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Papal Nuncio in four-day visit across Diocese of East Anglia

  • Keith Morris

Archbishop Adams with sixth form students and inter-faith leaders at St John Fisher High School

Archbishop Adams with sixth form students and inter-faith leaders at St John Fisher High School

The Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, His Excellency Archbishop Edward Adams, has been touring around the Diocese of East Anglia for the last four days (May 19 to 22) after accepting an invitation from the Bishop of East Anglia, Rt Rev Alan Hopes.

The Papal Nuncio is the Pope's personal representative in GB and he began his visit on Sunday (May 19) with a visit to the Jewish Synagogue in Norwich and then celebrated Mass at St John The Baptist Cathedral in Norwich, before meeting parishioners over coffee.

He went on to visit Norwich Anglican Cathedral where he was shown around by Cathedral Dean the Very Rev Jane Hedges and took part in Compline.

On Monday, Archbishop Adams visited St John Fisher Catholic High School in Peterborough where a meeting with local faith leaders took place. The Nuncio told them: "Pope Francis is very much interested in what you do and in this type of inter faith dialogue. He encourages every effort between people of different faiths for positive relations and constructive inter-action. So I am happy to be here and offer you the best wishes of Pope Francis and to commend you for working together and bringing people closer to God."

The Nuncio then celebrated Mass with students and staff members of the chaplaincy team at St John Fisher School and answered questions from sixth formers.

The Nuncio's party moved to the next door St Thomas More Catholic Primary School where headteacher Anne-Marie McElhinney was leading an assembly for the school's 420 pupils. Archbishop Adams was introduced to the children who asked him a series of entertaining and searching questions about his role and what he enjoyed and found most challenging about it.

On Tuesday, the Nuncio's party headed to the Catholic National Shrine at Walsingham where Archbishop Adams celebrated Mass in the Slipper Chapel, the first Papal Nuncio to do so for 20 years. He also had the opportunity to meet some of the growing number of Religious Brothers and Sisters now living in Walsingham.

He went on to visit Sheringham and performed a blessing on a house which has just been bought by the St Vincent de Paul Society to house up to ten homeless people.

"This is just one of many social action initiatives which take place across the diocese, promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ of love," Bishop Alan Hopes told a gathering of SVP and Caritas members who engage in social action across the diocese.

The final visit of the day was to the Carmelite Monastery at Quidenham where the Archbishop joined the sisters for Vespers.

Today, the Papal Nuncio finished his visit to East Anglia by meeting members of the substantial local Catholic Syro Malabar and Philippino communities at St Philip Howard church in Cambridge.

Speaking about his visit to the diocese, Archbishop Adams said: "I want to thank Bishop Alan for giving me the opportunity to come to the diocese and see the reality of the church and the people and to be able give the Pope an idea of the life of the Christian community in this part of the world."


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