POPE BENEDICT XVI IN THE U.K. : A FIRST STATE VISIT BY A POPE TO ENGLAND..........

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, arrived in Scotland Thursday at the start of a first ever, Papal State Visit to the United Kingdom. The Pope was very warmly greeted, by the much smaller crowds than were expected, on the first day of this unprecedented visit in the four and a half centuries, since the Protestant Reformation, and King Henry VIII 's breaking with the Roman Catholic Church and the establishment of the Church of England, Anglicanism -  in the 16th Century.  Queen Elizabeth II, was in Scotland to greet and meet Pope Benedict XVI, as were a concerted group of protesters, objecting to the Pope's presence in Great Britain, in regards to the sexual abuse scandals.  Northern Ireland's infamous Protestant leader Dr. Ian Paisley, also opposes the Papal visit on the grounds that it should not be a State Visit, near he said should Pope Benedict be treated as a king,  I call that, "Paisley, being Paisley", as his anti-Catholicism through the decades has been legion.  During these four days, Benedict XVI will appear in London, (Westminister) and meet ecumenically, with the Primate of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, as well as with the Catholic Archbishop of Westminister.  In addition to celebrating Masses and presiding over a Prayer Vigil Saturday night, the crescendo moments of this pastoral visitation will be the Beatification ceremonies on Sunday of 19TH Century theologian, John Henry Newman, who although an Anglican for much of his life and ministry, converted to Catholicism and became one of the leading theological lights of the Church in this epoch of Christian History.  Gauging from the initial responses, it looks like it will be an orderly, if not somewhat contentious few days, but that more good than bad will result.  As Pope Benedict, who made his most profuse apology to date, on the flight to Britain, is expected to further address the wrongness of the abuse and continue to heal the wounds the sexual abuse of children by the clergy, so greviously inflicted.  At the first Mass the Pope celebrated yesterday, the person currently considered Scotland's most famous Catholic, singer Susan Boyle, who catapulted to stardom last year on the "Britain's Got Talent" show, sang at the Mass, and was cheered by the tens of  thousands present, casting a bright light of happiness on the start of this Papal pilgrimage..........In The Spirit of Pastoral Evangelization And Ecumenism In Preparation For An English Beatification,   Fr.  Troy