State Visit from Pope Benedict XVI: September 16-19, 2010


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Westminster Cathedral not Westminster abbey...
 
Mass? At Westminister?? I wonder if Henry VIII is spinning in his grave. LOL


Westminster has two large churches. The Abbey which dates from 1066 and Edward the Confessor which is where the monarchs are crowned and many are buried but after the Split with Rome and the Dissolution of the Monasteries the Abbey became an Anglican establishment and is to this day.

In the late 1800s the new Cathedral at Westminster was started and was finished in 1903. Westminster Cathedral - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is at this second building where the Pope would have conducted the mass.
 
"I think the Catholic Windsors may have huge interest in meeting the Pope, their faith's leader." - kbk

What do you mean by "Catholic Windsors"? Are there any? Please forgive the question if it is a silly one, but I'm an American and don't many things about British royalty.
 
The known members of the British Royal Family (i.e. the Windsors) who are Catholic include Princess Michael of Kent, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, The Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor, The Earl and Countess of St Andrews and their children.

I believe Lady Gabriella Windsor, Lord Fredick Windsor and Lady Helen (nee Windsor) Taylor are Anglicans. As are Prince Michael of Kent and The Duke of Kent. They remain the Line of Sucession.
 
Didn't Prince Michael lose his place in the Line of Succession when he married Marie-Christine von Reibnitz?:ermm:

I believe Lady Gabriella Windsor, Lord Fredick Windsor and Lady Helen (nee Windsor) Taylor are Anglicans. As are Prince Michael of Kent and The Duke of Kent. They remain the Line of Sucession.
 
Didn't Prince Michael lose his place in the Line of Succession when he married Marie-Christine von Reibnitz?:ermm:


Yes he did.

The Duke of Kent kept his place because the Duchess was an Anglican at the time of their marriage. Prince Michael lost his because his wife was a Roman Catholic at the time of their marriage.

The Duke's children and grandchildren who have converted, married or been baptised/confirmed as Roman Catholics are also out of the line of succession to the throne but not to the title Duke of Kent so that title will have a Roman Catholic holder at some time in the future.

The children and grandchildren of the Duke and those of Prince Michael who have been raised Anglican and remain within that communion are still in the line of succession.
 
POPE'S UK VIST: 'My shame and humiliation' - Pope's emotional apology over 'unspeakable' child abuse as he meets five British victims | Mail Online

Pope Benedict XVI yesterday issued his strongest apology yet for child abuse by the clergy, denouncing it as an ‘unspeakable crime’.
In a sermon at Westminster Cathedral, the Pope expressed his ‘deep sorrow’ to victims of sexual abuse by priests, and said the scandal had shamed him and the Church.
‘I think of the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the Church and by her ministers,’ he told the congregation.
POPE'S UK VIST: Glastonbury with God: Banners, Pilgrim Picnics and singing and dancing...as 80,000 flock to Hyde Park | Mail Online

From early morning they arrived in their thousands from across Britain: people wanting to see the Pope.
Some went to Westminster Cathedral, others to Vauxhall to St Peter’s home for the elderly. Many chose the Mall to watch Benedict XVI in his Popemobile.
But most of all they rushed to Hyde Park – 80,000 of them – for the prayer vigil with the Pontiff.
 
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Princess Michael, along with her husband's nephew Earl of St Andrews and his family, attended Papal mass at the Westminster Cathedral in London, yesterday, and attended also the Papal open-air mass of Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman in Birmingham, today. She also attended several events connected with the Beatification before.
Check out:
Translation of remains of Cardinal Newman at his Birmingham Oratory / Local News / Media Centre / Catholic Church / Root - The Catholic Church for England and Wales
We can see the Windsors here YouTube - POPE Westminster Cathedral 2010 part 2 , at the 11th minute,
and here YouTube - POPE Westminster Cathedral 2010 part 1 from 1:54 until 2:11. The Princess' presence is mentioned by the BBC man.
It must be also at today's highlitghs from Cofton Park, but it's not yet at youtube. Do you have it from any other source?
 
I think it is worth to remind that when Pope John Paul II visited the UK, which was the first papal visit in the UK ever, he was welcomed at the airport by the Duke of Norfolk on behalf of the Queen. The Duke was one of the most prominent people in the country as the Earl Marshal and the most prominent British peer, as the premier Duke and Earl of England, and he was Catholic. The Howards' history, closely connected with the recusancy, is very fascinating. They remained the Britain's first aristocratic family (I read somewhere about them, as the second family of Britain after the Royal Family) even if they remained also Catholic and did not follow the Reformation. End of an off topic story ;-)

Edit: I found here http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/new...010-westminster-cathedral-homily-–-full-text/ , that the current Duke of Norfolk also attend the mass at the Wesminster Cathedral. After the mass, the Windsors, the Duke and other present dignitaries, including former PM Tony Blair with, I suppouse, his family, met with the Pope.
 
