Wembley Stadium
The first Mass of Pentecost - Renewal of Baptismal Promises
4pm, Saturday, 29 May 1982

The twin towers of Wembley Stadium are no more, replaced instead by an enormous 133m arch punctuating the skyline of north west London.

The ‘old’ stadium will go down in history as a venue where footballing dreams were both made and shattered but it will also be remembered as a place of historic firsts. It was the stadium where England won its first and only World Cup in 1966 and the setting for the first open-air Mass of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Britain.

The Holy Father celebrated the first Mass of Pentecost in the presence of 80,000 people. The Archbishop of Westminster, then Cardinal Basil Hume, observed Wembley had been turned into a massive parish church for the occasion.

During his homily, the Pope said: "As I look at this great assembly I am full of respect for each of you. You are God's sons and daughters; he loves you. I believe in you. I believe in all mankind. I believe in the unique dignity of every human being. I believe that each individual has a value that can never be ignored or taken away.”

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