does the pope visit england

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Queen welcomes Pope to UK

Pope Benedict XVI was greeted by the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, as he arrived in Britain for his historic visit from 16-19 September.

Her Majesty the Queen officially welcomed the His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the UK, and spoke of her memories of her own visits to the Vatican and meeting some of his predecessors. She said:

“Much has changed in the world during the nearly thirty years since Pope John Paul’s visit. In this country, we deeply appreciate the involvement of the Holy See in the dramatic improvement in the situation in Northern Ireland. Elsewhere the fall of totalitarian regimes across central and eastern Europe has allowed greater freedom for hundreds of millions of people. The Holy See continues to have an important role in international issues, in support of peace and development and in addressing common problems like poverty and climate change”.

The Pope thanked the Queen for her hospitality, and extended his own greetings to all the people of UK. He spoke of the force for good throughout Britain’s long history, coming from a “respect for truth and justice, for mercy and charity” that benefits Christians and non-Christians alike. Speaking of the UK’s international relations, he said:

“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”.

The Pope also met Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham and Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond.

After the State welcome and reception at Holyroodhouse, the Pope travelled through Edinburgh in the Popemobile, watched by thousands of wellwishers. This evening, he will lead an open-air Mass in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow.

The trip is the first official Papal visit to the UK, because the Pope has been invited by the Queen rather than the church. It is the first visit to Britain by a Pontiff since John Paul 11 in 1982, which was a purely pastoral visit.

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Pope to visit britain in september.

• Pope Benedict XVI will visit England and Scotland from September 16-19
• It will be the first state visit to the United Kingdom by a pontiff
• Vatican reels from accusations it did not do enough to stop child abuse by priests

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI will visit England and Scotland from September 16-19, Queen Elizabeth II announced.

It will be the first state visit to the United Kingdom by a pontiff, the Foreign Office said, noting that Pope John Paul II's 1982 trip was officially a pastoral visit, while Benedict's is a "papal visit."

The official announcement comes as the Vatican reels from accusations that it did not do enough to stop child abuse by priests, nuns and other Catholic authority figures across Europe for decades.

Benedict is working on an official statement, or pastoral letter, to Catholics in Ireland, where a damning government-backed report into child abuse by priests prompted four bishops to resign last year.

There have also been widespread accusations against priests in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

The queen will receive the pope at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, during his September visit, the Foreign Office said. Benedict will give "a major speech to British civil society" at Westminster Hall in London and will beatify the 19th-century theologian and educationalist Cardinal John Henry Newman at a public Mass in Coventry, England. Beatification is one step shy of sainthood.

The pope's visit comes at a time of heightened tensions between Rome and the Church of England following the Vatican's outreach to disaffected Anglicans last year.

The head of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, said the visit would be an opportunity to "cement ties" between the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian churches in the United Kingdom.

"I look forward particularly to welcoming Pope Benedict to Lambeth Palace on behalf of the Church of England," Williams said in a statement, referring to the archbishop's official London residence.

Williams met Benedict in Rome in November, not long after the Vatican said it had worked out a way for dissatisfied Anglicans to switch allegiance en masse to Rome.

Some observers said the move will shatter more than 40 years of efforts to reconcile the Catholic and Anglican churches.

The process will enable groups of Anglicans to become Catholic and recognize the pope as their leader, yet have parishes that retain Anglican rites, Vatican officials said. The move comes some 450 years after King Henry VIII broke from Rome and created the Church of England, forerunner of the Anglican Communion.

Williams was said to have been surprised by the move, which critics described as an end run around a long-established Catholic-Anglican dialogue.

Catholic and Anglican theology and rites are broadly similar, but Anglicans have long allowed priests to marry and have children.

In recent decades, the Anglican Communion has allowed women to become priests. The Episcopal Church -- the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion -- has ordained openly gay bishops.

Those developments have caused controversy within the communion, with more conservative parishes setting up alternative structures of authority.

There are about 77 million Anglicans worldwide and about 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.

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Controversy Accompanies Historic Papal Visit To U.K.

Sylvia Poggioli

Children arrive for a rehearsal at Glasgow's Bellahouston Park ahead of Thursday's visit by Pope Benedict XVI. The pope will celebrate Mass in the park following his visit to Edinburgh, where he will be met by Queen Elizabeth II. Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images hide caption

The first state visit by a pope to Britain comes at a low point in relations between Catholics and Anglicans and under the weight of the clerical sex abuse crisis.

Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Scotland on Thursday morning to spend four days in Britain -- the first visit by a pope in nearly 30 years and the first papal state visit since King Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1534 over a divorce.

The trip includes a meeting with Queen Elizabeth in Scotland, a speech in Westminster Hall, an ecumenical service with the archbishop of Canterbury and the beatification of a 19th century Anglican who converted to Catholicism.

Looming over the visit are 400 years of religious tensions and more contemporary divisions.

Particular Challenges For Benedict

Protests are being planned by gay activists, secularists, advocates of female ordination and militant atheists -- some of whom have called for Benedict’s arrest on charges of covering up sex abuse of minors by priests.

