringent security and safety rules that did not exist in 1982 have to some extent dampened the enthusiasm of Catholics, who can only attend the large events in Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park, Hyde Park and Cofton Park by applying for the limited tickets allocated to each diocese through their parish.

The British police, for whom the notion of vast, peaceful crowds is largely alien, are demanding that pilgrims arrive on buses where each person can be identified and accounted for. The allocation of tickets has sometimes been out of sync with demand, leaving many Catholics frustrated at being unable to attend, while some dioceses have struggled to meet their quotas. But these problems are being tackled, and the events will no doubt be full: 100,000 are expected at Bellahouston Park, 90,000 in Hyde Park and around 80,000 in Cofton Park for the beatification Mass, while it is impossible to predict the numbers who will flock to Westminster to see the popemobile.

For those familiar with the often bloody history of relations between crown and papacy, Church and state, there will be many powerful, poignant moments. Pope Benedict flies first to Edinburgh to be received by the queen in Scotland.

‘Healing of memories’Queen and pope will sit to talk in Holyroodhouse, her official Edinburgh residence, and the home of Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scots, before her execution in 1587 by the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. On Sept. 17, the pope will address 1,000 parliamentarians and civic leaders in Parliament’s Westminster Hall, where Catholic martyr saints Thomas More and Edmund Campion were tried and sentenced to death. That evening, he will pray with the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, in the queen’s church, Westminster Abbey, before the tomb of the 11th-century king St. Edward the Confessor, revered by both Catholics and Anglicans. Such moments will provide, say the visit’s Catholic organizers optimistically, an opportunity for the “healing of memories.”

For the pope, they offer a platform for recalling Britain to its “authentic” liberal heritage, one founded on pluralism and openness to God — a Christian humanism, inclusive of the marginalized and the poor, in contrast to the chilly materialist emptiness of secular beliefs.

Even if most British people have never heard of him, the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) will provide a focal point for both Anglicans and Catholics. Newman’s life, marked by an astonishing courage to follow the truth where it led him, and described in classics of Christian literature, offers Pope Benedict a magnificent opportunity to pay homage to an authentic conscience in contrast with the subjectivist, individualist notions that underpin relativism. What Pope Benedict says in praise of Newman — one of the great English intellects of the 19th century — will need to be carefully chosen; centuries of Anglican suspicion of Roman triumphalism are not so easily erased.

Attention-grabbers

A campaign against the state visit has been mounted by a loose coalition of humanists, secularists, atheists and gay rights activists under the banner of a “Protest the Pope” campaign.

There will be placards and attention-grabbing attempts by its leader, the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who once released helium-filled condoms in Westminster Cathedral, to draw attention to what he portrays as the Church’s scandalously illiberal views on homosexuality and women. There will be no shortage of documentaries and films on sex abuse and celibacy timed for the eve of the visit.

But the Church, too, has been preparing. Catholic Voices, a team of 20 articulate young Catholics, have been receiving media-skills training and briefing on “hot-button issues” over the past six months, and are being heavily booked by broadcasters. [Full disclosure: I am one of the coordinators.]

But the pope will find the Church in reasonable health: Catholics, boosted by large-scale immigration, now number close to 6 million, around 10 percent of the population, considerably up from the 4.2 million reported in the census of 2001. And, after a long period of falling numbers, priestly vocations are rising again, with 150 men currently in seminaries and 40 more to join them in October. Clerical sex abuse stories have largely died down following draconian and effective guidelines introduced in 2001.

In terms of its contribution to British society — 2,300 schools, a large network of charities and aid agencies — the Church is one of the major actors in civil society. Pope Benedict will be inviting the agnostic or indifferent majority of British society to focus on that contribution, to reconsider the gift of faith that lies behind it, and to see the connection between that faith and what makes Britain great.

Austen Ivereigh writes from England.

THE KEY EVENTS (sidebar)

Sept. 16: State welcome and audience with Queen Elizabeth II in Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland. Open-air Mass in Glasgow.

