Should the Pope go to England?

A friend asked me this question this morning. Some one had asked her, based on this article by Bill Donohue of the Catholic League.
Here's what I think. Please remember, I am totally inadequate to armchair quarterback the Vatican. Bill Donohue probably is, too. (Since neither one of us has been elected Supreme Pontiff...)

From St John's Gospel:

"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."

"He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." (Jesus) said to him, "Feed my sheep.  Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."

He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me.""

 

From St. Luke:

"All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way."

 

I think he should go - I think he will go unless the Lord intervenes. Jesus would go. From those who know him personally, he is a very humble, holy and gentle man. Like the Lord. But I do wonder if he doesn't kneel in front of the Lord and say "I am an old man, Lord, I have done all you have asked. Fiat voluntas tua." I bet he's shed some tears for those of us in the world who have turned away. That these persons are so adamant is a manifestation that the Holy Father is indeed Holy.

 

Pray for our Papa. We may be at one of those terrible crossroads in history and he may be the most visible casualty.

The Queen will not arrest the Pope - good heavens, can you imagine!? But the barbarians may be at the gate and they will demonstrate and fuss and carry on. The children of Moloch demand a blood offering, it seems, and so in His wisdom, we may see things we cannot imagine and be asked to do things we think we cannot do.

 

We may be called to live this:

"Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."

 

It is awful. Just awful. That guy running Iran is not so badly treated. Mankind is merely passing through one of its phases of lunacy (brought on, no doubt, by the climatic changes we have caused) and we have the good or ill fortune to witness it. We can do so actively by praying and proclaiming the Good News anyway, by being salt and light, by loving those who hate us and blessing those who curse us.