Pope Benedict XVI (right) prays during his weekly general audience Wednesday at the Vatican. Benedict takes his campaign to revive Christianity in an increasingly secular Europe to Britain on Thursday. He faces a daunting task in a nation largely at odds with his policies and where disgust over the church sex abuse scandal runs high. Alessandra Tarantino/AP hide caption

Pope Benedict XVI (right) prays during his weekly general audience Wednesday at the Vatican. Benedict takes his campaign to revive Christianity in an increasingly secular Europe to Britain on Thursday. He faces a daunting task in a nation largely at odds with his policies and where disgust over the church sex abuse scandal runs high.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi is unfazed.

“There have always been protests by some groups during papal visits,” he says. “There will be more groups on this trip -- such as atheists and anti-papists."

Lombardi adds, “It’s normal in a pluralistic society like the British one. We are not worried because we believe the media has overblown reality."

But a visit to such a pluralistic society is particularly challenging for a pope who has set as his mission the re-evangelization of Europe.

Robert Mickens, Vatican correspondent for the British Catholic weekly The Tablet, says the pope’s main goal is "to try to help make a space in society for religion, for faiths."

"It is very clear that [the pope] believes that the Catholic Church and Catholics within that church have been too lax in presenting the faith in reasoned, rational, argued terms that can stand up toe to toe in the arena of ideas," Mickens says.

Weekly church attendance among Britain’s 5 million Catholics has been dropping steadily, as it has elsewhere in Europe. In fact, many tickets to papal events -- which unusually carry a price tag -- have gone unsold.

Anglican-Catholic Relations A Key Issue

Just 11 months ago, the Vatican stunned the Church of England when -- without consulting the archbishop of Canterbury -- it offered to take in dissident Anglicans angered over their church’s consecration of female and homosexual bishops.

Anglican critics see it as part of a centuries-old campaign by Rome to annex the Anglican Church.

Vatican analyst Marco Politi says Catholic-Anglican relations are at their lowest point in recent history, as the Vatican tries to woo Anglican conservatives.

“All the issues of modernity which already in the Catholic Church the pope is fighting are just the reasons for which he is embracing this traditionalist part of the Anglicans,” Politi explains.

Benedict has the dubious precedent of having caused offense during several of his foreign travels: his remarks in Germany describing Islam as violent, which outraged Muslims; and his claim on his way to Africa that the use of condoms spreads AIDS.

Some Vatican watchers say Benedict’s decision to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman, a priest in the Church of England who converted to Catholicism in the 19th century, could further strain relations with Anglicans.

The pope has described the decision as an act of ecumenism. But Politi points out that Benedict has always upheld the primacy of Catholicism -- “that the only real church is the Catholic Church, and that the Protestant churches for him are not real churches but only Christian communities.”

God's Somewhat Surprising 'Rottweiler'

Benedict will not receive the warm welcome given to his charismatic predecessor Pope John Paul II in 1982. Many of the British media have been openly hostile to the papal visit, which is costing British taxpayers some $18 million.

But The Tablet 's correspondent Mickens says Britons may be surprised when they see firsthand the man described as "God’s Rottweiler." “They will see someone who speaks with a lilting voice, soft-spoken, and he’ll look sweet and have white hair," Mickens says.

“But in the end," he adds, "the words will remain and he is going to have to choose his words carefully on this visit, words that are said with great kindness in the voice but really have a sharp bite to them on the page."

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• Nation & World

A look at the pope’s British visit

Pope Benedict XVI is the first pope to be accorded a state visit to Britain, meaning that he was invited by the monarch as the head over another state, the Vatican. However, the queen will not host a banquet for Benedict, as she does for other state visits. Pope John Paul II came to Britain...

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Pope Benedict XVI is the first pope to be accorded a state visit to Britain, meaning that he was invited by the monarch as the head over another state, the Vatican. However, the queen will not host a banquet for Benedict, as she does for other state visits. Pope John Paul II came to Britain in 1982 on a pastoral visit organized by the church.

Britain is the 16th country to be visited by Benedict since he became pope in 2005, the Catholic Media Office says.

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The Catholic churches of Scotland, England and Wales estimate that the visit will cost them 10 million pounds ($15 million) and the British government estimates it will spend 10 million to 12 million pounds ($15.5 million to $18.6 million) on its part of the arrangements, excluding policing costs.

The highlight of the tour takes place in Birmingham in central England, where the pope will formally beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman, one of the most prominent 19th-century converts from the Church of England. Beatification is one step short of being proclaimed a saint.

The motto for the visit is “heart speaks unto heart,” or “cor ad cor loquitur” if you prefer the Latin. Newman adopted that phrase – from St. Frances de Sales – for his coat of arms when he was created a cardinal in 1879.

Benedict’s meeting with the queen brings together the heads of two churches as well as two heads of state. Elizabeth is supreme governor of the Church of England, and required by law to be a member.

Holyroodhouse Palace, where Benedict is meeting Queen Elizabeth II, was built next to an Augustinian monastery founded in the 12th century. It takes its name from a relic known as the Black Rood of Scotland, said to be a fragment of the cross of Jesus. Ruined, bare walls, a tower and a vaulted aisle are the major remnants of the abbey. The palace in its present form is largely the work of the Scottish kings James IV (who ruled from 1488-1513) and James V (1513-1542).

During the visit, a rosary and crucifix said to belong to Mary, Queen of Scots is being displayed. Mary, who reigned from 1542 to 1567, was raised as a Catholic and ruled at a time when Queen Elizabeth I was setting England firmly on a Protestant course. Mary was beheaded in 1587 for allegedly plotting against Elizabeth.

