The Papal visit of 2010, from an educational standpoint, can be reviewed by isolating nine key themes from Pope Benedict’s XVI speeches, homilies and addresses. These capture not only his essential message to the people of Scotland, and the United Kingdom, but are an attempt to summarise his theological vision for the Church at large.
These nine themes are cross referenced and supported with extracts from his other considerable corpus of writings, to indicate the continuity and profundity of his message as the “chief teacher“[1] of the Catholic Faith.
[1] Cardinal O’Brien’s Farewell Address to Pope Benedict XVI Oscott College, Sunday, 19 September 2010 5:20pm.
Key Themes
1. The Christian Heritage of Scotland and the British Isles
2. The Dangers of Secularism and Relativism
3. The Objectivity of Truth and Conscience
5. Vocation and Christian Discipleship
7. Holiness, Sainthood and the Life of Virtue