Southwark
Anointing the Sick at St George’s Cathedral
3.30pm,Friday, 28 May 1982

Having enjoyed a short meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, Pope John Paul travelled across London to St George’s Cathedral, Southwark.

Here he lead a moving service and anointed the sick, spending a great deal of time speaking to and blessing the congregation – many of whom were on stretchers or in wheelchairs. The cathedral was transformed into what looked like a huge hospital ward.

Pope John Paul II said: "I want you to know how I have looked forward to this meeting with you, especially with those of you who are sick, disabled or infirm. I myself have had a share in suffering and I have known the physical weakness that comes with injury and sickness.”

Mgr Patrick Keaveny helped organise the Southwark leg of the papal visit:

“That day [the Pope] had the reception at Gatwick Airport, the Mass at Westminster Cathedral, then he came to St George’s for the sick then I think he was due to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Despite all that he seemed to have all the time in the world – the whole time he was never in a hurry, which was incredible. When he was speaking to the sick his whole attention was focussed on them.”

Click here to listen to Mgr Patrick on the anointing of the sick at St George’s, Southwark

Peter Jennings was allowed to follow the papal party for his book: The Pope in Britain:

“I was walking round just a few yards from the Pope as he ministered to the sick, and that of course was powerful because the year before in 1981 was the assassination attempt on his life when he was very seriously injured in St Peter’s square by the Turkish gun man,” says Peter. “He’d got a great empathy with sick people – you could feel the fact that he was very close to the people who were suffering, and you could see that just by the way he was walking around, stopping and talking to people and blessing people.”

Click here for Peter Jennings on the Southwark service

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