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Visiting the Pope the monarchs private visit

Matthew glencross | 14 february 2014.

It would be easy to mistake the Queen’s forthcoming visit to the Pope as an event no more significant that the many other state visits that Elizabeth II undertakes as part of her duty. However, this could not be further from the truth: in many ways this is one of the most difficult visits for a British monarch. This is because the Pope and the Queen are not merely meeting as world leaders, they are also meeting as the heads of two branches of the Christian faith. As well as being the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis is head of the Vatican City state. As Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Historically the British monarch’s dual identity has caused several difficulties when meeting with the Pontiff, many of them dating back to the reign of the present Queen’s great-grandfather, Edward VII, who was the first British sovereign to visit the Pope at the Vatican for centuries. As King /Emperor of the British Empire, Edward ruled over peoples of different faiths and prided himself, as did his mother Queen Victoria and son George V, on not judging a man based on race or religion. Likewise the present Queen regularly meets with leaders of different faiths in Britain.

When Edward VII expressed his intention of visiting Pope Leo XIII in 1903, as part of a wider visit to Rome, it was met with dissatisfaction in the Cabinet. Ministers felt this was inappropriate because it was impossible for the King to travel in his identity as King/Emperor of the British Empire as this can only be done for a state visit and the Pope was not a head of state in 1903. The monarch would only be able to meet the Pope in Rome in his role as the head of the Church of England. But the Cabinet felt this was also inappropriate due to Britain being a Protestant nation. Consequently the Cabinet advised the King not to visit the Pope.

However, the King’s Catholic subjects, particularly the Duke of Norfolk, felt it would be an insult to their faith if the King was to snub the Pope when in Rome. After much debate, it was concluded that Edward would meet with the Pope as a private visitor and not as King or the head of the Church.

This solution has been used on all subsequent visits of the British monarch to the Pope in the Vatican. Thus, recent BBC reports of the Queen preparing for a ‘relaxed’ meeting with Pope Francis at his private residence within the Vatican are nothing out of the ordinary. However there are differences: the meeting will not take place in the Pope's official receiving rooms and nor will the Queen wear black, according to the Vatican tradition. Traditionally, British royal women do not wear black unless the court is officially in mourning. On previous occasions, the Queen wore black because she met the Pontiff as a private individual, not as a head of state, and therefore eschewed British royal tradition in favour of that of the Vatican. Likewise Edward VII met with the Pope Leo XIII in 1903 with neither the trappings of a monarch nor that of the head of a Church.

Today it is much easier for a British monarch to visit both the Italian Head of State and the Pope than it was before 1929. The Lateran Treaty of that year, negotiated by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, recognised the Vatican City as a separate state, which is the smallest independent state in the world. Until then the Pope had refused to acknowledge the state of Italy due to his anger at the loss of the Papal Lands, which had been taken from him after the capture of Rome during the Italian wars of unification. The Pope refused to meet with those who visited him after being received by the King of Italy. This left many foreign leaders with a difficult choice: either snub the King by visiting the Pope first, or risk upsetting Catholics at home by not visiting the Pontiff. One solution for a visiting head of state was to visit the King Italy, return to his/her embassy - which was considered national soil and not part of Italy - and then travel to the Vatican in a carriage of non-Italian manufacture, therefore theoretically avoiding Italian soil between the embassy and the Vatican. This was seen as the only way of pleasing both parties and was practised by most visitors, even those from Catholic countries such as the President of France. One notable exception was Wilhelm II of Germany who paraded down the streets to the Vatican in a great spectacle, treating the occasion as a full state visit. This was a curious decision as it was he who had advised Edward VII on the 'embassy method' of visiting the Pope. Wilhelm’s parade was ill received by the Vatican and the King of Italy, and was noted for its lack of respect to either institution. An element of this remains today as the Queen pays a state visit to the Italian President and an informal visit to the Pope when she is in Rome, so as to not create friction over the precedence and duration of each visit.

With the Queen passing on many of her foreign state visits to her son and heir, Prince Charles, it is interesting to note which she undertakes herself. Visiting the Pope it is still seen as one of the most important for a British monarch and the Queen has enjoyed audiences with five Popes during her reign. These occasions are seen as important by the British royal family to promote and maintain good inter-faith relations, especially within the international community.

• Glencross, Matthew

About the author

Matthew Glencross is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Contemporary British History, King's College London, and has just completed his thesis on 'The influence of Royal tours on British Diplomacy 1901-1918'. [email protected]

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John Paul’s 1982 visit to Britain an "extraordinary event"

By Vatican News

“Saint John Paul II’s visit [to Britain in 1982] was an extraordinary event in the life of the Catholic Church in the UK,” writes Sally Axworthy, the British Ambassador to the Holy See.

Axworthy notes that it was the first time a reigning pontiff had ever set foot on British soil, and that the visit “marked a historic moment in UK-Holy See relations”.

The Holy Father visited nine cities in England, Wales and Scotland over the course of six days. In addition to his meeting with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace, highlights of the visit included addresses to young people in Cardiff and Edinburgh, and an open-air Mass in Glasgow that drew more than 300,000 participants.

