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ENGLAND: Pope to meet archbishop of Canterbury, join ecumenical service at Westminster Abbey
The four-day visit will begin in Scotland on Sept. 16 when the pope will meet Queen Elizabeth II at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh and celebrate Mass at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow.
On Sept. 17, the pope will visit Williams at Lambeth Palace, the archbishop's London residence and office, before attending a 6:15 p.m. service of Evening Prayer at Westminster Abbey.
Williams and the pope will be joined at the service by Archbishop of York John Sentamu and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols, together with church leaders from many denominations and an invitation-only congregation of more than 2,000 people.
Upon arrival at the abbey, the pope will be greeted by the Very Rev. John Hall, dean of Westminster, who will escort him to the Grave of the Unknown Warrior in the nave, where Benedict will pray for peace.
During the service, the pope and Williams will each give an address, and they will both pray at the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor and give a joint blessing from the high altar. The service will be televised live by the BBC.
Other engagements will include a Sept. 18 meeting with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and opposition leader Harriet Harman, and a prayer vigil in London's Hyde Park.
Benedict also will preside at a Sept. 19 beatification ceremony in Birmingham for Cardinal John Henry Newman, a 19th century Anglican priest who converted to Roman Catholicism and became a priest, cardinal and poet. The Episcopal Church's 76th General Convention, which met in 2009, added what is known as a "trial use" commemoration of Newman (on his Feb. 21 birthday) to the church calendar for the next three years.
The Rev. Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said during an interview with Vatican Radio that the schedule for the papal visit is "a very rich, intense, and articulate program."
Lombardi called particular attention to the pope's meeting with Williams. "We … know that it is a delicate moment for Anglicanism, because of internal debates," he said. "It is also a delicate time in relations with the Catholic church, because these debates also reflect on the relationship between Anglicans and Catholics."
In November 2009, the Vatican outlined provisions to accept groups of former Anglicans who wish to join the Roman Catholic Church.
Lombardi also described as "very significant" meetings between the pope and members of the Church of England, which recently backed legislation that paves the way for women to become bishops. The Roman Catholic Church, which does not support women's ordination, has been critical of the Church of England's recent decision.
Williams' press office said that the archbishop was not planning to say anything about Benedict's visit at this time.
The pope's visit came under fire in July when it was revealed that the four-day event would cost U.K. taxpayers £12 million ($18.6 million), £4 million ($6.2 million) more than had initially been estimated. More recent estimates have revealed the visit may actually cost in excess of £20 million ($31 million).
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