The Pope’s visit to Britain was the highlight of last week in Westminster, as well as for many hundreds of thousands of people right across the country. On Friday I was fortunate to have a place in Westminster Hall representing the Folkestone and Hythe constituency, when Pope Benedict addressed the assembled members of parliament, which was the first time a Pope has ever been invited to speak here.
The Pope spoke of the importance of faith and religion to public life, and that this should not be seen as a purely private matter. In particular he stated his concern at ‘those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none.’ I believe this is right. We live in an open and tolerant society where we should be free to lead our own lives within the law. Faith and religious festivals are a major part of the cultural and for many spiritual life of our nation and should be celebrated and cherished, not hidden away.
Earlier in the day Pope Benedict took part in a ‘Big Assembly’ with school children at St Mary’s College in Twickenham. This was broadcast online to thousands of children in Catholic schools around the country. I was fortunate that morning to be able to join pupils at St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School in Hythe, where the children had been following the Pope’s visit with great interest. The Head teacher Pam Parnell introduced me to the classes in the school and I helped her pass on to each year group special commemorative medals to mark the Pope’s visit. It was a great pleasure for me to be able to join them on this special day, and reminded me that I was a primary school when Pope John Paul II visited Britain in 1982.
Following my visit to St Augustine’s I joined Tracy Green, the Deputy Head of Hythe Bay Primary for a tour of the school, as well as the pre-school facilities and family centre. I then continued my programme of meetings with local schools at Oakwood School, which is supported by the Folkestone Life Church. At the time of writing this article, I am also about to see pupils from Mundella Primary School in Folkestone who have come to London for a tour of the House of Commons.
On Saturday, I met with Pam Hogg and Eammon Rooney at the Leas Lift in Folkestone, where they were marking the 125th anniversary of the first service. It’s great to see this important Folkestone landmark back in operation, and I wish them every success in running the lift in the future.
On Sunday, I joined the Mayors of New Romney, Hythe and Lydd for the Battle of Britain Memorial Service at St Nicholas’s Church in New Romney. This year marks the 70th anniversary when we particularly remember the sacrifices of those few members of the RAF to whom we all owe so much.