“Ecumenism was central to his visit,” Axworthy says, noting John Paul’s visit to Canterbury Cathedral, where he met with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie.

“By attending the cathedral founded by St Augustine of Canterbury on his mission to England from Pope Gregory the Great in the sixth century, St John Paul II made a powerful statement of the churches' determination to walk forward together,” she writes. “This ecumenical dialogue has flourished ever since.”

John Paul’s 1982 visit to Britain paved the way for future “great moments” in the life of the Church in the UK, including Pope Benedict XVI’s visit in 2010 and the canonisation of St John Henry Newman in 2019. The “legacy” of that visit, says Axworthy, “was the strengthening and deepening of the relationship between the UK and the Holy See that is bearing fruit today”.

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Who was the last Pope to visit Britain, who did he meet with and what events did he attend?

Pope Benedict XVI conducted a four-day tour of Britain during his state visit in 2010

• Published : 9:40, 26 Aug 2018
• Updated : 9:43, 26 Aug 2018

IT is a major part of a Pope's duties to visit dignitaries and followers in countries across the globe.

But when was the last time a Pontiff visited the UK — and who did he meet? Here is a rundown of Pope Benedict XVI's 2010 tour of Britain.

When was the most recent Papal visit to the UK?

Pope Benedict XVI visited the UK on a four-day tour from 16-19 September 2010.

It was the first Papal visit to Britain since 1982 when Pope John Paul II visited 16 UK cities.

But this was a pastoral rather than an official State visit.

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Who did Pope Benedict meet during the 2010 UK visit?

Pope Benedict's visit included meetings with the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

He also met politicians such as new Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron, the First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond, and leaders of the other main political parties.

He also conducted open air masses in Glasgow and Birmingham and a youth vigil in Hyde Park.

The main part of his stay Mass at Westminster Cathedral in London, attended by over 200,000 people.

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Capping a decade-long probe, Vatican expels founder from scandal-plagued movement

Pope confirms desire to visit china, says criticisms are ‘always helpful’.

(Credit: Vatican Media.)

ROME – In a new interview with the Jesuit province of China, Pope Francis expressed his desire to visit the country and spoke of his admiration for the faith of the Chinese church and culture, as well as various aspects of his papacy, including criticism and opposition.

Asked by Jesuit Father Pedro Chia, who conducted the interview, about potentially visiting China, the pope said, “Yes, I really want to.”

Should he visit, Francis said he would visit the Marian shrine of Sheshan and meet with the bishops and the People of God, “who are faithful, they are faithful. It is a faithful people who have gone through so much and remained faithful.”

Asked if he had a special message to Chinese Catholic youth, the pope said, “Always a message of hope.”

“It seems tautological to send a message of hope to a people who are masters of waiting. The Chinese are masters of patience, masters of waiting, you have the ‘virus of hope.’ It’s a very beautiful thing,” he said.

Noting that he used to work with a group of Chinese immigrants while still archbishop of Buenos Aires, the pope told his interviewer that the Chinese “are descendants of a great people, a great people.”

“From the noodles of Marco Polo until today, you are a great people. Don’t waste this heritage, pass it on with patience, this heritage of great people you have,” he said, saying he has a statue of Our Lady of Sheshan, Mary Help of Christians, in his private apartment.

The interview with Pope Francis took place May 24, the feast day of Our Lady of Sheshan, and was conducted by the communications office for the Jesuit province in China. It was published Aug. 8 on the province’s YouTube channel.

At the conclusion of the 16-minute video was a list of acknowledgements, including special thanks to the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific; Jesuit Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong; Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education; Jesuit Father Fernando Azpiroz; Jesuit Father Elton Fernandes, and Victoria Wu.

During the interview, Pope Francis also spoke about his daily routine, challenges and crises he’s faced, and how he handles criticism and opposition, even from within the Church.

Speaking of the criticism he faces, Francis said it at times hurts, but that he believes “Criticisms are always helpful. Even if they are not constructive, they are always helpful, because they make one reflect on one’s actions.”

“Then, consulting helps me a lot, consulting and listening,” he said, saying oftentimes when there is resistance, “you have to wait, endure, and often correct oneself, because behind some resistances there can be a good (constructive) criticism.”

Francis lamented that not all of the criticism he faces are against him personally, but are also “against the church,” pointing, for instance, to a small group of faithful who only recognize papal authority up to Pope Pius XII.

He recalled how a Spanish-language magazine recently showed a list of some 22 groups that currently believe the papacy is vacant, but said these groups are small, and voiced his belief that “over time they will integrate (into the church).”

Pope Francis also spoke of the importance of collaboration and delegation in getting through his busy schedule, saying he depends a lot on the prefects of Vatican dicasteries and delegates a lot of tasks, “because if one tries to do everything alone, things don’t work out. Know how to delegate.”

“Collaboration, listening, consulting,” are all essential to getting the job done, he said.

Francis said he has received many moments of consolation throughout his papacy, and that “the Lord shows his presence through consolation.”

However, he also said there have been several significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of wars that continue to rage, including the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar.

“ I’ve always tried to resolve them through dialogue, and when this doesn’t work, with patience. And always with a sense of humor,” he said, saying that for more than 40 years he has recited daily the prayer of Saint Thomas More, “Grant me, Lord, a sense of humor.”

