pope visit 1982

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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The Enduring Legacy of John Paul II’s 1982 Visit to Britain

“For the first time in history,” said Pope St. John Paul II after he stepped off the airplane, “a Bishop of Rome sets foot on English soil.”

Joanna Bogle, February 16, 2022 – National Catholic Register

In 2022, the Church in Britain marks an important milestone in its long history: This May, it will be 40 years since the first visit of a pope to Britain.

And it almost didn’t happen.

There had been months of preparation, much debate and discussion in the media, elaborate rehearsals by choirs and cathedrals and Catholic organizations, the hiring of massive venues, including London’s famous Wembley Stadium — and then the Falklands war broke out, and the whole idea of a papal visit was called into question.

Most people in Britain knew little or nothing about the Falkland Islands, a small British colony in the South Atlantic. In April 1982, Argentinian forces invaded the Falklands, swept the small British garrison aside, and announced that the islands were now in Argentinian control.  Britain responded by sending a Royal Navy task force, and effectively the British were at war.

As part of the anniversary, I have been dipping into archives and discovering the inside story of the emergency meetings and messages that went back and forth between Britain and Rome as the crisis deepened and the papal visit was at risk of being abandoned. There must have been a great deal of prayer. Pope John Paul II, of course, led the prayers for peace, and British and Argentinian bishops were summoned to Rome, where he celebrated a Mass with them all. And then came the climax of the last-minute rescue operation to save the situation: He flew to Argentina for a swiftly arranged papal visit, before going on to Britain.

It was clear throughout that the Pope was not only neutral but that he was vigorously promoting peace: This was his consistent message, and it never wavered. On this basis, he was able to fly to London’s Gatwick Airport, where, as planned in detail over the previous months, a large crowd, drawn from Catholic parishes across Surrey and Sussex, had gathered to greet him. I was among that crowd. I remember the early-morning start and the excitement as we all arrived in a chartered bus, and then the wait at the airport, where the Duke of Norfolk — by long-established tradition Britain’s senior Catholic layman — greeted the Pope at the airport steps.

This was not, it was emphasized, an official visit. This was a pastoral visit of the Pope to Britain’s Catholics. So no formal representative of the queen was at the airport, and there were no government officials. There was music, and we sang a welcoming hymn. Then there were speeches — and the history was made. The Pope summed it up when he proclaimed, “For the first time in history, a Bishop of Rome sets foot on English soil.”

In its own way, the tragedy of the Falklands War — more than 800 men, British and Argentinian, would eventually lose their lives in the fighting — helped to create a situation where old antagonisms dating back to the Reformation in Britain seemed to dwindle away. The papal visit became a true opportunity for a message of peace and goodwill, with anti-Catholicism of the old sort somehow at variance with a general recognition of the needs of the modern era. The whole visit had, in any case, been planned with ecumenical goodwill in mind, and there were some powerful moments, notably at Canterbury Cathedral, where the Pope prayed with Anglicans at the site of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket.

And, yes, he did meet the queen — a courtesy visit, with tea at Buckingham Palace — with evident goodwill on both sides. Queen Elizabeth was wearing, I remember, a blue dress, and they were smiling and chatting as they emerged from the palace after tea. Postcards of the scene quickly became popular — I’ve still got mine.

The papal pilgrimage had the seven sacraments as its theme. At a packed Mass at Westminster Cathedral, the Pope baptized seven candidates of various ages, and then, after crossing the Thames at Lambeth Bridge, he arrived at St. George’s Cathedral, Southwark, which had been cleared of pews and filled with stretchers and wheelchairs bearing sick and disabled people from across Britain, and he administered the sacrament of the sick. And so it went on, across England and Wales and Scotland, with a penitential service, first Holy Communions, confirmations, ordinations and renewal of marriage vows. Vast crowds came, powerful moments of prayer experienced.

It was an unforgettable time. Looking back through the archives, something of the joy and excitement is still evident. So, too, are the changes since those days — the letters are typewritten (remember typewriters?) and there is just one reference to “a computer being installed” as a great innovation at one venue to store relevant information. Color photography relied entirely on film, paper and chemicals (some of the pictures have that curious greenish tinge that I remember well).  Fashions have, of course, changed: Ladies wore dresses, and there were even quite a lot of hats.

What did the papal visit achieve? A great deal. With its massive television coverage, it opened up an authentic vision of Catholic worship: from how Catholics pray to the centrality of the Eucharist. People saw what a baptism is and what is meant by the anointing of the sick. They saw the Pope as a bishop, a man in a white robe preaching about peace and the importance of family life and family prayer. Old notions of the Pope as a sinister foreign figure intent on imposing some sort of political rule were recognized as propaganda from a vanished era.

And that 1982 visit was followed, in the next century, by an official state visit by Pope Benedict XVI, where among much else, he addressed Parliament with a magnificent setting out of the respective roles of Church and state centered on a ringing call for true religious freedom. He led young people in a massive unforgettable night vigil of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in London’s Hyde Park, and he beatified John Henry Newman in a glorious Mass at Cofton Park on the outskirts of Birmingham.

