London, England, Mar 16, 2010 / 11:51 am
Following Queen Elizabeth II's formal announcement on Tuesday of the Pope's Sept. 16-19 visit to the U.K., numerous Church and political leaders responded with a warm and sincere welcome of the Holy Father. One Scottish archbishop expected Pope Benedict to remind Europe of its Christian roots, while another hoped to see a boost in ecumenical relations.
“This is an historic visit at an important time. The Pope will receive a very warm welcome from Catholics and people of all faiths,” said Rt. Hon. Jim Murphy, the Secretary of State for Scotland, who is the Government Minister leading preparations for the visit.
“As well as providing spiritual leadership to over a billion Catholics around the world, including six million in the UK, the Pope and the Holy See have great influence on global policy in areas such as international development, sustainability and the relationships between religions,” Murphy noted.
Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh and President of the Catholics Bishops’ Conference of Scotland echoed Mr. Murphy, saying, “I am thrilled that the Pope has accepted the UK Government's gracious invitation and I am sure he will receive a heartfelt welcome from Catholics as well as members of other faiths and people of goodwill.”