Asked how he handles moments of crisis, Pope Francis said, “crises have to be overcome with two things: First, you emerge from a crisis by rising above, like from a labyrinth. A crisis, in a way, is like a labyrinth, you walk and walk and never seem to get out. You emerge from a crisis by rising above.”

“Second, you never get out alone. You get out with help or through companionship. Letting yourself be helped is very important, isn’t it?” he said.

He also offered advice to those considering joining the Jesuit order, telling anyone considering the option to “enter into discernment” and to find someone to accompany them along the way.

The Jesuit order, he said, must never lose “the missionary spirit. It’s a missionary order…The difficulties and resistances that Saint Ignatius faced at the beginning were conflicts with people who looked inward and lost their missionary spirit. It’s interesting.”

Referring to the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, the pope said he depends on them daily, and that the most important aspect of the exercises, for him, is “to look for accompaniment in listening first before deciding. To have someone accompany me so I don’t make mistakes. Discernment is important.”

Asked how he envisioned the Catholic Church 50 years from now, the pope said his dream was for a Church free from “the plague of clericalism and the plague of spiritual worldliness,” two things he frequently condemns as harmful to the life of the Church.

Francis also said the best advice he could give to his successor was to pray, “because the Lord speaks in prayer.”

He closed the interview offering a special blessing to the people of China, asking Our Lady of Sheshan to intercede for them.

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Back From Summer Break, Pope Francis Aims to Cement His Legacy

Pope Francis attends the Vespers prayer service at Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome, Italy, August 5, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, back from his summer break, is beginning a hectic few months of travel and major debate over the future direction of the Catholic Church. Some Vatican watchers see an ageing pope out to cement his legacy of opening up the Church to the modern world.

In September, the 87-year-old pontiff, who now regularly uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain, is due to carry out at least two trips abroad, including a 12-day, four-country visit to Asia that is set to be his longest yet.

The pope, who resumed his weekly general audiences on Wednesday after a month-long summer pause, will also visit Belgium and Luxembourg.

Then in October, Francis will lead a four-week meeting at the Vatican of hundreds of Catholic bishops to discuss possible reforms for a Church, which has 1.4 billion members worldwide.

Debates are set to include disputed issues such as whether to open the Catholic priesthood to married men, or allow women to serve as deacons, who fulfil some parish duties.

Given the pace of the schedule, some Church watchers see a pope in a hurry to make an impact, and to confirm his legacy of opening up uncomfortable conversations and trying to engage with as wide an audience as possible.

Or, as Francis said once, of creating a Church that is "bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets".

Christopher Bellitto, a U.S. Church historian who has written extensively on the papacy, said, given the pope's age, this may be the "final stage" of the pontificate. "He's got to be thinking ... of how to make sure his vision continues," said Bellitto, a professor at Kean University in New Jersey.

'HOT AUTUMN'

Paola Lazzarini, an Italian Church reform advocate, said it would be a "hot autumn" for Francis, who was elected in 2013.

Referring to the possibility of a succession in the coming months or years, Lazzarini said: "Expectations are high, his energy is diminishing, and many are already acting in view of what happens next."

Much of Francis's agenda over the past few years has been devoted to the upcoming meeting of bishops, known formally as a synod. It is part of a first-of-its-kind Vatican consultation process with Catholics across the globe, launched by the pope in 2021.

October's meeting will consider issues raised in the consultations such as the Church's sexual teachings, its opposition to birth control, and treatment of LGBT Catholics.

The consultation process has provoked sharp criticism from the pope's conservative critics, including several cardinals, who say it could dilute the Church's teachings.

Last year's assembly ended without any clear decisions, leaving expectations high for the second gathering this year. In March, Francis created 10 study groups to consider some of the most contentious issues. After the October event, he is expected to write a document, which could settle some of the debates, for release likely in early 2025.

Francis is also due in coming months to choose a new leader for the Vatican's sexual abuse commission, after it was roiled last year by the shock resignation of one of its members, a globally known abuse prevention expert.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who has led the group since its creation by Francis in 2014, is expected to step down from the role soon due to age limits on Church service. O'Malley, aged 80, retired as archbishop of Boston on Aug. 5.

Bellitto, the Church historian, said one major goal of Francis is to ensure that his method for consultation with Catholics globally becomes "a permanent way of proceeding" for the Church.

But, given the near-total authority that popes have in governing the global faith institution, Bellitto added: "The next pope could undo that in a moment."

"It seems that (Francis) understands that," he said. "He's been given a baton, he does what he thinks best, and he passes it along."

In any case, the pace won't relent for Francis in 2025. He, the Vatican and the city of Rome are preparing for a year's worth of events and an estimated 32 million tourists during the coming Roman Catholic Jubilee or Holy Year.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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Pope Francis Again Recalls U.S. Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

ROME — Pope Francis prayed Sunday for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a topic he has returned to on numerous occasions.

In these days we have commemorated “the anniversary of the atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” the pontiff told visitors gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for his weekly Angelus address.

“As we continue to commend to the Lord the victims of those events, and of all wars, let us renew our intense prayer for peace, especially for troubled Ukraine, the Middle East, Palestine, Israel, Sudan and Myanmar,” he said.

The pontiff has repeatedly condemned the U.S. bombing of Japan that brought an end to the Second World War.