The year 2022 sees another major milestone in Britain’s story: the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. She has always been clear in her commitment to the Christian faith and spoken of it as central to her life and service.

So much has changed in the 70 years of her reign. While there has been progress in fields that include health and general prosperity, there is also much that is cause for great sadness: Britain is a country with too much violent crime, many unhappy young people, a drug crisis, a worrying suicide rate, and a collapse in a general understanding of many basic moral values, including the value of human life itself.

But the Christian message is still on offer and is the message that holds the hope of renewal; and in a country with a long history, and a tradition of marking anniversaries and jubilees, 2022 brings scope for missionary activity on a new scale. We must pray the opportunity is taken up. A reminder of that historic papal visit four decades ago is part of that.

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Historic British Visit Begins

Pope calls for peace, unity.

LONDON, May 28, 1982 -- Pope John Paul II began his historic, almost postponed visit to Britain today by appealing repeatedly for an end to the war over the Falkland Islands and calling for Christian unity in a troubled time in world history.

"My visit is taking place at a time of tension and anxiety, a time when the attention of the world has been focused on the delicate situation of the conflict in the South Atlantic," the pope said in a long and somber address after landing at Gatwick Airport south of London this morning to begin his 12th foreign tour.

Crowds numbering tens of thousands in places--and including scattered hard-line Protestant demonstrators--lined routes of John Paul's travels as he opened the first papal visit in history to Britain.

The trip, which Vatican Radio today called the most important ecclesiastical event for Britain since Henry VIII's break with Rome in 1534, is intended to be a major step toward mending the 4 1/2-century rupture between the Roman and English churches.

Today, however, the Falklands war appeared uppermost in John Paul's mind. Referring to his recent formal proposal to Britain and Argentina for an immediate cease-fire and restart of negotiations, which was rejected by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he said, "I have sought to encourage a solution which would avoid violence and bloodshed. As I stand here today, I renew my heartfelt appeal and I pray that such a settlement of the dispute will soon be reached."

Later, in his homily at a nationally televised mass at Westminster Cathedral midway between the houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace in central London, the pope served notice that he will make his plea in each of the nine cities he is to visit during his six days in England, Scotland and Wales.

"As we proceed to celebrate the mystery of our faith, we cannot forget that an armed conflict is taking place. Brothers in Christ are fighting a war that imperils peace in the world," he told a congregation of British Catholic bishops, clergy and lay leaders, representatives of other British churches and members of Parliament.

"I ask you to join me at each step of my pastoral visit in praying for a peaceful solution to the conflict," he implored, "praying that the God of peace will move men's hearts to put aside the weapons of death and to pursue the path of fraternal dialogue."

Later, after moving through demonstrative crowds of tens of thousands on both banks of the Thames River, the pope departed from his text at a service for 4,000 invalids and terminally ill people at St. George's Cathedral in the rundown area of Southwark to say, "As we speak of suffering, affliction and death, we cannot forget those who have suffered and died during the armed conflict in the South Atlantic."

And again, at supper tonight with the Catholic bishops of Britain, the pope urged them to pray with their "Argentine brothers" for peace and to publicly "proclaim that peace is possible."

The visit was nearly canceled because of the Falklands war. Despite two years of preparations by Britain's 5 million Catholics, less than 10 percent of the total population, it was not certain the pope would be coming until earlier this week when it was announced he also would visit Argentina next month.

Cardinal Basil Hume, Roman Catholic primate of England and Wales and one of several British archbishops who successfully pleaded with the pope to come here despite the war, said in his welcoming speech, "We appreciate your presence among us even more deeply because of the many difficulties and uncertainties which have beset preparations for your visit."

To make the visit less objectionable for Latin American Catholics, the British government was not represented at today's ceremonies and Thatcher is not scheduled to meet with the pope. But John Paul did visit Queen Elizabeth II, in her role as constitutional head of the Church of England, this afternoon at Buckingham Palace. Returning a visit she made to him at the Vatican 18 months ago, he spoke alone with her for half an hour in a room overlooking the palace's vast gardens.

"God bless your son," the pope was heard to say to the queen after their meeting. Her second son, Prince Andrew, 22, is a helicopter pilot with the British task force in the Falklands.

At Westminster Cathedral, the pope cited today's world "scarred by hatred and injustice and divided by violence and oppression" as evidence of a need for Christian unity and reconciliation. Saying that "we should be completely one" after the the long estrangement of Christians here, he told Britons that "my deep desire, my ardent hope and prayer, is that my visit may serve the cause of Christian unity."

Before they were overshadowed by the Falklands crisis, the primary purposes of John Paul's visit, according to church leaders here, was to raise spirits in Britain's relatively small Catholic Church and to encourage closer relations between it and the dominant Church of England, created by Henry VIII's break with Rome and made Britain's state church by his daughter, Elizabeth I.

