In a message sent to mark the one-year anniversary of Pope Benedict’s visit to England and Scotland, Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, looked back with “abiding gratitude” on a visit that was “a great gift for all the Christian communities of the United Kingdom, affirming their role in society and strengthening their resolve to serve the communities of this country.”
Dr Williams also highlighted the strength of Christian witness in the UK:
“Perhaps most importantly of all, those days last September visibly reminded the public at large that Christian discipleship is not the concern of some tiny ageing minority but a reality enthusiastically embraced by millions of all ages and races. Pope Benedict showed us all something of what the particular vocation of the See of Rome means in practice – a witness to the universal scope of the Gospel.”