THE CATHOLIC Church had “dropped its guard” about the danger posed by paedophilic priests and has “not been vigilant enough” on the issue of child abuse, Pope Benedict XVI said on the opening day of his historic state visit to the United Kingdom, which attracted larger-than-expected crowds in Scotland and will continue in London today.
The pontiff also warned the UK as it strove to be a modern and multicultural society to maintain “its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate”.
During his flight to Edinburgh, where he was greeted by Queen Elizabeth, the pope told journalists that the revelations about child abuse “were a shock to me”, saying it was difficult to understand how such actions could be possible.
The church authorities had not acted quickly or firmly enough, said the pope, who was responsible for the conduct of priests during his time as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith in the Vatican before he succeeded John Paul II to the papacy.
Pope Benedict is expected to meet some victims of clerical child abuse, but so far no details have been released. Leading campaigners who have demanded greater openness from the Catholic Church have not been approached to meet him, it appears.
In his opening speech, the pope focused on the increased secularisation of British society that has taken place since John Paul II’s six-day 1982 visit. Echoing controversial remarks made by Cardinal Walter Kasper on the eve of the visit, Pope Benedict, speaking in Holyrood Palace, said he noted the UK strove to be a modern, multicultural society, but he prayed it would always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate”.
Paying tribute to the UK’s strong Christian heritage, he said it had stood against godless tyranny in the second World War and played a pivotal role in ensuring postwar peace and prosperity in Europe.
Later at Mass in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, attended by an estimated 70,000 people, he spoke of a brighter future for Scotland “based upon our common Christian heritage”, though he warned against those who would “exclude religious belief from public discourse”.
The Nazi tyranny had denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live, he said, before he reflected on the “sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the 20th century”.
“Let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion, virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated version of man and society,” said Pope Benedict, who was later greeted by up to 100,000 people on the streets of Edinburgh as he left Holyrood Palace.
Welcoming the pope, Queen Elizabeth spoke of her gratitude at being received four times at the Vatican during her reign, and she said the UK deeply appreciated the involvement of the Holy See in the “dramatic improvement in the situation” in Northern Ireland.
Pope Benedict paid tribute to the British and Irish governments for helping to bring peace to Northern Ireland and encouraged everyone there “to walk courageously together” on the path to lasting peace.
Today, the pope will speak to 3,000 schoolchildren and students in Twickenham, near London, before holding a discussion on the theme of religion and belief in society with religious leaders and people of faith.
Later in the day, he is scheduled to meet Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, at Lambeth Palace, along with Catholic and Anglican bishops from England and Wales.