The ecumenical centerpiece of the visit is to be a pilgrimage by the pope with the archbishop of Canterbury Saturday to the focal point of Anglicanism, Canterbury Cathedral, where they will participate in an ecumenical service and meet with the leaders of most of Britain's Protestant churches.

Militant Protestants who object to the pope's visit here have planned demonstrations for many places on his itinerary. Fourteen militant antipapist Protestants from Northern Ireland, including six clergymen from the Rev. Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterian Church in Belfast, were arrested after a brief demonstration at Victoria Station where the pope arrived on a train from Gatwick.

As the pontiff passed in a white Land Rover converted into a glassed-in "popemobile," the demonstrators waved placards saying, "Jesus saves, Rome enslaves" and "Pope John Paul, anti-Christ."

But they were the exceptions among otherwise enthusiastic people, including thousands of schoolchildren, who lined the route of the pope's travels. Though considerably smaller than the crowds attracted by the pope in predominantly Catholic Ireland three years ago, they were no less enthusiastic. Many non-Catholics were among those who spent a night sleeping on sidewalks to have the best views of the pope today.

"He kissed me and said, 'God bless you,' " said 10-year-old Sharon McArrick from London. "It was wonderful. He was so nice."

Henry VIII broke with Rome just 12 years after receiving from the pope the title "defender of the faith," which the British monarch retains to this day, for publishing a defense of Catholic doctrine against Martin Luther's attacks. But the pope would not dissolve Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon to legitimize his union with Anne Boleyn. In 1559 Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, made the Church of England and the state a single entity and in 1570 she was excommunicated by Pope Pius V.

For several centuries, Catholics were unable to vote or hold public office, meet for worship or inherit land in Britain. Under persistent persecution, they dwindled to only about 70,000 in a population of 8 million by 1780.

But anti-Catholic laws were abolished in 1829.

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The massive crowds that gathered 40 years ago to see the Pope in Cardiff

During the Welsh leg of his UK tour Pope John Paul II even learned a Welsh phrase for the visit

• 11:34, 26 JAN 2022

Back in 1982, Pope John Paul II travelled to many countries, which included a tour of the UK but his one trip to Cardiff will always be remembered for the hundreds of thousands of people it attracted from all over the UK.

As tradition dictates, His Holiness kissed the tarmac as he landed on Welsh soil from Scotland.

The then Archbishop of Cardiff, the Most Rev John Murphy, met the Pope and accompanied him to Pontcanna Fields to celebrate Mass and First Holy Communions.

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The Holy Father even delivered a small part of his homily in Welsh and said: “I would like to speak to these little ones who are about to receive Holy Communion for the first time.

"Dear children: Jesus is coming to you in a new way today, in a special way. He wants to live in you. He wants to speak to you in your heart. He wants to be with you all through your day.”

The afternoon’s programme took Pope John Paul II to Ninian Park in Cardiff for a National Youth Rally where he was greeted by more than 35,000 young people.

The momentous day was 40 years ago and is still remembered fondly by those who queued and camped out overnight to get their space in the crowds.

What do you miss most about the past 30 years? The fashions, music, or perhaps the way of life. Take a look at our nostalgia survey .

Nuns, one with binoculars, wait to see Pope John Paul II at Pontcanna Fields, Cardiff during his visit - June 2 1982

Pope John Paul II at Cardiff airport on his visit to Wales as he kneels down to kiss the ground. June 2 1982

Pope John Paul II landed at Cardiff Airport

Pope John Paul II at Cardiff airport on his visit to Wales

Pope John Paul II blesses the crowd during his visit to Cardiff

Pope John Paul II making his way through the crowds at the Pontcanna Mass in the Pope 'mobile'

The Pope greets two members of the congregation at Ninian Park

The Pope meets three young ladies in Welsh costume at Cardiff airport. The girls who presented flowers to the Pope were Samantha Bennett, age 9, Station Road, Barry, Donna Morris, aged 9 of Walnut Tree Close, Radyr, with her sister Heidi aged 13.

Mr Harold Christie of Penreheol, North Cornelly, puts finishing touches to his engraved etching of the Pope, which was presented to the Pope during his visit

Martyn Davies of the Aberkenfig diocese, youth representative of the St Vincent de Paul Society pictured with the statue of St Vincent de Paul which he handed to Pope John Paul at Ninian Park for blessing. With Martyn are Nicholas Doyle and Darren Flaherty

Andrzej Hubert pictured with his son Marian, aged seven, at Pontcanna Fields

Some of the early arrivals at Pontcanna for Pope John Paul II visit in 1982

The Pope speaks to Sir Cennydd Treharne on his arrival at Cardiff Airport

The crowd awaits the arrival of the Pope at Pontcanna F ields. Among them were Susan Moran and Ann Meeson from Plymouth pictured with their children

The Pope on his arrival in Wales

Thumbs up from Auxilliary Bishop of Shrewsbury on duty at the youth rally at Ninian Park

The crowd at Pontcanna Fields for Pope John Paul II's visit to Cardiff in 1982

The Welsh Dragon - the latest of many national flags waved in welcome to the Pope - on display during the Ninian Park youth rally

The Pope says farewell to Wales

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Were you in Edinburgh when the Pope visited in 1982?

Ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Edinburgh on Thursday, we're looking to gather a collection of pictures from the previous tour in 1982.

John Paul II landed in the UK on 28 May in what was the first Papal visit to the UK in over 400 years.

He was greeted by thousands of school children at Murrayfield stadium on what photographs and videos tell us was a sunny day in the city.

Where were you when the Pope was last in town? We want to hear from anybody who remembers the last visit to Edinburgh. Whether you have pictures or memories to share, please get in touch . The Murrayfield visit was followed by his attendance at a gathering for priests and religious leaders, before trips to Saint Joseph's Hospital in Rosewell and the Bishops' Conference in Edinburgh.

And just as with this year's plans, his Scottish tour ended with an open air Mass at Bellahouston Park .

Personally, his last visit came two years before I was born, so perhaps you can bring to life what those of us who are younger than 28 have read online and in the papers recently.

Did Edinburgh come to a standstill? Feel free to add your comments below or email me at [email protected] .

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The day the Pope came to Manchester - welcomed by 250,000 worshippers

A quarter-of-a-million people packed into Heaton Park to hear Pope John Paul II celebrate Mass

• 15:54, 31 MAY 2018
• Updated 16:15, 31 MAY 2018

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History was made in Heaton Park 36 years ago when John Paul II became the first Pope to visit Britain. More than 250,000 people packed into the park to hear the Pontiff celebrate Mass from a specially constructed open-air altar.

The date was May 31, 1982 – exactly one year after he was shot in St Peter’s Square in a failed assassination attempt.

Pope John Paul’s visit was described as a pastoral one rather than a state occasion as Britain was at war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

Tensions were high as Argentina had invaded the South Atlantic islands a month earlier.

The visit was nearly cancelled, but diplomacy won the day.

For the sake of balance, the Pope made a hastily-arranged 30-hour pastoral visit to Argentina on June 11 and 12 almost as soon as he left the UK.

But none of this mattered to the crowd that gathered expectantly to witness the Pope’s arrival.

Many had camped overnight.

It was a sunny morning and there was a carnival atmosphere in the air.

The Pope’s helicopter touched down at the nearby Convent of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth at 8.10am.

He was greeted by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Salford, the Rt Rev Thomas Holland and the auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Burke.

The Pontiff spoke warmly to nuns and staff.

He then met VIPs, including the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester James Anderton and the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Sir Emmanuel Jacobovits, ahead of the Mass.

Then it was time for the short journey to the thousands of devoted worshippers waiting in Heaton Park.

The Pope used his favoured vehicle – the bullet-proof British Leyland ‘Popemobile’.

As our pictures show, welcoming banners and placards were paraded in front of him.

See more pictures of the day from our archive:

Pupils at Chorlton Convent School made their own Papal banner measuring 30ft by 10ft.

Other placards were more informal, but no less heart-felt.

One, borne aloft by a crowd of worshippers from Langley, simply said: ‘Ow Doo John Paul!’

The oldest Catholic scout group in the world, Mount Carmel Scouts or the 53rd Manchester Scout Group, were chosen as the Pope’s guard of honour on his way to Heaton Park.

As a result, they became the only scout group in the world eligible to wear the Papal colours on their neckerchiefs.

A choir of 3,000 sang as the Pope ascended the 20ft dais to celebrate Mass.

He also ordained 12 priests, telling them: “You must be men of God, his close friends. You must develop daily patterns of prayer, and penance must be a regular part of your life.”

The silver and gold chalice proudly displayed in our photo and used in the Heaton Park Mass was made by silversmith Andrew Coomber.

In another honour for Manchester, the chalice used at the Holy Communion in Cardiff was made by Middleton silversmithing student Bernadette Varilone, who was actually one of the helpers at the park. Cardiff was the last stop on the Pope’s visit.

After Mass, the Pope John Paul planted a commemorative tree and headed back to Nazareth House for an honest, northern lunch.

The M.E.N. of the time reported that it consisted of local black pudding, roast beef and apple tart.

Polish beer was served too to remind the Pontiff of his home country.

From Manchester the Pope travelled by helicopter to Knavesmire Racecourse in York where more than 200,000 people gathered to celebrate the liturgy of the word. From there he flew by jet to Edinburgh.

A year after the historic visit, a 16.5 ton granite boulder was unveiled by Bishop Holland at the site where Pope John Paul II said Mass.

The inscription contains an extract from the Pope’s speech to the congregation.

After his visit the Pope sent a telegram to Bishop Thomas Holland. It said: “With many joyful memories of my visit to Britain I wish to assure you and your people of my deep appreciation of the warm welcome accorded to me in Manchester. Cordially thankful for this abundant outpouring of love in Christ I impart to you and your diocese my Apostolic Blessing.”.

It was signed Cannes Paulus PP II.

