The Pope’s Life Ends but His Work Remains in the Hearts of Britons
With less than 24 hours gone since the Head of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide - Pope John Paul II passed away, the whole world seems to have stopped to mourn and remember the life of this great religious man.
Catholics all over the world flocked to the churches to attend special Sunday Services to mark the death of the Pope. In the UK, an estimated 5.5 million-strong Roman Catholics expressed deep grief and praise for this spiritual leader.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, held a requiem mass at London's Westminster Cathedral. The Catholic wife of the British Prime Minister, Cherie Blair, British Health Secretary John Reid, were among the congregation. The Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is Anglican but attends mass with his wife, said the pontiff was respected by people of all faiths.
"Even if you are not a Catholic, even if you are not a Christian, even if you have no religious faith at all, what people could see in Pope John Paul was a man of true and profound spiritual faith, a shining example of what that faith should mean," Blair said, "I think that is the reason why the world has, in this rather extraordinary way, come together to mark his passing."
Today the UK’s national flag at Buckingham Palace was raised half-mast to express the "deep sorrow" of the Royal Family.
A statement issued on Saturday by Buckingham Palace read, "Her majesty remembers the untiring efforts of Pope John Paul II in promoting peace and goodwill throughout the world."
The Queen praised the Pope "for Christian unity including closer ties between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches".
The monarch particularly remembered the Pope’s first ever Papal visit to Britain in 1982, which brought about a huge impact to Catholicism in the country. On Pentecost Sunday in 1982, Pope John Paul II started a six-day trip to Britain. He visited London, Canterbury, Coventry, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff.
In the cities in North West England which have been deeply influenced by Catholic heritage, such as Liverpool and Manchester, the impact was significant. BBC News described his visit as being "widely regarded as a double salute to the region's Roman Catholic community."
Lord David Alton, who was a Liverpool MP at the time, testified that back then the city was rife with sectarian hatred and had put money above people, but the Pope’s visit helped the city to relieve the problem. As an advocate of ecumenism, the Pope travelled first to the city's Anglican Cathedral and then to the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral.
The overall theme for Pope John Paul II's pastoral visit to England and Wales was the seven Sacraments. In Westminster Cathedral, London, he baptised four people; in Southwark Cathedral, south London, he anointed the sick; he administered the Sacrament of Confirmation in Coventry, ordained 12 men in Manchester, gave First Holy Communion to a group of children in Cardiff, and spoke extensively about the Sacraments of Penance and Matrimony in Liverpool and York, respectively.
The Anglican Church, the state church of England, uniquely remains as a Protestant church keeping part of the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church after religious reformation. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the head of the Church of England, described the Pope as "a leader of manifest holiness and a faithful and prayerful friend of the Anglican Church" in his statement.
In Northern Ireland, where 43.8 percent of the total population are Catholics, leaders of rival Protestant and Catholic communities praised John Paul II for his message of love and solidarity.
"He was also ahead of his time in his message of global solidarity and his vision of a civilisation of love," Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Sean Brady said ahead of a requiem mass on Sunday at Armagh.
Latest reports have said that the Prime Minister Tony Blair will delay an election announcement to honour the Pope John Paul II. Instead of meeting the Queen tomorrow to ask for a dissolving of the Parliament for the next general election, Blair will attend a vespers service in London.