Tony Blair is a convert to Catholicism, isn't he? While I was watching Pope Benedict in Great Britain on the TV news here in the US, the caption under him kept reading, "Catholics are Forbidden to Claim the British Throne." Even though that's true, I thought it was a little unfair to keep reminding Americans of that. And the news also stated that this is the first "official" visit to Great Britain by a pope in 500 years, since breaking with Rome. How can that be true? Pope John Paul II visited during his Papacy.
 
The Howard family is also where Anne Boleyn, 2nd wife of King Henry VIII descends from. Her mother was Elizabeth Howard Boleyn. Henry's 5th wife Catherine Howard is also from the family.
 
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Tony Blair is a convert to Catholicism, isn't he? While I was watching Pope Benedict in Great Britain on the TV news here in the US, the caption under him kept reading, "Catholics are Forbidden to Claim the British Throne." Even though that's true, I thought it was a little unfair to keep reminding Americans of that. And the news also stated that this is the first "official" visit to Great Britain by a pope in 500 years, since breaking with Rome. How can that be true? Pope John Paul II visited during his Papacy.
Roman Catholic Pope has never paid an official state visit to the British Islands until Benedict XVI's. John Paul II was the first pope on the British soil, true, but this was only a pastoral visit, which he paid as a religous leader. Now, his successor was received also as a head of state. Protocol says, that such visits are marked by some ceremonial actions, such as an official state welcome at the receiving monarch's or presiden's official residence, a gun salute (I suppouse Benedict XVI was given one), inspeting the guards of honour, an audience with the monarch or president, exchange of gifts and meeting with the highest dignitaries of the welcoming state, such as head and members of the government and head and members of the parliament. State visits may be paid only on the highest level of the structure of power, meaning only a head of state may pay a state visit to another head of state. It is a tradition that a reigning monarchs should pay a state visit to a country only one time during his reign. As far as I know, Elizabeth II does so, with the exception of visits to the Commonwealth member-states. One more thing about the representation during the state visits, I think Benedict XVI should be welcomed at the airport in Edinurgh by the Queen herslef, and not the Duke of Edinburgh on her behalf. But, It is still a higher person welcoming the pope at his arrival than it was at John Paul II's arrival, when he was welcomed by the Duke of Norfolk on behalf of The Queen. But, as I said, it was not a state visit.

Tony Blair has converted to Catholicism in 2007, after his premiership. His wife Cherie Blair nee Booth is a Catholic. The UK has never been governed by a Catholic prime minister. Queen Victoria's PM Benjamin Disraeli was Jewish by birth, but converted to Anglicanism before becoming PM.

From wiki:
Succession in the United Kingdom is also governed by the Act of Union 1800, which restates the provisions of the Act of Settlement 1701 and the Bill of Rights (1689). These laws stipulate that those who are not legitimate descendants of Sophia, Electress of Hanover and those who have ever been Roman Catholics, or who have married Roman Catholics, are disbarred from succeeding to the Crown. The descendants of those who are disbarred for becoming or marrying Roman Catholics, however, may still be eligible to succeed.
 
Princess Michael, along with her husband's nephew Earl of St Andrews and his family, attended Papal mass at the Westminster Cathedral in London, yesterday, and attended also the Papal open-air mass of Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman in Birmingham, today. She also attended several events connected with the Beatification before.
Check out:
Translation of remains of Cardinal Newman at his Birmingham Oratory / Local News / Media Centre / Catholic Church / Root - The Catholic Church for England and Wales
We can see the Windsors here YouTube - POPE Westminster Cathedral 2010 part 2 , at the 11th minute,
and here YouTube - POPE Westminster Cathedral 2010 part 1 from 1:54 until 2:11. The Princess' presence is mentioned by the BBC man.
It must be also at today's highlitghs from Cofton Park, but it's not yet at youtube. Do you have it from any other source?
Wonderful video recordings of this historic visit. Thank you.
 
The visit was a real triumf for the Catholic Church and for ecumenism.
 
I am very glad that he came to visit, and the Vatican called his trip "wonderful" and it truely was.
 
The known members of the British Royal Family (i.e. the Windsors) who are Catholic include Princess Michael of Kent, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, The Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor, The Earl and Countess of St Andrews and their children.

I believe Lady Gabriella Windsor, Lord Fredick Windsor and Lady Helen (nee Windsor) Taylor are Anglicans. As are Prince Michael of Kent and The Duke of Kent. They remain the Line of Sucession.

The Earl of St Andrews is not catholic, he's still Anglican, but his wife is catholic. Their children went (and are going) to catholic boarding schools, they were originally christened in the Anglican church but the oldest 2 Baron Downpatrick and Lady Marina-Charlotte made their confirmation in the catholic church and are now catholics. The youngest Lady Amelia (currently technically still Anglican) will probably make a catholic confirmation as well since she's in a catholic school.

The Duke of Kent is still in the line of succession, his oldest son isn't as he married a catholic, his youngest son and children are all catholic. Lady Helen and her family remain Anglican.

Prince Michael of Kent is not in the line of succession, he married a catholic, his children were christened as Anglican and remain as members of the Anglican church. Lord Frederick married in an Anglican ceremony.
 
I don't think I have ever heard such glorious choral music as I have heard during this Papal visit to Britain...at both Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral the choirs sounded so beautiful! :whistling:
 
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