LONDON, SEPT. 20, 2010 (Zenit.org).- As many as half a million people were personally with Benedict XVI during his four-day trip to the United Kingdom. But twice that number of liturgy booklets distributed around the nations ensured that even those who couldn’t see the Pope firsthand were still able to pray with him.
The monthly missalette Magnificat, which has subscribers around the world, cooperated with U.K. bishops’ conferences in producing a booklet to help the faithful follow all the papal liturgies, as well as put the main themes of the visit in context.
Forewords were prepared by the archbishops of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland; and Westminster; as well as by Lord Patten, the government representative to prepare the trip; and Archbishop Rowan Williams, the leader of the Anglican Communion.
As is customary for the Magnificat booklets, various spiritual reflections gave insight into themes such as the relationship between the Scottish government and religion, the importance of Mass, and meditations on the saints.
Romain Lize, assistant director of Magnificat, told ZENIT that the initiative took place because «it was very important for the episcopal conferences of Great Britain to associate the greatest possible number of persons with this historic visit, particularly those who could not travel.»
«Magnificat has been present for several years in Great Britain, so it was natural for it to invest in the preparation of the Pope’s visit both financially and spiritually,» he said. «This visit was an opportunity to make the booklet available to the faithful in a completely British version, with the appropriate liturgical calendar and biblical translation.»
Lize added that the missal’s distribution in Great Britain reflects a «determination to support the English Catholic community and to encourage the ‘second spring’ desired by Cardinal John Henry Newman, beatified on Sunday.»
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On the Net:
PDF of the Magnificat papal visit edition: www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/content/download/9844/63860/file/UK-Magnifcat.pdf
More information: www.magnificat.com/
