Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 639

mankind. For such cooperation to be possible, religious bodies - including

institutions linked to the Catholic Church - need to be free to act in accor-

dance with their own principles and specific convictions based upon the faith

and the official teaching of the Church. In this way, such basic rights as

religious freedom, freedom of conscience and freedom of association are guar-

anteed. The angels looking down on us from the magnificent ceiling of this

ancient Hall remind us of the long tradition from which British Parliamen-

tary democracy has evolved. They remind us that God is constantly watching

over us to guide and protect us. And they summon us to acknowledge the

vital contribution that religious belief has made and can continue to make to

the life of the nation.

Mr Speaker, I thank you once again for this opportunity briefly to address

this distinguished audience. Let me assure you and the Lord Speaker of my

continued good wishes and prayers for you and for the fruitful work of both

Houses of this ancient Parliament. Thank you and God bless you all!

VI

Iter Apostolicum Summi Pontificis in Regnum Unitum: Londinii, in Vesperarum

celebratione apud Abbatiam Vestmonasteriensem.*

Dear friends in Christ,

I thank the Lord for this opportunity to join you, the representatives of

the Christian confessions present in Great Britain, in this magnificent Abbey

Church dedicated to Saint Peter, whose architecture and history speak so

eloquently of our common heritage of faith. Here we cannot help but be

reminded of how greatly the Christian faith shaped the unity and culture

of Europe and the heart and spirit of the English people. Here too, we are

forcibly reminded that what we share, in Christ, is greater than what

continues to divide us.

I am grateful to His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury for his kind

greeting, and to the Dean and Chapter of this venerable Abbey for their

cordial welcome. I thank the Lord for allowing me, as the Successor of Saint

Peter in the See of Rome, to make this pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint

* Die 17 Septembris 2010.