Prior to his 2019 trip to Japan, Francis denounced the “evil” bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, calling the attacks a “tragic episode in human history.”

“I will soon visit Nagasaki and Hiroshima, where I will offer prayers for the victims of the catastrophic bombing of these two cities, and echo your own prophetic calls for nuclear disarmament,” the pope told Japanese bishops.

“I wish to meet those who still bear the wounds of this tragic episode in human history, as well as the victims of the triple disaster,” he said. “Their continued sufferings are an eloquent reminder of our human and Christian duty to assist those who are troubled in body and spirit, and to offer to all the Gospel message of hope, healing and reconciliation.”

“Evil has no preferences; it does not care about people’s background or identity,” he said.

File/Enola Gay Boeing B-29 on 6 August 1945, during the final stages of World War II, became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. The bomb, code-named “Little Boy”, was targeted at the city of Hiroshima, Japan. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

In 2018, the pope handed out postcards to journalists featuring the photo of a Japanese boy carrying his dead brother after the U.S. bombing of Nagasaki. It included his personal message: “the fruit of war” and had the Pope’s signature, “Franciscus.”

“So it is necessary to destroy the weapons, let’s strive for nuclear disarmament,” Francis said at the time.

Francis has insisted that the 1945 bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki arose from a U.S. “desire for dominance and destruction” rather than from concern to halt Japanese aggression and put an end to the war.

“The  Hibakusha , the survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are among those who currently keep alive the flame of collective conscience, bearing witness to succeeding generations to the horror of what happened in August 1945 and the unspeakable sufferings that have continued to the present time,” the pope said in a message.

Francis has singled out nuclear weapons for his denunciations, while underscoring the sufferings of the Japanese people.

He has never mentioned, however, the  biological  and  chemical weapons employed by the Imperial Japanese Army to disastrous effect during its invasion and occupation of China during World War II. He has also never referred to other Japanese atrocities and war crimes prior to and during that conflict, notably the Nanking Massacre of 1937 in which Japanese soldiers raped tens of thousands of women and murdered as many as 300,000 civilians and unarmed combatants.

The pope also has avoided mentioning the reason for America’s entry into the Second World War: namely the preemptive Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The United States was a neutral country at the time, having sought to remain so, but after the Japanese aggression Congress declared war on Japan the following day, December 8, 1941.

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• DESTINATION GUIDE

The essential guide to visiting London

Here’s what you need to know about England's capital city—when to go, where to stay, what to do, and how to get around.

Why you should visit London

Architectural landmarks such as the   Tower of London ,   Westminster Cathedral , and   Kensington Palace , as well as revived modern buildings like   Tate Modern   and the   Battersea Power Station . Some of the finest theaters in the world, from the   Old Vic   to the rebuilt   Globe . Brown ale, fish’n’chips and weekend markets from Greenwich to Camden.  

Best time to visit London

Spring : The Gulf Stream warms up the city early. Flowers start blooming in February and trees follow with their blossoms in March. The   Chelsea Flower Show   is a major draw in May.  

Summer : The tourist season peaks between mid-July and late August. Music festivals play out in   Somerset House ,   Hyde Park , and   Victoria Park .  

Autumn : Fall kicks off with the   London Design Festival , and the weather stays temperate into late October. Halloween is gaining importance throughout the city, though Guy Fawkes Night—a festival of fireworks and bonfires on November 5 – is more widely celebrated.   Battersea Park , by the Thames, has a great display.  

Winter :   Shopping streets   switch on their festive lights in early December. While some cultural life slows down during the dark, wet winter months,   Kew Gardens   launches its winter fair and skating rink. And Hyde Park hosts a   Winter Wonderland .    

Lay of the land

The Thames River, lined with grand public architecture like   St Paul’s Cathedral , the   London Eye ,   and Westminster (the seat of government), divides the city into north and south. The oldest enclaves lie to the east, around the   City of London , the old financial center also known as the “square mile.” Cultural energy revolves around   Soho ,   Covent Garden ,   Mayfair , Bloomsbury, and the   South Bank , a riverfront strip of modernist theaters and galleries.    

Historically, wealthy residents settled in West London communities like   Belgravia , Kensington, and Chelsea, gravitating to Holland Park and Notting Hill. The picturesque Georgian streets around   Hampstead Heath   have always been popular among literary types, with nature-lovers hiking up   Parliament Hill   for the city view. The neighborhood becomes more fashionable as you descend toward   Primrose Hill , with its pastel-colored townhouses and ivy-clad pub gardens.  

Younger Londoners congregate in East London, in gentrifying working-class neighborhoods like Dalston and Clapton. Postindustrial Hackney Wick has reinvented itself as a hub for live music, clubs, and inventive restaurants. Just over the River Lea is the former Olympic Park, a sports mecca that’s been rewilded and developed with museums and restaurants.  

( 11 must-do experiences in London. )

Getting around London

By public transport:   The   London Underground , or Tube, is an extensive subway network that reaches from Heathrow Airport in the west, to Greenwich, the Olympic Park, and northern suburbs. The system incorporates an above-ground network called the Overground, and the new inter-city Elizabeth Line. Fares start at £2.70 ($3.50) and rise according to distance.   London buses   follow more winding routes between neighborhoods and start at £1.75 ($2.25) with a daily cap at £5.25 ($6.75). Seniors and students 11 and over are eligible for discounts. Children 10 and under travel free. Riders can pay with any contactless card or device, but cash is no longer accepted.

