THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Only a handful of journalists flew with the Pope to Britain and travelled around the country with his touring party. Jonathan Wynne Jones, The Sunday Telegraph's Religious Affairs Correspondent, was one of them
There was a great sense of anticipation on board Shepherd One, the Pope's private plane, as the grey curtain dividing us from the papal entourage was pulled back.
His aides moved to the side to reveal the 83-year-old pontiff shuffling up the aisle, using the seats for balance, to meet the small group of Press given permission to join him on the flight from Rome to the UK.
Standing only a few feet from me, the spiritual leader of more than one billion Catholics cut a fragile and weary figure.
Dressed all in white, except for his red shoes that peeped from under his cassock, his eyes blinked often as he waited for our questions.
It is the only point of the papal visit where the Pope addresses journalists directly, but introducing the session, Fr Frederico Lombardi, the Holy See's spokesman, told the pontiff that the questions and answers would all be in Italian "so as not to tire you".
Pope Benedict's voice sounded hoarse and cracking as he replied to my question on his concerns for the trip.
"Above all I wish you a good-day and a pleasant flight to all of us," he said.
"I must admit that I am not worried, because when I went to France, it was said that it was the most anticlerical country, with strong anticlerical opinions and very few believers; when I went to the Czech Republic it was said that it was the most irreligious country in Europe and the most anticlerical also."
It would have been understandable if he was anxious at the reception that awaited him, given that in the run-up to his state visit to Britain – the first in papal history – opposition had been shrill, with atheists threatening to have him arrested and apathy seeming to be the prevailing mood.
But instead he said he was arriving in "good spirits and with joy".
"Naturally Great Britain has had is own history of anti-Catholicism. This is obvious; but it is also a country with a great history of tolerance."
His reply appeared to be going down well with his posse of aides who stood behind him as he spoke, smiling and nodding at almost every other word.
Most prominent were Georg Ganswein [sic], his private secretary who has become known as Gorgeous George for his Hollywood-good looks, and Cardinal Bertone, the Holy See's secretary of state, who comes across as more mafia don than Don Juan with his bovine face and menacing dark eyes.
Pope Benedict then surprised us by choosing to address the clerical abuse scandal, expressing his shock and sadness at the revelations and criticising the Church for failing to act swiftly enough, before adding: "Now we are in a moment of repentance and humility."
After speaking for 15 minutes, the Pope raised his arms to give his papal wave, before returning to his seat with his entourage filing behind him like bridesmaids dutifully following a bride, Fr Ganswein [sic] gently brushing down his cassock as he walked. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Sunday, September 19, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Pope visit: wait for a guest who took time to charm his hosts _ Pontiff shows his dislikes about the modern age include rushing about >>> Andrew Gimson | Saturday, September 18, 2010
My essay on Pope Benedict XVI written in 2006! It has taken the MSM in Great Britain till now to catch on, to realize just how wonderful this pope is! (And I speak not as a Catholic, but as a member of the Anglican communion!
Pope Benedict XVI: Saviour of Western Civilization? >>> Mark Alexander | Tuesday, September 19, 2006
