We Welcome His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI is visiting the United Kingdom in 2010.

People throughout the West Country are delighted with the news of the Holy Father's historic visit and anticipate the great excitement that will build as we near September.  Father Michael McAndrew the Clifton Diocese Papal Visit Coordinator is helping local Catholics find out how they can be involved in the Pope's public celebrations. 

During the Ad Limina, in an address to the bishops of England and Wales, the Holy Father confirmed the plans to visit to the UK.

The dates of the visit have been confirmed as Thursday 16 September to Sunday 19 September.  The place for the most up to date information about the forthcoming papal visit to the UK is official website thepapalvisit.org.uk.

The Holy Father will arrive in Scotland.  He will visit London and Birmingham. 

cliftondiocese.com brought you Bishop Declan's reaction to the unique news, more local reaction in a special podcast, the Papal visit preparation prayer, Vatican Radio's report, as well as a video message from the Archbishop of Westminster, Most Reverend Vincent Nichols.  The official website thepapalvisit.org.uk is proving popular already.  Father Robert King spoke about how useful it is.

A video message from the coordinator of the visit is also available together with the announcement press conference in full. Your opportunity to pray for and support the visit came on Pentecost Sunday.  The generosity of local Catholics was thanked by Father Michael McAndrew and Bishop Declan.

With the prospect of this apostolic journey cliftondiocese.com is looking for your memories and photographs of the last papal visit back in 1982. Tell your story by emailing us and share your thoughts and experiences of the momentous occasion in 1982 as we look forward to welcoming the Holy Father to the UK.

The first in a series of weekly audio updates has been published online.  The audio updates come direct from the desk of Monsignor Andrew Summersgill the Papal Visit Coordinator giving you the opportunity to hear the latest on the papal visit direct from the person who’s in the know.  The second and third audio updates came in May.  In June we heard the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth update.

Further updates were published on 14 July and our own Papal Visit Coordinator Father Michael McAndrew featured on 22 July. The next updates came on 28 July, 3 August, 11 August, 20 August and 28 August.

cliftondiocese.com brought you news of the vision Archbishop Vincent Nichols has for the papal visit.  The President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, enthusiastically discussed September's papal visit.  Our report about that is still online. 

Archbishop Nicols spoke together with Lord Patten confirming more details about the itinerary of the Holy Father’s historic visit in early July.

Father Michael McAndrew took up the important role of Clifton Diocese Papal Visit Coordinator on 25 May.  Father Michael will be ensuring the people making up the Catholic Church in the West of England have the latest news about the Holy Father’s historic visit. Father Michael will feature regularly on cliftondiocese.com where he will pass on all the latest information about the papal visit as soon as he can.  Father Michael's initial focus has been towards our young people.

Father Michael has already spoken with all our parish priests to organise young local people's involvement in the Holy Father's open-air prayer vigil in central London on Saturday 18 September.

Father Michael's been looking forward to the 'The Big School Assembly' led by the Pope on Friday 17 September.  He has been in touch with all our schools letting them know about this unique occasion and giving them details about how local Catholic children can be part of around 3,000 young people celebrating Catholic education at St Mary's University College, Twickenham.

Further details of the Holy Father's schedule are listed on the itinerary page of thepapalvisit.org.uk, where you can listen to Archbishop Vincent Nichols and Monsignor Andrew Summersgill discuss the itinerary.

Local media are showing a keen interest in the special visit, publishing online reports.  There's also been international coverage.

Thanks to the Home Mission Advisor of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, every parish in our diocese received a booklet which has been created to support local preparations for the Holy Father’ historic visit.

'The Pope in the UK booklet' was launched by Archbishop Vincent Nichols in June.  Young Gloucestershire people's excitement about the papal visit was in the news with a story about the Pope and his 'Big Assembly'.  Local young Catholics began to make 'joyful noise' about the papal visit.  

We heard about young local Catholics leading the way in a podcast with our Youth Ministry Coordinator Dave Wheat’s podcast.  Dave then reported on the two meetings for us.