By train:   Trains beyond London are found at larger stations like Paddington, Euston, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Victoria, and Charing Cross. Riders must purchase tickets ahead of travel at the station or with an app like   Trainline .  

By taxi:   London’s famous   black cabs   can be hailed on the street or booked in advance. Typical fares start at about £7.60 ($9.75) for a mile-long journey. Minicabs, or privately run taxi services, can be booked in advance or hired from a licensed purveyor, found on most main streets. Uber operates throughout the city.    

By boat:   The   Thames Clipper   boat service, now operated by Uber, runs along the Thames between Putney, in southwest London, and Barking, in the east, stopping at Battersea, Westminster, Tate Modern, Tower Bridge, Greenwich, and other piers. Prices start at £5.60 ($7.20) one way, with discounts for children and families. Riders can pay with a contactless card or with the Uber app.

( Going underground: a subterranean tour of London's abandoned tube stations. )

By bike:   Transport for London operates the   Santander bikeshare program , with bike docks in place across the city. A day-pass costs £3 ($3.85) for unlimited 30-minute rides; payment can be made through the   app   or at a docking terminal.   Lime operates an e-bike- and scooter-share program. Vehicles are GPS-equipped and located via the   app ; prices vary.    

By car:   Only confident drivers familiar with England’s road laws should operate a private car in London. There is a daily £15 ($19.25)   Congestion Charge   in effect for most areas of central London, which must be paid on the day of travel. New   emissions rules   impose additional fees on non-compliant motor vehicles, and “ultra-low-emission zones”   (ULEZ)   make it tricky to enter some neighborhoods during the day.  

By foot:   London neighborhoods are highly walkable, but the distance between them can be vast. Most roads have sidewalks that are well populated into the night. Always look both ways before crossing, even at a green light. Traffic normally comes from the right.  

Know before you go

Diversity:   London is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse cities, with 37 percent of residents born outside London—many from South Asia, West and East Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean. Hundreds of languages are spoken here, and most neighborhoods have a mix of residents.    

LGBTQ+:   The most recent   Open For Business index   gave London a top AAA rating as a “stalwart supporter” of LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality, and its universities rank highly among gay students. Soho is, historically, the LGBTQ+ hub of the city, though gay bars pop up in several neighborhoods, notably in East London and Lambeth.  

( Best hotels for every type of travele r. )

What to read and watch

The most fascinating London-based books and films transport the reader to a specific neighborhood and historical period and focus on its rich diversity.    

Oliver Twist , by Charles Dickens. Tragic, romantic, and surprisingly funny, this classic exposed the underbelly of Victorian London and prevails on high school reading lists everywhere.  

Bridget Jones’s Diary , by Helen Fielding. The titular Jones is a sad, sardonic, desperately funny 20-something single woman working for a London publisher. The book centers on West London while the film adaptation transports most scenes to the southeast. Both will get you in the mood to explore.  

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , by Arthur Conan Doyle. The book series and the companion TV show Sherlock take place around Baker Street in central London but investigate further afield into Piccadilly, New Scotland Yard, and the Tower of London  

London: The Biography , by Peter Ackroyd. Possibly the greatest contemporary history of the city, the weighty tome reaches back with wisdom and wit through Victorian London to the Plague and the Great Fire.  

Brick Lane , by Monica Ali. This instant classic, published just after the millennium, is an evocative peek into the lives of Bangladeshi immigrants in East London, based firmly in reality.  

Notting Hill , written by Richard Curtis of Four Weddings and a Funeral (and others), this 1990s hit comedy capitalized on the vulnerable charm of Hugh Grant—and the undeniable charm of bohemian London—and inspired generations of tourists to seek out that blue door.  

Rye Lane . Set around the eponymous market in Peckham, South London, this post-Covid romance begins with a meet-cute in   an   gender-neutral   bathroom.  

My Beautiful Launderette . An enduring favorite that introduced a young Daniel Day-Lewis to the world, this romance by Hanif Kureishi was set in South London during the Thatcher years and emerged as one of the first “queer fairytales” to reach a wide audience.

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In new interview, Pope Francis shares his advice for men who want to join the Jesuits—and for his successor

Pope Francis restated his ardent desire to visit China, said Chinese Catholics have “the virus of hope” and revealed the advice he would give to his successor in an exclusive interview with Pedro Chia, S.J., the director of the Jesuit Communication Office of the Chinese Province, released on Aug. 9.

The video interview was conducted in Spanish by Father Chia in the private library of the Vatican’s apostolic palace, on May 24, the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, who is venerated by China’s 12 million Catholics at the Shrine of Sheshan, outside Shanghai.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Pope Francis spoke about how he handles stress and time management, the biggest challenges of his papacy, experiencing crises in religious life, the grace of the Spiritual Exercises and the advice he would give to a person considering a Jesuit vocation.

Asked how he is able to keep a packed schedule of audiences, meetings and speeches, Francis says it is possible to do so “by living an organized life” and “[knowing] how to delegate,” because “if one tries to do everything alone, things don’t work out.” It requires the collaboration of many people, including the heads of dicasteries. “I do what I have to do with the help of everyone,” he said.

