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   POPE PRAISES DEEP CHRISTIAN ROOTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM   
      
   VATICAN CITY, 16 SEP 2010 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI began the   
   seventeenth apostolic trip of his pontificate, travelling to the United Kingdom   
   where, in the city of Birmingham this Sunday 19 September, he is due to beatify   
   Cardinal John Henry Newman.   
      
   The Pope departed from Rome's Ciampino airport at 8.10 a.m., landing in the   
   Scottish capital city of Edinburgh at 10.30 a.m. local time. There he was   
   welcomed by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and consort to Queen Elizabeth II.   
   From the airport, the Holy Father travelled by car to the Palace of   
   Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official Scottish residence during the summer   
   months. The palace, built as an Augustinian monastery in the year 1128, was   
   dedicated to the Holy Cross by King David I of Scotland after he saw a vision   
   of the crucifix between the antlers of a stag that attacked him. In the   
   sixteenth century it was transformed into a royal residence and in the   
   twentieth century, under King George V, it became the summer home of the royal   
   family.   
      
   Arriving at Holyroodhouse the Holy Father was greeted by Queen Elizabeth II and   
   the Duke of Edinburgh. Then, following military honours and the playing of the   
   national anthems, the Pope and the Queen met in private in the palace's Morning   
   Room. After the meeting, the Pontiff was accompanied to a stage set up behind   
   Holyroodhouse where four hundred guests awaited him, among them representatives   
   of the Catholic and Anglican Churches, and politicians including members of the   
   Scottish Parliament.   
      
   Following a brief bagpipe concert and some remarks by Queen Elizabeth, the Pope   
   arose to pronounce his address.   
      
   "The name of Holyroodhouse", he said, "recalls the 'Holy Cross' and points to   
   the deep Christian roots that are still present in every layer of British life.   
   The monarchs of England and Scotland have been Christians from very early times   
   and include outstanding saints like Edward the Confessor and Margaret of   
   Scotland. ... Many of them consciously exercised their sovereign duty in the   
   light of the Gospel, and in this way shaped the nation for good at the deepest   
   level. As a result, the Christian message has been an integral part of the   
   language, thought and culture of the peoples of these islands for more than a   
   thousand years. Your forefathers' respect for truth and justice, for mercy and   
   charity come to you from a faith that remains a mighty force for good in your   
   kingdom, to the great benefit of Christians and non-Christians alike".   
      
   Among the "many examples of this force for good throughout Britain's long   
   history", the Pope mentioned William Wilberforce and David Livingstone who   
   worked to stop the international slave trade, Florence Nightingale who "served   
   the poor and the sick and set new standards in healthcare", and John Henry   
   Newman "whose goodness, eloquence and action were a credit to their countrymen   
   and women. These, and many people like them, were inspired by a deep faith born   
   and nurtured in these islands", he said.   
      
   In more recent times, "Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny   
   that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to   
   many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live". In this context the   
   Pope also dwelt on the Nazi regime's attitude "to Christian pastors and   
   religious who spoke the truth in love, ... and paid for that opposition with   
   their lives.   
      
   "As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the   
   twentieth century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and   
   virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of   
   society", he added.   
      
   The Holy Father then went on to consider the key role Great Britain played   
   sixty-five years ago "in forging the post-war international consensus which   
   favoured the establishment of the United Nations and ushered in a hitherto   
   unknown period of peace and prosperity in Europe". On the subject of the Good   
   Friday Agreement and the devolution of powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly,   
   he noted: "Your Majesty's government and the government of Ireland, together   
   with the political, religious and civil leaders of Northern Ireland, have   
   helped give birth to a peaceful resolution of the conflict there. I encourage   
   everyone involved to continue to walk courageously together on the path marked   
   out for them towards a just and lasting peace".   
      
   And he continued his remarks: "Looking abroad, the United Kingdom remains a key   
   figure politically and economically on the international stage. Your government   
   and people are the shapers of ideas that still have an impact far beyond the   
   British Isles. This places upon them a particular duty to act wisely for the   
   common good. Similarly, because their opinions reach such a wide audience, the   
   British media have a graver responsibility than most and a greater opportunity   
   to promote the peace of nations, the integral development of peoples and the   
   spread of authentic human rights. May all Britons continue to live by the   
   values of honesty, respect and fair-mindedness that have won them the esteem   
   and admiration of many.   
      
   "Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society. In   
   this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those   
   traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of   
   secularism no longer value or even tolerate. Let it not obscure the Christian   
   foundation that underpins its freedoms; and may that patrimony, which has   
   always served the nation well, constantly inform the example your government   
   and people set before the two billion members of the Commonwealth and the great   
   family of English-speaking nations throughout the world. May God bless Your   
   Majesty and all the people of your realm".   
      
   The Pope's address complete, Queen Elizabeth, in keeping with tradition,   
   accompanied him to meet certain of the dignitaries present, then to the   
   internal courtyard of the palace where he was greeted by a group of Scottish   
   youth wearing traditional costumes.   
      
   At the end of the ceremony, the Pope bade farewell to the Queen and the Duke of   
   Edinburgh at the main entrance to Holyroodhouse. He then travelled by car to   
   the residence of Cardinal Michael Patrick O'Brien, archbishop of Saint Andrews   
   and Edinburgh, where he had lunch.   
   PV-UNITED KINGDOM/VIS 20100916 (1050)   
      
   SUMMARY   
      
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