![](\"https:\/\/i4.photobucket.com\/albums\/y125\/TheAnchoress\/BenedictinScotlandarialshotfromBellahoustonPark.jpg\")
\nAerial shot of Benedict\u2019s crowd at Bellahouston Pk, Scotland(Via<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n
Last night, after listening to me coo about the papal audience<\/strong> a friend of mine said, \u201cthat\u2019s so great; it\u2019s just too bad it couldn\u2019t be John Paul!\u201d<\/p>\n She could hear the shock in my voice when I responded, \u201cbut why? I love Benedict!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like him much,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cHave you read<\/em> him?\u201d<\/a> I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, no. But I never read John Paul, either, but I loved him. He was bigger than life.\u201d<\/p>\n I realized my pal, like most, was not particularly interested<\/strong> in hearing a defense of Benedict. She responds to images and historic moments, and so it makes sense that our John Paul II, who was indeed \u201clarger than life,\u201d and whose participation in bringing down the Soviet state was catalytic, would \u201clove\u201d John Paul while disdaining his successor. Benedict is not glamorous or outgoing, and he is not involved in big-ticket, big-issue political theater as JPII was. Benedict is simply what he was before his gained the papal throne: hardworking, faithful, determined (since even before his papacy) to rid the church of what he aptly called its \u201cfilth,\u201d<\/a> and ultimately, always, a little overshadowed.<\/p>\n John Paul reached out to the world; he came into his pontificate while still a young, handsome and vigorous young man, and he was irresistible and savvy, and a trained actor. Benedict, while pretty spry for an octogenarian, is none of those things. He is a little awkward, a little shy<\/a>, but so interesting, once you give him a chance, and with a fearlessness that belies<\/a> his quiet demeanor.<\/p>\n In the eternal high-school of public opinion<\/strong>, if John Paul was the glam quarterback who got the girls, and some coverage for his mistakes, Benedict might be called the MIT-bound geek, content to watch others get the glory while he buckles down and sets things right.<\/p>\n John Paul was a grand, dramatic pipe organ of a pope; you could not ignore him. Benedict is a piano, deftly playing Mozart, and inviting you in, if you like. \u201cInviting\u201d is the operative word.<\/p>\n I guess I\u2019ve always been a girl to seek out the quiet piano in the corner, myself.<\/p>\n Just below, I\u2019ll be keeping a running thread going, today,<\/strong> with most recent news first (ala Instapundit<\/a>) so you can scroll down to see the older stuff; check back, from time to time, if you will, for constant updates. Although the press seems to believe this papal visit is pro-forma and routine, I am convinced Benedict\u2019s visit to the United Kingdom is going to be dramatic, and have far-reaching consequences<\/a>.<\/p>\n And the Papal Tartan<\/a> is pretty cool, too!<\/p>\n \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n Press Office of the Holy See: Fr. Lombardi (yeah, I saw him in Rome!) says the Vatican could not be more pleased<\/a> with the start of things. \u2014 6:33 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n Papal Mass Ends in Scotland:<\/strong> First leg of the trip is over, tomorrow the real drama, the passionate engagement begins. I loved the Scots singing Auld Lang Syne and Loch Lomand at the end of Papal Mass; great joy amid crowd. Christ, blest and broken, for the life and light of the world. No wonder the secularists hate it all so much! A pal in UK tells me some in punditry are aghast at the enthusiastic attendance of the youth; doesn\u2019t fit the \u201cBenedict is evil, and you must hate him\u201d narrative. Just now, as he appeared on the jumbotron, almost ready to take his leave, the young people cried out for him.<\/p>\n They cry out for Christ, for the constant reality of the love of Christ. \u2014 2:11 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n Remembering Ratzinger when he Came to the UK:<\/strong> Scroll down for Robert Moynihan\u2019s thoughts<\/a>; set your locator for CONSUMER MATERIALISM AND CHRISTIAN HOPE.<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe reality is that the fundamental intuition concerning the moral character of being itself and the necessity for harmony between human existence and the message of nature is common to all the great civilizations; and thus the great moral imperatives are also a possession held in common. C S Lewis expressed this emphatically when he said: \u201cThis thing, which I have called for convenience the Tao, and which others may call natural law, or traditional morality, or the first principle of practical reason, or the first platitudes, is not one among a series of possible systems of value. It is the sole source of all value judgments. If it is rejected, all value is rejected. If any value is retained, it is retained. The effort to refute it and to raise a new system of value in its place is self-contradictory.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Very worth seeking out. \u2014 1:36 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n Noting the unusually fast turn-around,<\/strong> Rocco posts the entire in-flight presser<\/a>, which you will really enjoy reading. Benedict, as usual, is authentic, open and completely without guile. Also, his sermon, which he is speaking as I write, is equally open. He is speaking with unusual directness to the youth, and the emptiness of a life lived without restraint or discipline, or introspection. Very moving. \u201cThe church now belongs to YOU!\u201d \u2013 1:12 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n Since we\u2019re talking papal, today,<\/strong> do check out this excellent look at Pius VII<\/a> and the distortions surrounding him. \u2014 1:06 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n Nice<\/strong> screen shots of the mass<\/a> (going on right now, see the livestream<\/a>)! \u201312:55 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n The Eternal Question:<\/strong> \u201cWhy Remain a Catholic?