Pope John Paul II.org.uk - Celebrating the Pope's visit to Britain in 1982

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28 May 1982: Pope John Paul II becomes first pontiff to visit Britain

On the morning of 28 May 1982, his Alitalia 727 aircraft touched down at London Gatwick airport. Minutes after landing, the Holy Father knelt to kiss the tarmac.

What followed was an historic and demanding six-day tour of England, Wales and Scotland that remains the first and last time a Pope has visited the United Kingdom.

Historic		It was a trip that almost didn’t take place. Political tension was rife at the time, with Britain engaged in the Falklands conflict with Argentina. More >

Sacraments		The Papal Visit of ’82 was based around the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. More >

Click on the map above to re-live the
events that shaped Pope John Paul II’s
tour of Britain.

Pope John Paul II’s Pastoral
Visit to Britain
28 May 1982 – 2 June 1982

Gatwick
Westminster
Buckingham Palace
Southwark
The Apostolic Nunciature
Roehampton
Canterbury
Wembley
Crystal Palace
Coventry
Liverpool
Manchester
York
Cardiff

When in London the Pope stayed at the Apostolic Nunciature - the residence of the Pope’s ‘ambassador’ to Britain.
More >

This site
This microsite, produced by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, will take you back a quarter of a century to a visit that will long stay in the memories of millions of British Catholics.

Pope John Paul II – an audio tribute

Note: The music track used for this montage is “The Lord is With Thee” by Boyce and Stanley. It comes from an instrumental album of piano meditations called “Every Secret Longing”. For more info visit: http://www.cjmmusic.co.uk/