Brilliant pictures like these – and many more like them from the M.E.N. archives – feature in Clive Hardy’s latest book Around Manchester In The 1960s. The book is available at £19.99 with free postage for M.E.N. readers.

Order your copy now by visiting the iNostalgia website, inostalgia.co.uk , or by filling in the coupon in Wednesday's Nostalgia supplement in the M.E.N.

In the meantime, Clive Hardy’s previous book, the much-acclaimed Around Manchester in the 1950s, is on sale now at all good bookshops. The book covers every aspect of local life in more than 200 images from the archives of the M.E.N.

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Remembering when Glasgow welcomed Pope John Paul II to Bellahouston Park with crowds of 300,000 people

Forty years ago this week, Pope John Paul II became the first pope to visit Scotland and was welcomed by crowds of 300,000 people at Bellahouston Park.

• 13:32, 29 MAY 2022
• Updated 13:33, 29 MAY 2022

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On a swelteringly-hot day in June 1982, Pope John Paul II visited Glasgow - and it wasn't a trip the late pontiff would forget in a hurry.

Pope John Paul II was the first reigning Pope to visit the UK when he landed at Gatwick Airport on May 28, 1982 - 40 years ago this week.

During his time here, he stopped off at nine cities across the country and delivered 16 addresses. Among the events were a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, a meeting with the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and five large open air Masses in London, Cardiff, Manchester, Coventry, and most importantly - Glasgow.

An estimated 300,000 people flocked to Bellahouston Park , the biggest crowd that has ever gathered in Scotland. On a sweltering day on June 1, applause for the Pope lasted seven minutes as he attempted to address the congregation.

READ MORE - 11 times celebrities were spotted going about their business in Glasgow

Security for the event was high, with an attempt on his life having taken place the previous year. 7,000 stewards and 6,000 police officers were on hand at Bellahouston to ensure safety.

During the mass, John Paul II was offered several gifts including a firkin of whisky, a Scotland football shirt, and a football. The Pope told crowds: “We find it harder to follow Christ today than appears to have been the case before.

“As believers, we are constantly exposed to pressures by modern society which would compel us to conform to the standards of this secular age, substitute new properties, restrict our aspirations at risk of compromising our Christian conscience.

He continued: “Beloved people of Scotland, in conclusion, I wish you and all who are dear to you, wherever they may be, the abundance of God’s blessings, so that your families may prosper and peace and harmony may reign in your homes.”

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While it may have been one of the largest attended events in Scottish history, it very nearly didn’t happen at all. The itinerary for the visit was drafted 42 times before the Vatican finally approved it, with the final plans costing around £7 million.

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Argentina’s invasion of the Falkland Islands, and the following war between Britain and Argentina, almost put the brakes on the trip. It was decided that the pontiff would not meet then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and the visit went ahead without issue.

Before making his way to Glasgow, Pope John Paul II landed at RAF Turnhouse and headed to Murrayfield Stadium to meet with 45,000 young people and leaders of Protestant churches. He topped off the day with a visit to Edinburgh’s Catholic cathedral.

En route to Glasgow, Pope John Paul II stopped off at St Joseph’s Hospital in Rosewell to visit patients, before addressing educators at St Andrew’s College in Glasgow.

After the outdoor Mass at Bellahouston, he moved on to Wales, where he was awarded the Freedom of Cardiff.

It was almost 30 years later before a Pope would return to Scotland, when Pope Benedict XVI came on a state visit. In 2010, he met the Queen for the first time at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.

The following day, he was greeted by the Archbishop of Glasgow for a ticketed Mass in Bellahouston Park. With Susan Boyle and Michelle McManus opening the event with performances, the event saw much less attendance with 65,000 people in the crowd.

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Homilies 1982

31 december 1982, te deum, [ italian  -  portuguese ], 24 december 1982, midnight mass, 16 december 1982, mass in preparation for christmas for the students of the roman universities, 12 december 1982, pastoral visit to the roman parish of jesus, the good shepherd, 8 december 1982, solemnity of the immaculate conception, [ italian  -  portuguese  -  spanish ], 5 december 1982, pastoral visit to the roman parish of the most holy redeemer, 30 november 1982, mass for a group of priests from apulia (italy), [ italian ], 28 november 1982, mass of the "popular missions" of rome, 24 november 1982, mass for the 2nd anniversary of the visit to cologne, [ german  -  italian ], 22 november 1982, mass for the students of the boarding-school of saint cecilia, 21 november 1982, pastoral visit to palermo, mass at the "favorita" hippodrome, 20 november 1982, mass in the belice valley, 14 november 1982, pastoral visit to the roman parish of saint justin, 9 november 1982, mass in santiago de compostela, 8 november 1982, priestly ordinations, valencia, 8 november 1982, mass for religious women, madrid, 7 november 1982, liturgy of the word at the shrine of montserrat, 7 november 1982, mass in barcelona, liturgy of the word, saragoza (november 6, 1982), 6 november 1982, liturgy of the word and offering of the crosses to the missionaries, javier.

