Letters

Benedict XVI in the UK

Arnold Jago

Contents - Nov 2010 - Buy a copy now Homily: Feast of All Saints: Benedict XVI's homily - Pope Benedict XVI Canonisation: St Mary of the Cross MacKillop: let the truth be told - Peter Westmore News: The Church Around the World Homosexuality: Courage and EnCourage Chicago Conference: holiness the key - Marie Mason Gendercide: how abortion targets baby girls - Peter Kavanagh Liturgy: Catholic funerals: Bishop Elliott explains Melbourne's guidelines - Bishop Peter J. Eliott Vocations: Priestly and religious vocations upsurge in the US - Tim Drake Saints: Blessed John Henry Newman: why he is worthy of canonisation - Frank Mobbs Ukrainian Catholics: Ukraine's University of the Catacombs - Andrew Kania Letters: Catholic funerals - George Simpson Letters: Benedict XVI in the UK - Arnold Jago Letters: Future Church - Tom King Letters: Vatican II: infallibility - John Young Letters: Infallibility criteria - James Bogle Letters: Definitive or not? - Fr Brian Harrison OS, STD Letters: Declarations - Frank Mobbs Letters: Abortion - Moya and Leo Morrissey Letters: Elephants in the room - Frank Bellet Books: Damien of Molokai: the Leper Saint, by Robert Louis Stevenson - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Books: HIS NAME IS MERCY, by Fr Ken Barker MGL - Archbishop Denis Hart (reviewer) Books: BLESSED JOHN  HENRY NEWMAN: A Richly Illustrated Portrait, by K.D. and D. Fso - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Fighting Fund progress Books: Order books from www.freedompublishing.com.au Reflection: The woman in another place [Luke 4:38-39; Acts 12:12-17) - Babette Francis

When Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Britain recently, some predicted that he would meet with nothing but protests, small crowds and empty stadiums. But the reverse happened with huge crowds turning out.

Pope Benedict 's talks confronted many controversial topics that the critics had predicted he would avoid. This earned him a lot of respect. His enemies more or less gave up and the protests more or less fizzled out.

When about to leave, the Pope made an interesting observation - that the British "have a thirst for Christianity ".

What about Australia?

In July 2005, Pope Benedict told a gathering of priests that in Western nations the Church "appears to be dying" and that this was true ... "above all of Australia" ( L'Osservatore Romano, 27 July 2005).

Is it still true?

Those of us who are Australian Catholics should pray hard for God's Kingdom to come on earth - especially in Australia. And that God will make us proud to be Catholics, real Catholics, not fifty-fifty.

ARNOLD JAGO (DR)
Mildura, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 23 No 10 (November 2010), p. 13