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At a service in
Canterbury Cathedral attended by Britain's religious leaders, he read from the
Gospels and called in his address for greater Christian unity.
More
important than all of this though, the historic nature of the occasion: it marked
the first visit by a Pope to the United Kingdom.
But the service nearly
didn't happen. At
the time Britain was at odds with Catholic Argentina, and Pope John Paul II was
under great pressure to call off his visit to the UK. Some deft diplomacy followed,
and happily for the people of Kent he did come.
BBC
Radio Kent's Jonathan Witchell looks back on
a unique event.
Listen
This
package is about 7 minutes long and you will need Realmedia
Player to listen. | | 1982
was the year that history, religion and great pomp and ceremony came to Canterbury
Cathedral. The then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, welcomed The Pope
with words "In the name of the Lord we greet you. Pope - My brothers and
sisters in the Anglican".
The service was entitled A celebration
of Faith to Welcome Pope John Paul II on the Eve of Penticost.
The service
in the cathedral is best remembered for the imagery it painted: the Throne of
St Augustine taken, not by Pope or Archbishop, but the original Gospels sent by
Gregory the Great to Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury.
Then
there was the picture of The Pope and Archbishop Robert Runcie kneeling together
at the place of the martyrdom, where Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered.
For Kent the Pope had already left a strong legacy, but it's not just the
history that people remember of 1982.
For those who saw the service in
1982, The Pope's dignity and devotion were plain to see. One BBC commentator called
it "the beginning of a great Christian adventure!"
John Paul's
election by the cardinals in 1978 as the first non-Italian Pope broke the mould,
according to Catholic writer Michael Green from Hythe. "Not surprising then
that the catholic leader felt able to take on such a ground breaking tour in 1982."
In October
2003, Pope John Paul II celebrated his Silver Jubilee of his Pontificate. 
See the Cathedral in 360
degrees
 Have
your say: Did you ever see the Pope in person? Do you remember his visit
to Kent?
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