Sep 12, 2010 / 06:58 am
The Holy Father asked the faithful to accompany him on his trip to Great Britain next week by way of prayers. Referring to the focal point of the trip, Cardinal John Henry Newman, he said that the 19th-century prelate continues to be a "source of inspiration" to the contemporary world and Christian unity.
Prior to the recitation of the Marian prayer at noon on Sunday, the Holy Father concluded his catechesis on the prodigal son by noting that he will be proclaiming Cardinal Newman a "blessed" next week. He said, "I ask all of you to accompany me in prayer on this Apostolic Trip."
Just minutes later, in his French-language greeting after the Angelus, he repeated his petition for prayers and said that he is "delighted" to be going to the U.K.
Speaking of the figure of John Henry Newman, he explained that the soon-to-be blessed's "personality and teaching can be a source of inspiration for our age and for ecumenism" that everyone can draw from.