\u201d Hear some responses here<\/a>, and my own answer to that question, here<\/a> or as podcast<\/a>. \u2014 12:18<\/strong><\/p>\n Get Religion.Org:<\/strong> Benedict Visits the Circus<\/a> \u2014 11:59 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n Some Protestant Perspective<\/strong> on Why God Won\u2019t Go Away<\/a> by Alister McGrath. \u2014 11:49 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n Sissy Willis:<\/strong> Is looking at the big picture from a religio-political perspective<\/a>. \u2014 11:46 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n The Benedictine Nuns in UK: <\/strong> Also feeling very feisty at the blog<\/a>:<\/p>\n Unfortunately, if the Regensburg address is anything to go by, the media will pick up on a sentence or two wrenched out of context and try to create a storm. Benedict isn\u2019t a pope who speaks in sound bites but in nuanced and often intellectually demanding sentences. He pays his hearers the compliment of assuming that they too are educated and well-read. That doesn\u2019t make him popular, but it does make him worth studying.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n You\u2019ll want to read it all, and subscribe to their groovy paper<\/a>!<\/p>\n Also check out the Catherine of Siena Institute<\/a>, which is not liking EWTN\u2019s coverage, much\u2013 11:36 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n Just realized the UK Catholic Herald<\/strong> is also live-blogging<\/a>. One entry:<\/p>\n 12.50 Ed West And here is a good piece on why tomorrow\u2019s<\/strong> Address in Westminster Hall<\/a> is going to matter.<\/p>\n Also, a look at the spiritual state of England<\/a>; very good read! \u2014 11:27 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n Always touched to remember that Oscar Wilde<\/strong> so openly declared that he would only die in the Catholic church<\/a>, despite its real or perceived flaws. \u2014 11:23 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n Damien Thompson:<\/strong> Already feeling extremely feisty<\/a> about the atheists! \u2014 11:16 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n Rev. James Martin:<\/strong> wonders about the implications of the proposed feast day for John Henry Newman<\/a> Also, Fr. Dwight Longenecker has background on Newman<\/a> and a timeline. \u2014 11:14 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n Ian Paisley<\/strong> leads the protests<\/a> \u2014 11:05 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n First words are<\/strong> fearless and bold<\/a>:<\/p>\n The Pope controversially likened the rise of atheism in Britain to Nazi Germany today as he warned against \u2018aggressive forms of secularism\u2019 at the start of his historic state visit.<\/p>\n Risking sparking a new row after one of his aides likened the UK to the \u2018Third World\u2019, the former member of the Hitler Youth invoked Nazi Germany in an attack on \u2018atheist extremism\u2019.<\/p>\n It came after Benedict XVI apologised for the Catholic Church\u2019s handling of the child abuse scandal as he flew to Scotland this morning.<\/p>\n The 83-year-old Pope admitted on the flight that the church had not dealt with abusive priests decisively or quickly enough.<\/p>\n The comments are his most thorough admission to date of failings in the way the sex abuse scandal was handled.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n His statements will never be \u201cthorough enough\u201d of course, not for the press, but as I wrote on Tuesday<\/a>:<\/p>\n [Elizabeth and Benedict] know what the rhetorical jackboot sounds like and how seamlessly it can advance; they can speak to our time, if we let them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n John Allen:<\/strong> \u201cWe weren\u2019t fast enough!\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Deacon Greg:<\/strong> \u201cA Great Sadness\u201d<\/a> This video on John Henry Newman<\/strong>, \u201cA Prophet for our Time\u201d<\/a>, looks good. More on Newman\u2019s relevance here<\/a> \u2014 10:45 AM <\/strong><\/p>\n St. John Bosco also seems to have<\/strong> thought a papal trip to England<\/a> to be of some import. \u2014 10:43 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n Rocco, unsurprisingly<\/strong>, is off and running<\/a> with Benedict\u2019s first remarks. \u201cThe hand of friendship.\u201d Writes Rocco:<\/p>\n For the record, the Popemobile\u2019s journey down the Royal Mile has seen large, enthusiastic crowds \u2014 bigger than most Brit commentators anticipated in the visit\u2019s run-up.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Not surprising. I remember during JPII\u2019s World Youth Day visit to Colorado, one female reporter was so staggered by the size of the crowd, she wondered openly whether the young people were forced into participation. The press does not know what it does not know about the church, and when what it thinks<\/em> it knows is not what is before their eyes, they cannot believe it. \u2014 10:37 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n As too often is the case,<\/strong> a Cardinal jumpstarts the coverage with a stupid remark<\/a>. It is becoming tiresome that folks seem to think Benedict is responsible for every utterance that comes from the mouth of every Catholic. Do we expect Obama to have to answer for Schumer? \u2014 10:30 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n The Itinerary is here<\/a><\/strong> and there is livestreaming here<\/a> or here<\/a> and Whispers in the Loggia\u2019s Rocco Palma<\/a> will be doing coverage and commentary each night at Currents<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Aerial shot of Benedict\u2019s crowd at Bellahouston Pk, Scotland(Via) Last night, after listening to me coo about the papal audience a friend of mine said, \u201cthat\u2019s so great; it\u2019s just too bad it couldn\u2019t be John Paul!\u201d She could hear the shock in my voice when I responded, \u201cbut why? I love Benedict!\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,26,44,251],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-benedict-in-uk","category-benedict-xvi","category-catholicism","category-the-fourth-estate"],"yoast_head":"\n![](\"https:\/\/i4.photobucket.com\/albums\/y125\/TheAnchoress\/ElizabethandBenedictMeetinScotland.jpg\")
\n(Video of the Pope and Queen Meeting<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nPolice say 100,000 people have turned out to see the Pope in Edinburgh. Sky News estimates there are 60 protesters.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n\u2014 10:48<\/strong><\/p>\n