Tuesday 21 September 2010

Lord Patten: the lessons

The PM's personal representative for the visit, writing in the Mirror:
There is a secular culture and consumerism sometimes seems king but, for many people, faith is what helps them through the day.

One sign of the Pope's relevance is the numbers who turned out to greet him, not just at the events but from Edinburgh to Glasgow, and in London, the roads were lined with people who wanted to cheer him.
[snip]
I hope the visit will make us think deeper about the sort of society we live in and want to live in. I hope it will make us think more about our social responsibilities. I hope it will make us realise we need a serious dialogue between religious and secular groups.
I hope it will give people of all faiths more self confidence to stand up for themselves and to make the point that faith matters to society.