From the editor’s desk

Living stream in a dry land

John Henry Newman’s motto “Heart speaks unto heart” is emerging as the unifying idea of Pope Benedict XVI’s state visit to Great Britain in September. If that helps it to succeed, the Catholic community will have Newman to thank, which is as it should be. Pope Benedict has always been fascinated by him. The chance to preside over his beatifi­cation ceremony in person in Newman’s native landscape was enough to sweep precedents aside – Pope Benedict does not usually conduct beatifications. It would not be surprising, however, if he were daunted by the challenge. Britain in particular has a reputation as the most secular society in Europe, despite census figures showing that more than three-quarters of its citizens identify themselves as having religious belief. But the Pope will not be content to address just the practising Catholics. Indeed, it is in the very nature of a state visit that he should engage with the population at large.

He should not assume people’s apathy or indifference. Part of what secular British society has lost touch with is its own past, including that part of British history – the major part – when Britain was Catholic. Some may also be said to be in the process of losing touch with their own souls, with that part of themselves which is an image of their Creator. This is an unhealthy condition to be in, so in a sense the Pope comes as a healer. One thing he can certainly try to heal is the perception in the public square of religious faith as a “problem”. Faith in God is not a problem to be solved but a gift to be discovered. He can offer an invitation to look again to those who have drifted from faith, including the five million self-defined Catholics who do not go to Mass, and the equally large numbers who have lost touch with the Church of England or one of the other Churches. He can offer an invitation to look afresh to the much greater number, possibly 80 per cent of the population, who are ignorant of most of the essentials of the Christian faith. They are easy prey to those who want the image of Christianity to be purely negative, defined by what it is against or by the mistakes made in its name.

For all the pomp that will be on display during the visit, the Catholic Church is not the real message, nor is the Pope. The message is Jesus Christ whose life and teachings have been an endless source of fascination and inspiration to innumerable British generations. He is still instantly accessible to ordinary people of every persuasion. It would be Newman’s devout wish that a papal visit should make Christ known again. Few are better equipped than Pope Benedict to achieve that: his emphasis is always on the relational and the personal, the concerns that are the very stuff of ordinary lives. Christ lies hidden in every relationship, every person, waiting to be discovered. He is there before the Pope comes and will be there when he leaves. The innateness of God’s presence means that half the work is done before the Pope begins to speak. And that is why the papal visit is in no way destined to fail in its primary purpose – to fan the embers of faith in a tinder-dry landscape.