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Pope
Benedict XVI - Addresses |
"Deep Christian Roots ... Are Still Present
in Every Layer of British Life"
Park of the Palace of Holyroodhouse
H.H. Benedict XVI
September 16, 2010
www.zenit.org
Your Majesty,
Thank you for your gracious invitation to
make an official visit to the United Kingdom
and for your warm words of greeting on
behalf of the British people. In thanking
Your Majesty, allow me to extend my own
greetings to all the people of the United
Kingdom and to hold out a hand of friendship
to each one.
It is a great pleasure for me to start my
journey by saluting the members of the Royal
Family, thanking in particular His Royal
Highness the Duke of Edinburgh for his kind
welcome to me at Edinburgh Airport. I
express my gratitude to Your Majesty’s
present and previous Governments and to all
those who worked with them to make this
occasion possible, including Lord Patten and
former Secretary of State Murphy. I would
also like to acknowledge with deep
appreciation the work of the All-Party
Parliamentary Group on the Holy See, which
has contributed greatly to strengthening the
friendly relations existing between the Holy
See and the United Kingdom.
As I begin my visit to the United Kingdom in
Scotland's historic capital city, I greet in
a special way First Minister Salmond and the
representatives of the Scottish Parliament.
Just like the Welsh and Northern Ireland
Assemblies, may the Scottish Parliament grow
to be an expression of the fine traditions
and distinct culture of the Scots and strive
to serve their best interests in a spirit of
solidarity and concern for the common good.
The name of Holyroodhouse, Your Majesty’s
official residence in Scotland, recalls the
"Holy Cross" and points to the deep
Christian roots that are still present in
every layer of British life. The monarchs of
England and Scotland have been Christians
from very early times and include
outstanding saints like Edward the Confessor
and Margaret of Scotland. As you know, many
of them consciously exercised their
sovereign duty in the light of the Gospel,
and in this way shaped the nation for good
at the deepest level. As a result, the
Christian message has been an integral part
of the language, thought and culture of the
peoples of these islands for more than a
thousand years. Your forefathers’ respect
for truth and justice, for mercy and charity
come to you from a faith that remains a
mighty force for good in your kingdom, to
the great benefit of Christians and
non-Christians alike.
We find many examples of this force for good
throughout Britain’s long history. Even in
comparatively recent times, due to figures
like William Wilberforce and David
Livingstone, Britain intervened directly to
stop the international slave trade. Inspired
by faith, women like Florence Nightingale
served the poor and the sick and set new
standards in healthcare that were
subsequently copied everywhere. John Henry
Newman, whose beatification I will celebrate
shortly, was one of many British Christians
of his age whose goodness, eloquence and
action were a credit to their countrymen and
women. These, and many people like them,
were inspired by a deep faith born and
nurtured in these islands.
Even in our own lifetime, we can recall how
Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi
tyranny that wished to eradicate God from
society and denied our common humanity to
many, especially the Jews, who were thought
unfit to live. I also recall the regime’s
attitude to Christian pastors and religious
who spoke the truth in love, opposed the
Nazis and paid for that opposition with
their lives. As we reflect on the sobering
lessons of the atheist extremism of the
twentieth century, let us never forget how
the exclusion of God, religion and virtue
from public life leads ultimately to a
truncated vision of man and of society and
thus to a "reductive vision of the person
and his destiny" (Caritas in Veritate, 29).
Sixty-five years ago, Britain played an
essential role in forging the post-war
international consensus which favoured the
establishment of the United Nations and
ushered in a hitherto unknown period of
peace and prosperity in Europe. In more
recent years, the international community
has followed closely events in Northern
Ireland which have led to the signing of the
Good Friday Agreement and the devolution of
powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Your Majesty’s Government and the Government
of Ireland, together with the political,
religious and civil leaders of Northern
Ireland, have helped give birth to a
peaceful resolution of the conflict there. I
encourage everyone involved to continue to
walk courageously together on the path
marked out for them towards a just and
lasting peace.
Looking abroad, the United Kingdom remains a
key figure politically and economically on
the international stage. Your Government and
people are the shapers of ideas that still
have an impact far beyond the British Isles.
This places upon them a particular duty to
act wisely for the common good. Similarly,
because their opinions reach such a wide
audience, the British media have a graver
responsibility than most and a greater
opportunity to promote the peace of nations,
the integral development of peoples and the
spread of authentic human rights. May all
Britons continue to live by the values of
honesty, respect and fair-mindedness that
have won them the esteem and admiration of
many.
Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a
modern and multicultural society. In this
challenging enterprise, may it always
maintain its respect for those traditional
values and cultural expressions that more
aggressive forms of secularism no longer
value or even tolerate. Let it not obscure
the Christian foundation that underpins its
freedoms; and may that patrimony, which has
always served the nation well, constantly
inform the example your Government and
people set before the two billion members of
the Commonwealth and the great family of
English-speaking nations throughout the
world.
May God bless Your Majesty and all the
people of your realm. Thank you.
© Copyright 2010 -- Libreria Editrice
Vaticana
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