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1982 visit by Pope John Paul II to the United Kingdom

The visit of Pope John Paul II to the United Kingdom in 1982 was the first visit there by a reigning Pope . The Pope arrived in the UK on Friday 28 May, and during his time there visited nine cities, delivering 16 major addresses. Among significant events were a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II , the Supreme Governor of the Church of England , a joint service alongside the then- Archbishop of Canterbury , Robert Runcie at Canterbury Cathedral , meeting with and addressing the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland at The Mound , and five large open air Masses in London , Coventry , Manchester , Glasgow , and Cardiff . Following his six-day visit which took him to locations in England , Scotland and Wales , he returned to the Vatican on 2 June.

Public opinion

Unlike the 2010 papal visit of his successor, Pope Benedict XVI , John Paul II's was a pastoral rather than a state visit , and was consequently funded by the Catholic Church in the UK rather than the Government. The trip was almost cancelled because Britain was then at war with Argentina , which had invaded the British possession of the Falkland Islands . This visit had to be balanced for fairness with an unscheduled trip to Argentina that June. Over 2 million people attended events hosted by the Pope, with the visit said to be the biggest event for British Catholics since their emancipation.

The visit, the first to the United Kingdom made by a reigning pope, [1] was organised, and largely funded, by the Roman Catholic Church at an estimated cost of around £7   million (the equivalent of about £20M in 2010). In contrast to the 2010 visit by Pope Benedict XVI, it was a pastoral rather than a state visit. The Church offered the public free access to all papal events. [1] There were concerns about the Pope's health following an attempt on his life the previous year, [2] and security was of utmost importance during the visit. [3]

The itinerary for the visit was drafted 42 times before the Vatican finally approved it. [2] However, John Paul's trip was nearly cancelled after Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands , and the subsequent war between Britain and Argentina, just weeks before it was scheduled to take place. [1] The visit only went ahead after intervention from Archbishop of Glasgow, Thomas Winning and Archbishop of Liverpool , Derek Worlock , [4] and an agreement that the pontiff would not meet Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher . [1]

John Paul II arrived in the United Kingdom on the morning of 28 May 1982, landing at Gatwick Airport . After kissing the runway, he was greeted there by 3,500 singing children, Basil Cardinal Hume , Archbishop of Westminster and Cormac Murphy-O'Connor , Bishop of Arundel and Brighton (the Roman Catholic diocese in which the airport is located). Also present was Anglican Bishop Eric Kemp of Chichester (the Anglican diocese in which the airport is located), already showing the visit's noteworthy reconciliatory character towards the Church of England . [5] The Pope later travelled from Gatwick Airport railway station to London Victoria by special train 975025 Caroline [6] and from there went to Westminster Cathedral, where he celebrated his first Mass of the visit. During his first day in Britain he departed from his prepared text on three occasions, calling for peace in the Falklands and in Northern Ireland . [7] Also on that day he met Queen Elizabeth II , the Supreme Governor of the Church of England . [5]

On 29 May John Paul II visited Canterbury Cathedral , becoming the first pontiff to do so and participating in an historic meeting with the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III ), before attending a ceremony with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie. During the service, the two church leaders renewed their baptismal vows together, knelt in silent prayer at the spot where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, and issued a common declaration, thanking God for "the progress that has been made in the work of reconciliation" between the Catholic Church and the Church of England. Later that day, he went through Wembley by means of a procession, then celebrated Mass at Wembley Stadium in the presence of 80,000 people. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, and sang " He's Got the Whole World in His Hands ". [2]

On 30 May, after a meeting with over 20,000 of his fellow Polish countrymen at the Crystal Palace stadium in London, the Pope travelled by helicopter to Coventry , where he celebrated Mass at the city's Baginton Airport in the presence of some 300,000 people. In his address, he described Coventry as a "city devastated by war but rebuilt in hope". [8] Afterwards, he travelled to Liverpool , where over a million spectators lined the route of his journey from the airport in Speke to the city. He attended services at the city's Metropolitan Cathedral and the Anglican Cathedral. Two thousand people attended his Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral. [4] After Mass, the Pope greeted young people gathered outside the cathedral.

On 31 May, the Pope visited Manchester , where he met the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Sir Immanuel Jakobovits at the Convent of the Poor Sisters of Nazareth . At Heaton Park he celebrated Mass in front of a crowd of more than 200,000 people, during which he ordained twelve men to the priesthood, telling them; "You must be men of God, his close friends. You must develop daily patterns of prayer, and penance must be a regular part of your life." [9] The Pope then travelled by helicopter to Knavesmire Racecourse in York where some 200,000 people gathered for a Liturgy of the Word .

After the York ceremony, the Pope was taken to RAF Leeming from where he flew by jet to Edinburgh in Scotland, landing at RAF Turnhouse , Edinburgh. At Murrayfield Stadium , he met with 45,000 young people and leaders of Protestant churches, before finishing the day with a visit to the city's Catholic cathedral.

