Arthur Roche: Papal progress that may lead us on path to a new awakening

Pope Benedict XVI, whose visit to Britain begins today, recalled this great period of renewal in one of his recent encyclical letters. I

suspect that he will re-propose to our country the truth of the spiritual patrimony to which those ruins now testify.

Despite all the antagonism to the papal visit that is being voiced at the moment, I have no doubt that many will be charmed by Pope Benedict. I have met him on a number of occasions, most recently earlier this year: he listens assiduously, he dialogues openly and he is unfailingly courteous.

He is an academic, of course, but he is one after the manner of the great Victorian theologian, Cardinal John Henry Newman, who spoke of the importance not only of imparting knowledge but also of exercising a good "personal influence". Cardinal Newman, whom Pope Benedict will beatify on Sunday, caused a public storm when he converted from the Anglicanism to Catholicism in 1845. At that time, there was a

widespread distrust of the Catholic Church in our country dating back to the period of the Reformation.

Vestiges of it still remain. I believe that the Pope's visit will help to remove some of this antipathy. As he recently said, the Catholic Church is not a "power group" aiming at self-aggrandisement but rather a community of people who simply wish to (indeed feel compelled to) share what they possess. I think that most sensible people accept that. From a Catholic point of view, I believe this visit will help us to recommit ourselves to the two interconnected tasks which the Pope has identified in his writings as being essential to the Church.

Firstly, he speaks of a "service of mission". Pope Benedict has called for a "new evangelisation" of western countries such as our own whose populations have fallen into religious indifference or, as he terms it, the "new paganism".

As we in this diocese have engaged in this process in recent years, new signs of growth have become evident: lots of local Catholics have participated in imaginative programmes which have given them greater knowledge of their faith and a confidence to speak convincingly about it; each Easter several thousand more people become Catholics throughout the county; the number of men offering themselves for the priesthood is on the increase.

Secondly, Pope Benedict writes of the Church's "service of charity". He argues that its message is only credible where Christians engage in practical efforts to care for the vulnerable. In the Diocese of Leeds, I am glad to report, there are many such initiatives, including the care of down and outs, prostitutes, prisoners, the homeless, asylum seekers, those with learning difficulties, the sick and the dying, the elderly, young people and children in schools, those with mental difficulties, the severely impaired and, up until recently, a good adoption service.

This is to name but a few. People of faith have an enormous

contribution to make to our society in this way.

I hope that the Pope's visit will inspire more Catholics to engage in local charitable work, not least through the great work which the St Vincent de Paul Society does in so many of our parishes.

It is important that we get out and about and resist the temptation of remaining a holy huddle. In this respect, I am interested to know more about the Conservative's idea of the "Big Society," whose principles seem to correspond in large part with Catholic social teaching.

The Catholic Church's relationship with the state will come under particular scrutiny tomorrow when the Pope stands in Westminster Hall at the same spot where St Thomas More stood when he was condemned to death for refusing to recognise King Henry VIII's second marriage.

That moment marked the beginning of the process which led to our country's break with Rome. I and my fellow bishops are very mindful that Her Majesty the Queen is paying Pope Benedict a great compliment by inviting him to address politicians from that spot. It is a mark of the progress which has taken place in ecumenism in recent years, not least here in Yorkshire where we church leaders meet regularly and try to work effectively together.

It is also, I believe, an indication that Her Majesty values the contributions which the Catholic Church makes in debates about public policy, in contrast to those who would prefer that the churches vacate the public square.

On Sunday afternoon, the Pope will stand in the chapel at Oscott College, Birmingham, where Cardinal Newman preached his famous "second spring" sermon in which he looked forward to the flourishing of the Church in England once again.

As the vacuity of life without God becomes more and more apparent in our society, I sense that this moment is coming. I feel very privileged to serve my Church and hence also my native county at a challenging moment in our history which is, nevertheless, a moment full of

opportunity for greater good.

The Right Reverend Arthur Roche is the Bishop of Leeds.