Welcoming the Pope
September 2010
The visit of Pope Benedict XVI in mid September will be a historic occasion. It is the first ever State Visit of a pope to this country. The visit has already stirred up a huge reaction and I am sure that that will continue until the pope has returned to Vatican City. My personal hope is that he will be warmly welcomed and I hope that Baptists will contribute to that welcome – and let me explain why.
I need to start with my childhood. The church which I attended from birth till I left home is a strong and vibrant Baptist church. It stands across the road from a large and busy Roman Catholic church. I don’t recall much being said about the “church across the road” but I certainly gained the impression that they believed something very different from us. It wasn’t until I reached my teens that I remember someone suggesting that it was theoretically possible for a Roman Catholic to be a Christian. This seemed a truly revolutionary thought, and was not one that had previously occurred to me.
In the 1970s and 1980s many Catholics were caught up in the charismatic movement, and it became clear that an increasing number of Catholics were reading their bibles. In my own local ministry I had superb fellowship with the Roman Catholic clergy, many of whom became good friends. I valued their spirituality and the careful way in which they approached their ministry and worship. In previous days Baptists had spent their time sheltering behind high walls, nervous about any engagement with Roman Catholics. But as I worked and prayed with Catholics I came to recognize the vitality of their faith and of my need to learn from them.
Interestingly, as I have got to know Catholics better and to learn more about the institution and official doctrines of the church, I have acquired more and more anxieties. I find their veneration of Mary a huge problem. I deeply object to any notion of Papal Infallibility. Celibacy for all clergy strikes me as not only unbiblical but also deeply unwise. The way in which women are prevented from joining the priesthood is agonizing. And I could go on ... for a long time! HOWEVER, I will allow none of these things to stand in the way of having fellowship with anyone who seeks to live under the Lordship of Christ, and I have no doubt at all that that describes Pope Benedict XVI ... just as it describes John, Anthea, Austin, Chris, Elizabeth, Declan, Cormac, Vincent and my other Catholic friends.
I recognize that some Baptists would want to keep away from Catholics and others with whom they disagree. I respect that view – but I find it sad. The Christian life is a journey in which we live in humility before God and others. My experience is that we have much to learn from Catholics and our Christian lives will be the poorer through standing at a distance. But also, in humility, I believe we have much to give to the Roman Catholic Church. Our 400 years of history have given us treasures that we need to be willing to share, and within a strong and trusting relationship with Catholics, we have every right to share our concerns with them in the hope that we can help them in their spiritual journey.
In this spirit I gladly welcome Pope Benedict XVI and I hope that his visit to this country will be a great blessing to him and to us all.
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