Saturday, September 18, 2010

Prayers... and Protests: Into the Home Stretch

Now that you're up to speed on the texts, within the hour the Pope will be traveling to a home for the elderly operated by the church's unparalleled caretakers, the Little Sisters of the Poor; that stop begins at 5pm UK time (Noon ET).

From there, B16 heads to his last event in London: the climactic vigil at Hyde Park with an eye to tomorrow's beatification of John Henry Newman in Birmingham.

After the much-noted performance of the (in)famous "Shine, Jesus, Shine," that gets underway at 6.15 London (1.15 Eastern); again, your livestream and Visit Missal (p. 109).

Beyond that, Vatican Radio's running an interview with the archbishop of Canterbury on yesterday's historic Evensong in Westminster Abbey; formal word could come shortly of a private papal meeting with victim-survivors of clergy sex-abuse (Benedict's fourth) expected to have taken place over the last few hours... and, lastly, the midday lull between events has seen the climax of the protests against this trip and the more controversial elements of church teaching; "thousands" converged on central London for a march and rally, with reports indicating one arrest.

PHOTO: Getty

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