Sept. 17: Visit to the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, at Lambeth Palace; address to MPs and civil society leaders in Parliament; ecumenical vespers at Westminster Abbey.

Sept. 18: Meetings with the prime minister, deputy prime minister and leader of the opposition; Mass at Westminster Cathedral; visit to a residence for the elderly in south London; prayer vigil in Hyde Park, London.

Sept. 19: Mass for the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman at Cofton Park, outside Birmingham; meeting with the bishops of Scotland and of England and Wales; departs for Rome.

Visit The Papal UK Visit for update

Heretical Group called "Catholic Women Priests" spent monies for anti-Pope ad campaign in UK

So-called "Women Priests" Photo Credit: boston.com

In your dreams!

A dissident group calling themselves "Catholics" who are politically motivated are urging Pope Benedict XVI for the approval of ordaining "women priests".  They are most likely to be crying out  and no one is listening. They had paid huge amount of money in their campaign ads in the UK for their heretical cause. But sorry, yesterday, today and tomorrow, there IS very little chance for women to be ordained to the priesthood in the Catholic Church.  Accept it and move on.

In his Encyclical Letter in 1994 Blessed John Paul II [Ordinatio Sacerdotalis], clearly stated that: "Priestly ordination, which hands on the office entrusted by Christ to his Apostles of teaching, sanctifying and governing the faithful, has in the Catholic Church from the beginning always been reserved to men alone. This tradition has also been faithfully maintained by the Oriental Churches."

In other words, priestly ordination for women is a HERESY. It is AGAINST the SACRED TRADITION of the entire Universal Church.

It is a willful DEFIANCE against the Supreme Pontiff, a clear DISOBEDIENCE from the Church authority. These signs alone DO NOT reflect Catholicism and do not promote UNITY.

So I say, these dissenting heretics who called themselves 'CATHOLICS ORDAINED WOMEN PRIESTS" are NOT and will NEVER be members of the UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF CHRIST, unless they reform themselves, be humble, submit themselves to the authority of the Church, then they can only be members of the Mystical Body of Christ-- the Church.

"Ordain women," London bus ads will urge Pope

(Reuters) - Pope Benedict will be confronted by posters on London's famous red buses during his trip to the British capital next month which will call for the ordination of women priests.

Protests are planned throughout his four-day trip to England and Scotland, the first papal visit since John Paul II's pastoral visit in 1982 and the first-ever official papal visit to Britain.

One group of women, Catholic Women's Ordination (CWO), will have its message plastered on the side of the buses as they travel along key routes, including past Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, where the pope is set to deliver a speech to Britain's civic society on September 17.

The group has paid 15,000 pounds ($23,130) for 15 buses to carry the message "Pope Benedict - Ordain Women Now!" for a month.

"We do not want to be disruptive, but I think the church has got to change or it will not survive," CWO spokeswoman Pat Brown told Reuters.

"I am quite hopeful at the moment because I think the church is in disarray."

It also hopes to protest outside Lambeth Palace during a meeting between the pope and Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual head of the Church of England, the Anglican mother church.

Set up in 1993, the CWO describes itself as loyal to the Roman Catholic Church, campaigning from within for inclusivity and the ordination of women.

It was angered by a Vatican document last month which mentioned the ordination of women amid sweeping revisions of its laws against child sex abuse. The Vatican later denied accusations it viewed the two issues as equally criminal.

The CWO has also launched a group "Catholic Voices for Reform" to coincide with the pope's visit to counter "Catholic Voices," a media-friendly group which has the backing of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.

They will go head-to-head on controversial matters such as child abuse, women's ordination, married priests, homosexuality and the way the church is run.

CWO will not be taking part in the main demonstration against the pope's visit, which is being organized under the umbrella banner "Protest the Pope," which includes humanists, secularists and gay rights campaigners.

Tens of thousands of Catholics are expected to attend the three major public events in Glasgow, London and Birmingham, with many lining the streets to greet the pope in his Popemobile.