On 1 June, John Paul II firstly visited patients at St Joseph's Hospital in Rosewell and addressed educators at St Andrew's College , before celebrating Mass at Bellahouston Park for 300,000 people. The Pope was presented with several symbolic gifts during the service, including a pipe banner with the Pope's coat of arms, a piece of Caithness glass, a firkin of whisky and a Scotland football shirt. He told worshippers "as believers, we are constantly exposed to pressures by modern society which would compel us to conform to the standards of this secular age, substitute new proprieties, restrict our aspirations at risk of compromising our Christian conscience." [7]

The Welsh leg of the trip took place on 2 June with the Pope's arrival in Cardiff . After he was awarded the Freedom of Cardiff , a city which received its royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1581, several years after she had been declared deposed by Pope Pius V in his bull Regnans in Excelsis (departing from his decision to avoid political meetings during his visit), John Paul II travelled to Pontcana Fields where he celebrated Mass for over 100,000 people, speaking briefly in Welsh to declare "Bendith Duw arnoch" – "the blessing of God be on you" – which was received with enthusiastic applause. [10] Afterwards, he went on to Ninian Park , home of Cardiff City F.C. , where he met with approximately 33,000 young people, again calling for peace in the South Atlantic and then calling on the young people of Britain to launch a crusade of prayer. In a direct reference to King Henry VIII 's book Defence of the Seven Sacraments for which he received the title Fidei defensor (Defender of the Faith) from Pope Leo X , one of the Sacraments was highlighted at each papal venue.

The speeches for John Paul's visit were written following consultation with British clerics, including the current archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols . These were largely well received by the public, with some two million people attending venues to see the Pope and hear him speak. According to the BBC's Michael Hirst, John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom was the biggest event for British Catholics since their emancipation during the 19th century. [1] In contrast to the generally positive reaction, there were a small number of demonstrations, mostly by supporters of the Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party leader, the Rev. Ian Paisley , and other small groups. [5]

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• Roman Catholicism in the United Kingdom
• Anglican Schism

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• 1 2 3 "1982: Pope makes historic visit to Canterbury" . BBC On This Day . BBC. 29 May 1982 . Retrieved 18 September 2010 .
• ↑ "Pope John Paul II visit recalled by security chief" . BBC News . BBC. 14 September 2010 . Retrieved 18 September 2010 .
• 1 2 "Liverpool remembers Pope John Paul II" . BBC Radio Merseyside . BBC. 2 April 2005 . Retrieved 18 September 2010 .
• 1 2 3 "Different pope, different times for British trip" . The Himalayan Times . 12 September 2010. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010 . Retrieved 19 September 2010 .
• ↑ "The history of our "Hastings" DEMUs" . Hastings Diesels Limited. 12 December 2011 . Retrieved 21 June 2012 .
• 1 2 "The first visit: Looking back at Pope John Paul II's mass at Bellahouston Park" . Daily Record . 14 September 2010 . Retrieved 18 September 2010 .
• ↑ Dimmer, Sam (17 May 2010). "Coventry Catholic church leaders delighted at Pope visit to Coventry" . Coventry Telegraph . Retrieved 19 September 2010 .
• ↑ "John Paul II at Heaton Park" . Pope Benedict XVI visit to the United Kingdom . Catholic Communications Network . Retrieved 19 September 2010 .
• ↑ "Pope John Paul II's visit to Wales in 1982" . BBC Wales History . BBC. 15 September 2010 . Retrieved 19 September 2010 .
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Visit of Pope John Paul II at CERN

Cern geneva, switzerland.

His Holiness the Pope John Paul II visiting CERN on 15 June 1982 in the late afternoon.

• Title: Visit of Pope John Paul II at CERN
• Creator: CERN PhotoLab
• Date Created: 1982-06-15, 1982
• Contributor: GenevaCERN1982-6
• Medium: Film, Photographic negative
• Internal Reference: Rubrique: Date Planche:6 82 De:148 A:232
• Comment: Album with images scanned from original photo negatives

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Remembering John Paul II’s First US Visit 40 Years Ago

COMMENTARY: Karol Wojtyla’s return to America, this time as pope, had many meaningful moments — and lighter ones.

Pellegrini was among a crowd of 400,000 that greeted Pope John Paul II that Oct. 1, 1979, his first day on U.S. soil as pope, arriving directly from Ireland. It would be the first of seven visits to a country beloved by the Polish pope.

To say that the future saint was greeted like a “rock star” is actually an understatement.

Elvis and the Beatles didn’t get responses like this.

The Pope visited several major cities, where he was greeted by phenomenal crowds, including the throng at a ticker-tape parade in Philadelphia. He celebrated Mass at sites as diverse and expansive as Yankee Stadium, the Washington Mall, Chicago’s Grant Park, and St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

The Mass at Yankee Stadium was packed with 80,000 people. The Grant Park crowd approached a half-million, drawn from the ethnically Polish and Slavic Chicago environs. At Philadelphia’s Logan Circle, the mass reached more than a million.