Father Chia asked how the pope deals with criticism and opposition. Francis replied that even critics who are not constructive “are always helpful because they make one reflect on one’s actions.” He said that consulting and listening to others also helps him. As for facing resistance, he said, “Many times you know that you have to wait, to endure...and often correct yourself because behind some resistance there can be [constructive] criticism. Sometimes also with pain, because the resistance, as it happens at these moments, is not only against me personally; it is against the church.”

“For example,” he said, “there is a group, a few people, who only recognize [the popes] up to Pius XII, not the popes [that come] afterward.” He recalled that a Spanish magazine recently published “a list of 22 groups which believe the Chair of Saint Peter is vacant ( sede vacante ). But they are small groups. [I think] over time they will integrate [with the church].”

Asked whether as pope he has experienced any unforgettable “consolations,” Francis said there are many but declined to mention one experience in particular. “Even moments of difficulty or desolation are always resolved afterward on a higher level…with consolation,” he said.

When Father Chia asked what has been the greatest challenge of his pontificate, Francis pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic and the conflicts in Ukraine, Myanmar and Israel-Palestine.

“I have always tried to resolve them through dialogue,” he said. “And when this does not work, with patience, and always with a sense of humor. The prayer of St. Thomas More helps me a lot, asking for a sense of humor. I have been praying that prayer every day for more than 40 years: ‘Grant me, Lord, a sense of humor.’”

The pope also confirmed he has experienced crises in his religious life as a Jesuit:

Of course! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be human! The crises have to be overcome always with two things. First, you emerge from a crisis by rising above, like from a labyrinth. A crisis, in a way, is like a labyrinth—you walk and walk and never seem to get out. You emerge from a crisis by rising above. And second, you never get out alone. You get out with help or through companionship. Letting yourself be helped is very important, isn’t it?

During the interview, Francis responded with humor several times, such as when asked what he would say to a young man who tells him he wants to be a Jesuit, Francis quipped, “Let him become a Dominican!” In a more serious vein, he added, “I would tell him to allow somebody to accompany him and to enter into discernment.” Moreover, he said: “There’s something in the Society of Jesus that we must never lose…missionary spirit…. It’s a missionary order. It’s interesting [that] the difficulties and resistance that St. Ignatius faced at the beginning were conflicts with people who looked inward and lost their missionary spirit.”

Francis recalled that when he was appointed provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina at a young age, he confronted conflicts “of being closed…. I called them ‘cloister sicknesses.’ The Lord helped those who advised me to send some of our people to the missions in Argentina. And that’s how the Argentine Missionary Team was formed. And this brought fresh air. It was wonderful.”

Asked whether there is “any particular aspect” of the Spiritual Exercises that is often in his heart as pope, the first Jesuit pope responded: “All of them…. I would say it depends on the circumstances, sometimes one thing helps me more than another, right? But one thing that I try to do is...to look for accompaniment...to listen first before deciding. To have someone accompany me so that I do not make mistakes.”

Aware of his shortcomings, the pope said that in prayer he asks for “the grace of being forgiven. May the Lord have patience with me.”

Turning his attention to China, Pope Francis yet again reaffirmed his heartfelt desire to visit the country, even though authorities there have not yet extended an invitation. “Oh yes, I really want to,” he said.

If this dream of his comes true, he said, he would like “to visit the Mother of Sheshan, Mary Help of Christians.” He added that in front of the entrance to his apartment in Casa Santa Marta, there is a statue of the Virgin of Sheshan.

He said he would like to meet “with the bishops certainly, and with the faithful people of God. They are faithful. They are indeed a faithful people...who have gone through so much and remained faithful.”

Asked what message he would like to send to the Catholics of China, and especially to the young Catholics, through this interview, Francis said: “[A]lways a message of hope. But it seems tautological to send a message of hope to a people who are masters of waiting. The Chinese are masters of patience, masters of waiting…. You have ‘the virus of hope.’ It’s a very beautiful thing.”

Since there are many Chinese people and many Chinese Catholics in different countries worldwide, Francis was asked if he had any message for them. After revealing that he “used to help a group of Chinese people in Argentina” the pope replied: “You are descendants of a great people…. You are a great people. Don’t waste this heritage. Pass it on with patience, this heritage of great people [that] you have.”

At the end of the interview, asked to give his blessing to all Chinese people, Pope Francis said, “Through the intercession of the Mother of Sheshan on her feast day today, I give the blessing to the entire Chinese people, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

Looking to the future, Father Chia asked the pope, “What are your dreams for the Catholic Church in 50 years?” Francis recalled that “some say it will be a smaller, more reduced church.” He then added: “I think the church must be careful not to fall into the plague of clericalism and the plague of spiritual worldliness. Spiritual worldliness, as Father Henri de Lubac says, is the worst evil that can befall the church. Worldliness [is]...even worse than the time of the concubinary popes. That’s what he says.”

When asked what he would say to his successor as pope, Francis, who turns 88 years old on Dec. 17, replied without hesitation, “Pray!” A moment later, he added by way of explanation, “Because the Lord speaks in prayer.”

Gerard O’Connell is America ’s Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave That Changed History . He has been covering the Vatican since 1985.

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