-------------------------------------------------------
Related Article: Dissident Group Claims Three Women Ordained Priests

Itinerary Published for Benedict XVI's U.K. Trip

VATICAN CITY (Zenit.org through CatholicOnline) - Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to the United Kingdom will include a visit with the queen, a meeting with other religious leaders, and a beatification ceremony.

Today the Vatican publicized the itinerary for the Pope's Sept. 16-19 apostolic journey.

He will leave Rome at 8:10 a.m. and arrive at the international airport of Edinburgh, Scotland, at 10:30.

Shortly after, the Pontiff will attend a welcoming ceremony at the Royal Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where he will make a courtesy visit to Queen Elizabeth II.

At 11:40, the Holy Father will address the authorities in the park of the palace, after which he will depart for lunch in the archbishop's residence in that same city.

That evening, Benedict XVI will celebrate an open air Mass at 5:15 p.m. in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, Scotland. After the Mass, he will depart by plane from Glasgow to London.

Sept. 17

The next day, Sept. 17, the Pope will say a private Mass at the apostolic nunciature in Wimbledon.

At 10:00 a.m. he will give an address to leaders from the world of Catholic education at an event in the sports field of St. Mary's University College in Twickenham.

After this, the Pontiff will meet with leaders of other religions in the Waldegrave Drawing Room of that same college.

He will pay a special courtesy visit to the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, in Lambeth Palace. The Holy Father will give an address in the presence of the other Anglican bishops as well as the Catholic prelates of England and Wales.

At 5:10 p.m., Benedict XVI is scheduled to go to Westminster Hall to address representatives of the civil society, as part of his State visit. He will meet with civil leaders from the worlds of academics, culture and business, with the diplomatic corps, and with other religious leaders.

The Pope will conclude that day by participating in an ecumenical celebration in Westminster Abbey along with the archbishop of Canterbury and other Christian leaders.

Sept. 18

On Saturday, Sept. 18, the Pontiff will begin his itinerary with a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron and other government leaders in the archbishop's palace.

At 10:00 a.m., the Holy Father will celebrate Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, also known as Westminster Cathedral, where he will greet the people of Wales.

Young people will gather in the plaza outside the cathedral to greet Benedict XVI after the Mass.

The Pope will visit St. Peter's residential home for the elderly in the evening to greet those who are unable to travel to see him, and will then participate in a prayer vigil in Hyde Park.

Sept. 19

On Sunday, Sept. 19, the Pontiff will leave Wimbledon by helicopter for Birmingham, where he will arrive at 9:30 a.m.

At 10:00, he will celebrate Mass and the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman in Cofton Park of Rednal in Birmingham. The Holy Father will give the homily and, after Mass, will recite the Angelus with the pilgrims gathered there.

He will make a private visit to the oratory of St. Philip Neri, where he will be the first person to pray at the new shrine for Cardinal Newman, who will at that time be beatified.

Benedict XVI will conclude his visit with a meeting with the bishops of Scotland, England and Wales, and will depart Birmingham by plane for Rome at 6:45 p.m.

The Pope will arrive in Rome at 10:30.

Another Face of Hateful Islam at Pope's UK Visit in September

Just less than two months from now, the Holy Father will be visiting the UK. This trip will be his first Apostolic Visit to the United Kingdom after he was invited by the then Prime Minister Gordon through the approval of the Queen.

As his schedule is drawing nearer, left wing and right wing movements by dissenters are trying their best to be heard. One website has been shutdown but the government (read here)which calls Britons to "disassociate the British government from the Pope's intolerant views ahead of the Papal visit to Britain in September 2010."

Before it was blocked, it gained 12,000 signatories. The newly elected Prime Minister confirmed that the Papal visit is an official State Visit by "invitation of the Queen" herself.

The said Papal Trip will be in September 16-19, 2010.

In his itinerary (see here), the Pope will beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman. The beatification rite will be held at Cofton Park in Birmingham. Another face intolerant and hateful Muslims opposing his visit posted a very threatening article in his website at The Islamic Standard. Do we have to believe that this is a real "STANDARD" (NORM) for all Muslims in the UK? I hope not.

