These are extraordinary days for the Catholic Church, for the faithful and for the world. “Historic” is an overused word, mostly misused to describe contemporary events. These days provide an invaluable and grace-filled opportunity to learn from this great Pope whose teaching will reverberate in the world for many years to come.
This should be a time of prayer, in thanksgiving for a Pope who has, indeed been “a simple and humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord”. We thank God for the guidance which this Papacy has offered the Church. We pray also that the Holy Spirit will guide the election of a worthy successor who will continue to guide the faithful and be a source of wisdom for all people.
Let us pray
Almighty ever-living God,
who has given your faithful servant Benedict
grace to maintain his faith and hope in you
amid the labours of his apostolic ministry;
graciously bestow upon him, we pray,
the consolations of your Holy Spirit
and uphold him in serenity of life.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Looking back
This will be an appropriate time to review the visit of Pope Benedict to the UK in September 2010. To reflect on some of his words, to view videos of the visit and to learn more about this Pope and his teaching, click here to find many resources on our website: Papal Visit to the UK. In particular, this time should encourage us to review the legacy of the Pope Benedict XVI for Education. Following his UK visit in September 2010, SCES published “Strive To Be Worthy” as a legacy document which recorded how the main themes of his addresses to the Catholic community and beyond were being, and would be, addressed in schools and by the Church. To review this document, click here.
Some articles on the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI
Looking forward
The Caritas Award was established by the Church as part of Scotland’s legacy from the 2010 UK Papal Visit. It is inspired by Pope Benedict XVI’s teaching on the nature of God as love – “Caritas”. It has caught the imagination of many hundreds of young people and has encouraged their continuing engagement with the Church, through prayerful action. Even in its second year of operation, it is clear that it offers great hope for the future. Some early work is also underway to plan a Junior Caritas Award for pupils in the upper stages of Primary school.
This year’s Caritas Award Ceremony, taking place in the Clyde Auditorium Glasgow on Sunday 2nd June 2013, promises to be a particularly poignant event which will provide an excellent opportunity to reflect further on, and to give thanks for, the achievements of this Papacy.
It is expected that the Cardinals will soon gather in Conclave and elect a successor before Easter. Media coverage of these events will be extensive and will provide opportunities for learning more about the Church, for reflecting on the role of the Papacy and for praying for a new Holy Father.
Resources
In addition to the materials provided on the UK Papal Visit, the attachments below provide free resources which are relevant.
- CONCLAVE: a step by step guide through the Papal Interregnum, available free from CTS, is written by Scotland’s own Monsignor Charles Burns, Ecclesiastical Adviser at the British Embassy to the Holy See. It is an easily accessible explanation of what will happen, when and why.
- How is a new pope chosen?, available free from Sadlier, is an explanation of Papal elections, written in child-friendly language as a way to explain the process of electing a new pope. It could be distributed to older children as a discussion guide, or used as a resource for explaining the process to younger children.