In Philadelphia on Oct. 3, the Pope spoke at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, which made him feel not too far from his home church in Rome, St. John Lateran, which houses the skulls of Sts. Peter and Paul. The parallel was not lost on the Bishop of Rome.

“This cathedral links you to the great apostles of Rome, Peter and Paul,” noted the Pope. He added that he felt home in Philadelphia, where he had visited three years earlier for the Eucharistic Congress amid America’s bicentennial. Back then, he was a relatively unknown cardinal from Krakow. But now, he told the people of Philadelphia, “by the grace of God, I come here as Successor of Peter to bring you a message of love and to strengthen you in your faith.”

Karol Wojtyla’s return to America, this time as pope, had many such meaningful moments — and lighter ones.

He attended an event with President Jimmy Carter on Oct. 6 on the White House lawn. The Southern Baptist president was gracious and playful with the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

“You are welcome with us, Your Holiness,” said Carter. Turning to the press and White House staff, Carter said: “As you know, he comes to us as a pastor, as a scholar, as a poet, as a philosopher, but I think primarily as a pastor.” He then turned to the Pope and quipped, “Do you agree? As a pastor?”

The Chief Pastor of the universal Church smiled and said, “You are right.”

It was a fun moment, and everyone took it in stride.

But surely the most serious of John Paul II’s moments during his inaugural trip to America was his speech to the United Nations , only the second papal appearance before the stately body, behind only Paul VI, and ultimately the first of two U.N. stops by the Holy Father during his long papacy. It came early in his visit, on Oct. 2. It was a striking oration in length alone, requiring a full hour to deliver.

The Pope told the assembled delegates that he was taking advantage of this major opportunity to send his greetings to literally “all the men and women living on this planet,” to “every man and every woman, without any exception whatever.” This was a sweeping ambition, to be sure, but it was nonetheless doable (at least symbolically) in this unique forum.

The Pope told them:

“Each one of you, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, represents a particular state, system and political structure, but what you represent above all are individual human beings; you are all representatives of men and women … each of them a subject endowed with dignity as a human person.”

Those were words that this international body badly needed to hear.

John Paul then hit upon one of the worst recent violations of that dignity. He recalled that the world had just marked the grim anniversary of the September 1939 invasion of Poland and the start of World War II four decades earlier. It was a picture, said the Polish Pope, that “I still have before my mind.”

Speaking of some of the consequences of that invasion, he brought up Auschwitz: “This infamous place is unfortunately only one of the many scattered over the continent of Europe.”

He condemned any and all past and present examples of such repression — “everything that is a continuation of those experiences under different forms, namely the various kinds of torture and oppression, either physical or moral, carried out under any system, in any land.”

This was surely a reference to Soviet communism and its repression and camps in the gulag archipelago. The Pope’s advisers knew that it was. The Soviets, who reportedly were unhappy with the remarks, also knew of whom the Pope was speaking. How could they not? They were the embodiment, after all.

“You will forgive me, ladies and gentlemen, for evoking this memory,” John Paul said. “But I would be untrue to the history of this century, I would be dishonest with regard to the great cause of man, which we all wish to serve, if I should keep silent.”

The Pope said that he wanted to also draw attention to “a second systematic threat to man in his inalienable rights in the modern world.” This was the threat posed to religious liberty and conscience. This, too, was a reference to the jackboot of atheistic Soviet communism. And, sadly, it applies prophetically to our 21st-century world today, whether in the secular West or the Islamic Middle East.

And likewise highly relevant still today, the Pope urged the need for “respect for the dignity of the human person.” He smartly noted that the United Nations had proclaimed 1979 the “Year of the Child.” He was now holding them to it, and maybe in a way they didn’t expect or want.

He implored the audience to respect life from its earliest stages with “concern for the child, even before birth, from the first moment of conception and then throughout the years of infancy and youth.” This, he said, was the “primary and fundamental test of the relationship of one human being to another.”

It was a strong speech, no question. It never once used the words “Russia,” “Soviet Union,” “USSR,” “Bolshevism,” “communism” or “Marxism-Leninism.” It clearly, however, dealt with those phantoms. It was subtle but still clear.

Still, even as John Paul II had not eviscerated an “Evil Empire,” what he said had rattled the Kremlin.

For the hypersensitive Soviets, this was interpreted as a vile, belligerent stance of confrontation by the Bishop of Rome. Coming on the heels of John Paul’s historic visit to Poland the previous June, the Soviets were extremely concerned about the actions of this new pope.

They would seek ways to respond, with vengeance. They wanted him stopped. But alas, that’s another story and remembrance for another time.

As for October 1979, Pope John Paul II’s remarkable path through history included a memorable stop here in the United States.

No one could have seen it then, but it was just the start of a pontificate that would run until April 2005, and one that would truly change the course of history.

Americans had never seen or heard anything like it, and probably never will again.

Paul Kengor  is a professor of political science at Grove City College in Grove City,

Pennsylvania. His books include  A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century .

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Paul Kengor Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. His books include A Pope and a President , The Divine Plan and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Communism , The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism's Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration .

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