The article says:

"A change of venue gives Birmingham Muslims a chance to tell the Pope just what they think of him after his insults against the Prophet Muhammad (saws) in 2006 in Regensburg when he said…

'Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'

As well as this chance to challenge these evil words of this evil Pope [emphasis mine], over 80,000 Catholics from all over the UK are also expected to attend the open air ceremony in Cofton Park, Birmingham, after the venue was changed to here from the original plan of doing the pontifs final day at Coventry airport."

Did the Pope really insult their Prophet Muhammad? Was this quotes his own or he quoted someone.

To end this Muslim's misunderstanding of the "Regensburg Lecture" we need to help this Muslim realize that those quotations had been the words of a 14th Century Byzantium Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos who pronounced those words when he had experience violence done by Muslims. Had the violence changed from 14th Century to the 21st Century? I guess this is the reason why the Pope had to address the Muslim world of their love for violence in the name of Islam.

After the speech, series of violence erupted in the Muslim world which only strengthens the truthfulness of this quotation observed since the 14th Century.

Then followed by another round of insult for Catholic veneration of saints:

"We hope Muslims can be there to meet him as well and to also call people away from the shirk of worshipping the dead like the Catholics do [emphasis mine],  calling out to them for help and intercession when Allah says in the Quran,

Nor call on any besides Allah, such can neither profit you, nor hurt you. If you do, then you will surely be one of the zalimun -Quran translation, 10:106

If this is the "standard" view of Muslims about the Pope and about Catholics, can the Pope criticize Muslims of traveling to Meccah just to kiss and venerate a piece of black stone? If he does, I am sure Muslims around the world would definitely stage a violent protest and killings too.

"We at the Islamic Standard hope the Muslims of Birmingham take this duel opportunity to give Da’wah to these 80,000 travelling disbelievers, whilst at the same time telling the Pope in no uncertain terms what Muslims think of his evil slanders against the last Prophet of God and his message."

(Please do not perpetuate your ignorance on the Pope's speech.)

Instead, let's ask the mercy of God for our brothers and sisters in the Islamic faith which we shared with Abraham our common father of the faith a mindset of tolerance that as they are enjoying our democratic tolerance while we are not free build and practice our faith FREELY in Muslim countries.

Let us all join our prayers together and fight in prayer those propagandists and extremists using religion as a ploy. Let's all PROTECT THE POPE!

British Party Leaders Bash Pope Benedict in Televised Debate

By Hilary White

April 27, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a televised debate last week, all three leaders of the major British political parties accused Pope Benedict XVI of failing sufficiently to recognize and deal with the sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church.

With Britain’s next general election looming and the country gearing up for an official papal visit, the televised debate featured the leaders of Britain’s political class scolding Pope Benedict for upholding Catholic teaching on homosexuality, contraception and abortion, and for what was alleged to be his inaction on the sexual abuse of minors by priests.

The three leaders were responding to a question from an audience member, Michael Jeans, who asked, “If you win the election, will you disassociate your party from the pope’s protection over many years of Catholic priests who were ultimately tried and convicted of child abuse, and from his fierce opposition to all contraception, embryonic stem cell research, treatment for childless couples, gay equality and the routine use of condoms when HIV is at an all-time high?”

In their responses, none of the party leaders challenged the questioner’s presumption that Pope Benedict has been guilty of mishandling the sex abuse scandal. Instead, each answered in a way that implied that neither the pope nor the Catholic Church has in any way responded to it.

David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative party that is likely to form the next government, said, “I think the Catholic Church has got some very, very serious work to do to unearth and come to terms with some of the appalling things that have happened, and they need to do that.”

He added that he does not agree with the Catholic Church on contraception or homosexuality. “A country where faith is welcome, yes, a visit from the Pope, yes, but does that mean we have to agree with everything he says? No.”

Nick Clegg, head of the rising Liberal Democrat party, whose wife is a Catholic, said he knows about the “immense feelings of anguish” Catholics are experiencing.

“I think they do want to see the Catholic Church express greater openness and repentance. You can't keep a lid on sin, and of course you need to move with the times,” he said.

