Canterbury
Service in Canterbury Cathedral
10.30am, Saturday, 29 May 1982
Ecumenical relations formed a key part of the first Papal trip to Britain.
On Day Two, Pope John Paul travelled from the Nunciature in Wimbledon, where he had spent the night, to the heart of Kent to take part in a church service with the then Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Robert Runcie in Canterbury Cathedral.
As the two men entered side by side through the West Door, a spontaneous round of applause greeted them. After kneeling together in prayer at the Nave Alter, Dr Runcie summed up the sense of history surrounding the meeting:
“In the year 597, in the words of the English historian, the Venerable Bede, Your Holiness's great predecessor Gregory, 'prompted by divine inspiration, sent a servant of God named Augustine and several more God-fearing monks with him to preach the word of God to the English race.”
“Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury, and I rejoice that the successors of Gregory and Augustine stand here today in the church which is built on their partnership in the Gospel.”
Pope John Paul II focused on unity and called on the congregation to renew their baptismal vows together:
“We intend to perform this ritual, which we share in common as Anglicans and Catholics, as a clear testimony to the one sacrament of Baptism by which we have been joined to Christ. At the same time we are humbly mindful that the faith of the Church to which we appeal is not without the marks of our separation.”
“Encouraged by the witness of so many who have professed their faith in Jesus Christ through the centuries - often at the cost of their own lives - I appeal to you in this holy place, all my fellow Christians, and especially the members of the Church of England and the members of the Anglican Communion throughout the world, to accept the commitment to which Archbishop Runcie and I pledge ourselves anew before you today.”
Peter Jennings, author of The Pope in Britain, witnessed the service:
“I think it was a hugely important step because here was the successor of St Peter coming to Britain really bridging a gap since the 400 years or more of the Reformation.”
“I think that was one of the things that struck me very forcibly, particularly when Pope John Paul II walked into Canterbury Cathedral side by side with Archbishop Robert Runcie. I was sitting there and we all stood up and the great West Door opened and as they walked in there was a spontaneous applause which was fantastic a great welcome for Pope John Paul.”
Click here for Peter Jennings on the Canterbury Cathedral service
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