Friday, September 17, 2010

And great goodwill...

...at Westminster Abbey. I was outside, and hearing the glorious bells ring out, and with people milling about, with goodwill and joy everywhere, it made the heart rejoice.

The BBC wanted to talk to me about women priests, and kept saying "But aren't the Anglican and Catholic churches further apart than ever?" I said NO, emphatically not. There is greater goodwill now than ever before: it is a tragedy that the C. of E. opted for women priests, but it doesn't mean that any doors are closed, and the goodwill continues. Don't know how all that will sound on TV...

I have found a good report on the service in the Abbey here. And you can read the POpe's speech here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

hello joanna well done on many counts and i thought you came over well on the telly. Keep up the good work and God bless our lovely pope - Michael - Harrogate

Dawn said...

Thanks Joanna, for your "boots on the ground" reporting.

I am not trusting any of the spin the media here in the USA are putting on this.

They seem to HAVE to use it as an occasion to remind everyone (like anyone needs reminding) of the horrid and very real situation l of the sex abuse scandal.

Yes. We all get this. We all know this. No one is excusing this.

So I very much appreciate your "boots on the ground" reporting.

EWTN and Raymond Arroyo have been doing a great job. As an American with little knowledge of UK and in general Western Civilization history, I have so enjoy the brief education that they have been providing.

It makes me want to visit Westminster Abbey in a very real way and visit the tombs of so many historical figures and slip back into history that surrounds it.

Thank you for taking the time and keeping us in the loop. I have no doubt that there is so much that is personally happening to you now, that taking the time to blog may not be up top on your "priority" list.

Thank you for taking the time. :)

Patricius said...

I thought you came across very well. Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

so far, so wonderful... all those prayers, the ACN prayer campaign, are showing much fruit: "how good it is to be here".

To be conscious that our Holy Father is on the same island as I am, and teaching the people here, encouraging them and giving us all new heart... what total joy!

I'll be at Cofton Park tomorrow, under the promised rainy skies. Nothing will dampen my great joy in these past few days. Viva il Papa!!!
Clare A - Camberley

Dilly said...

I also saw you, and thought you came across brilliantly.

Mortamor said...

Thanks Joanna for all the positive and uplifting reports.
In the States all we seem to hear about are the 6,000 who protested against Pope Benedict with inflated condoms and lewd poster boards (which were reported in a positive light - I guess being vulgar is acceptable if you are in protest of the Catholic Church). Isn't it amazing - in the US at least - that they are so studious as to count 6,000 instead of "rounding to 5,000" while when Christians gather the numbers are often stated as non-numbers "a few hundred" or "a few thousand gathered" with the negative added "a much smaller crowd than expected with the majority being elderly" when tens of thousands gather! Always in a negative light ... very telling indeed. It reminds me of the stories my mother told me of when Pope JP II was in Poland. The regime controlled television never showed images of the huge mass of peoples gathered. They only showed close-up images of the Pope and photos of the elderly as if no youth participated. Amazing how similar the images are here in the states in 2010.