“I do welcome the pope's visit,” Clegg added, “but I hope by the time he does visit, there is a greater recognition that there has been terrible, terrible suffering, there have been abusive relationships which have left immeasurable scars on individual people's lives and we need a process of openness and then healing. You can't undo the tragedies of the past, but you can be open about them so people can start to move on.”

The prime minister and head of the Labour Party, Gordon Brown, said, “[T]he church has got to deal with these problems, and it's got to make sure that there is an open and clean confession about what has happened, and that we help those people who have been put into difficulty by this abuse.”

Brown added, “Secondly, we must break down the barriers of religion that exist in our world. The faiths must come together and recognize they have common values and common interests.”

None of the leaders mentioned the apologies for the sexual abuse scandals already repeatedly offered by Pope Benedict during his visit to the U.S., in his letter to the Irish people and most recently during his recent visit to Malta.

The debate moderator, Adam Boulton, moved on to ask for the leaders’ responses to concerns about the Church and “science and gender” issues.

Cameron told Michael Jeans, “I would be agreeing with you, and against the pope in terms of, for instance, the need to make advances in... er... in science.” Cameron added that he disagrees with the pope on abortion, but said that this disagreement should not prevent the papal visit.

“We must try and build an open and tolerant country where we respect people for their different faiths, we bring faiths closer together with each other and we are prepared to have an open and frank discussion about these things.”

Clegg said that on these matters there is cross-party agreement: “I’ve made it publicly clear in the past, that I don't agree with the formal doctrine on homosexuality of the Catholic Church.”

Brown also expressed his agreement with his political opponents, adding, “I think we know that in Africa, we know round the world, that it is important to give women access and choice so that they can make their own decisions, and I regret the fact that the Catholic Church does not do that.”

Last week’s leadership debate was quickly followed by a revelation that junior Foreign Office officials had circulated a memo which suggested that Pope Benedict be invited to officially open an abortion facility and preside over a “gay marriage” ceremony during his visit to the U.K. The document was hastily withdrawn and official apologies were offered to Vatican officials and to Catholics, but critics said it was indicative of a deep hostility towards Christianity and religious belief among Britain’s political class.

John Smeaton, director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said the comments from the recent debate are an indication of the moral corruption that is rife to the highest levels of British society. Citing the 1968 encyclical by Pope Paul VI condemning modern methods of artificial contraception, Smeaton wrote, “Britain is witnessing the fulfillment of the prophetic message of Humanae Vitae…[Pope Paul] warned about ‘public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law’.”

Writing on the Foreign Office memo, Spectator and Daily Mail columnist Melanie Philips, who is Jewish, said such attitudes as were found in the memo are simply part of the new “orthodoxy” among the ruling elites.

“It shows how flippancy and shallowness coexist with a brutalised arrogance. Among those who purport to be the most liberal, educated and enlightened, minds are actually closed and display a vicious illiberalism and gross absence of respect for other points of view, particularly mainstream European religious faiths.”

Smeaton added that “it is clear that Pope Benedict is being defamed by opponents of the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person.”

In the light of the comments from the leaders of each party, SPUC is asking British voters to bypass their traditional party loyalties. “The unanimity of the three party leaders makes it all the more important that voters base their choice on how their local candidates promise to vote if elected to parliament,” Smeaton said.

“Whichever party forms the next government, the defence of human life in parliament will rely on individual MPs voting pro-life and resisting pressure from party managers.”

To contact SPUC for candidate information:

3 Whitacre Mews, Stannary Street
London, SE11 4AB, United Kingdom
Phone: (020) 7091 7091
Fax: (020) 7820 3131
Email: information@spuc.org.uk

Read related LSN coverage:
Sex Abuse Victims in Malta 'Impressed' and 'At Peace' After Meeting Pope
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/apr/10041910.html

Benedict “Has Done More than Any other Pope or Bishop” to Confront Sex Abuse
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10033013.html

Media Attacks Mounting against Pope over Irish Abuse Letter
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10032209.html