The first e-alert from the offical papal visit website thepapalvisit.org.uk hit inboxes in July.

The Clifton Diocese Papal Visit Coordinator Father Michael McAndrew has been busy writing to all our local MPs, council leaders and local media letting them know about the growing excitement ahead the papal visit. 

cliftondiocese.com’s young papal visit reporter brought us his first papal podcast.  Gerard Owen was talking with Cathedral parishioners about their memories of the 1982 papal visit and their excitement for this visit. Gerard's also been talking about the visit with fellow altar server Alice O'Neill.

Special preparations are taking place in parishes around our diocese.  Stroud, Patchway and Churchdown parishes have been planning ahead for the papal visit.  Gloucester's St Peter's High School has also been busy.  Preparations for young pilgrims increased in August when we also brought you a podcast update.

An evening of prayers on the eve of the papal visit was announced in August.  Award-winning TV documentary maker Mark Dowd will share with us how he’s grown in his understanding of the Holy Father’s vision for our world during a special event in Bath. 

To celebrate the arrival of the Holy Father to the United Kingdom, and to help give us new insights into the ministry of Pope Benedict XVI, we’ve created a new photographic exhibition that’ll go on show at important papal visit events.

The Bristol Evening Post featured our preparations for welcoming the Holy Father. 

In August a new publication in preparation for the visit was published.

You’re invited to celebrate together.  Watch the Holy Father beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman live on a big screen at the Cathedral on Sunday 19 September.

Special contact details for the Clifton Diocese Papal Visit Coordinator have been set up. 

The phone number is 0117 317 9993. 

The email is papalvisit@cliftondiocese.com. 

The postal address is St Ambrose, North Road, Leigh Woods, Bristol BS8 3PW.

Important information about how we can take part in the papal visit was distributed in July.

Father Michael's regular cliftondiocese.com podcast updates:
Friday 28 May
Wednesday 2 June
Thursday 10 June
Wednesday 16 June
Friday 18 June
Friday 25 June
Thursday 8 July
Wednesday 21 July
Friday 23 July
Saturday 24 July
Monday 26 July

Our series of podcasts introducing us to Cardinal John Henry Newman ran throughout August on cliftondiocese.com.  We heard from local Newman scholars who’ll give us an insight into life of the man Pope Benedict XVI will beatify here in England.  All the episodes are still online:
The Life of Newman
The Life of Newman - The Discussion
Newman’s Importance Today
Newman’s Importance Today - The Discussion
Newman and Education
Newman and Education - The Discussion
Newman and Laity
Newman and Laity - The Discussion

As August came to a close it was time for us to focus clearly on the forthcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI.  Our podcast series takes you to the places where Cardinal John Henry Newman lived, preached, and where he’ll beatified by the Holy Father.  All episodes of 'In the Footsteps of Newman' are still online:
Maryvale
Oscott College
Newman's room
The Oratory
Cofton Park

Another of our podcast series saw Father Michael McAndrew visiting local people preparing for the papal visit.  All episodes of 'Father Michael Meets' are still online:
Father Richard McKay
The Connors family
Hugh Greenhalf
Bernice Pascal
Oisin Hawes

Bath priest Father Peter Cornwell presented a podcast series on Cardinal John Henry Newman for cliftondiocese.com.  Father Peter has a particular insight into Cardinal Newman as he’s a former Vicar of Newman’s old church in Oxford - the University Church of St Mary the Virgin.  All the podcasts are still online:
Getting to Know Newman
Newman the Pastor
Battered Newman
To Live is to Change - Newman the Thinker
Journey’s End

The official website thepapalvisit.org.uk is the best place to find out the most up-to-date information in the build up to the special time in the life of the Church in our countries.  The top quality website will also provide full coverage during the visit - a great place for you to follow the visit virtually if you are unable to be at any of the large public papal events.

You can also make your donation towards the visit at the official website.  It's simple, secure and direct.