"On behalf of the Catholics of Wales, and of Wales itself, I am immensely privileged to offer you our most sincere sentiments of loving respect and deep appreciation of all that you do for the building of God’s Kingdom on earth."
Westminster Cathedral, Chapel of St Paul, Saturday, 18 September 2010
Your Holiness,
On behalf of the Catholics of Wales, and of Wales itself, I am immensely privileged to offer you our most sincere sentiments of loving respect and deep appreciation of all that you do for the building of God’s Kingdom on earth.
Our joy that you are here in Britain is tempered by our disappointment that you cannot visit Wales on this occasion. But that regret is itself a sign of our esteem for you and your ministry of love in truth, Caritas in Veritate.
We are delighted that you are reaching out to Wales by lighting the candle held by Our Lady of Cardigan as she presents to us her Son as the light of the world.
That light is reflected to us by all those who have lived open to God’s love, people who are represented by St. David, the Patron of Wales. In blessing this mosaic dedicated to St. David you remind modern Wales we must not forget the Christian values that formed this nation of Wales throughout its history.
Dad Sanctaidd, ar ran Catholigion Cymru, a Chymru ei hun, mae hi’n fraint arbennig iawn i mi allu cyflwyno i chi ein teimladau diffuant o barch cariadus, a gwerthfawrogiad dwys o’r hyn rydych chi’n ei gyflawni i adeiladu teyrnas Dduw ar y ddaear.
Mae ein llawenydd yn cael ei dymheru gan ein siom nad ydych yn gallu ymweld â Chymru y tro hwn. Ond mae’r siom hwnnw, ynddo’i hun, yn arwydd o’n hedmygedd ohonoch ac o’ch gweinidogaeth o gariad mewn gwirionedd, Caritas in Veritate.
Rydym yn falch iawn eich bod yn ymestyn tuag at Gymru trwy gynnau’r gannwyll a ddelir gan Ein Harglwyddes o Aberteifi wrth iddi gyflwyno’i Mab fel goleuni’r byd.
Mae’r goleuni hwnnw yn cael ei adlewyrchu atom gan bawb sydd wedi byw bywyd sy’n agored i gariad Duw, pobl a gynrychiolir gan Dewi Sant, Nawddsant ein gwlad. Wrth fendithio’r mosaig yma a gysegrir i Ddewi, rydych yn atgoffa Cymru heddiw na ddylem fyth anghofio’r gwerthoedd Cristnogol a ffurfiodd genedl y Cymry trwy gydol ei hanes.
[For the presentation of William Davies’ book]
I have great pleasure in presenting to Your Holiness a striking reminder of those who have gone before us. Blessed William Davies wrote a book of Catholic devotion called ‘Y Drych Cristionogawl’- ‘The Christian Mirror’, which was the first book published in Wales. The romantic story of its being printed in a cave on a remote seashore has entered the folklore of Wales, and it speaks to us of a people who loved the Catholic Faith, and were prepared to sacrifice all for the one thing necessary, the love of God in truth.
This facsimile printed this year of a book printed in 1588 calls us to the same witness as we see in the lives of Blessed William Davies and the other Welsh martyrs, Catholic and Protestant.
Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, welcomes Pope Benedict XVI in Westminster Cathedral.
On the steps of Westminster Cathedral, Pope Benedict greets over 2,500 young people in the piazza.
Mrs Fasky welcomes Pope Benedict XVI to St Peter's on behalf of the residents.
Benedict XVI speaks in Westminster Cathedral about the challenges facing the Church.
